Resources to support strong responses to the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) addressing Head Start standards. Contact: Advocacy@startearly.org

In recent years, states like New York and New Mexico have demonstrated that universal child care is possible. However, despite widespread awareness of the value of child care and positive progress at ...

Resources to support strong responses to the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) addressing Head Start standards. Contact: Advocacy@startearly.org

The Trump Administration continues to harm a child care and early education sector in desperate need of support. Through harmful regulatory action, illegal funding freezes, and unfounded fraud allegat...

A truly equitable food system cannot be built without recognizing Tribal Nations as leaders in shaping their own food futures.

MomsRising’s Protect Head Start Call-In Line Toolkit U.S. Department Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr. is attacking Head Start, proposing to eliminate most of the program's ...

By Alyssa Fortner and Shira Small

CLASP opposes this rule and any effort to dismantle essential programs that support the well-being of children and families.

It’s shameful that the Trump administration and their allies in Congress are spending billions of dollars on ICE and CBP to tear apart and terrorize families.

[Editor’s Note: Last Updated July 22, 2026] In Partnership with: Medicaid is an important source of health coverage for the early childhood education professionals who support child development and ca...

HHS failed to respond to Foia request following claims of fraud against Somali childcare providers and Democrats

The people who educate, care, and advocate for the nation’s youngest children are directly feeling the effects of federal immigration policies. “Caregiving in Crisis” details the findings from intervi...

Program integrity and accountability policies are part of all federal social services programs. This brief provides an overview of the comprehensive monitoring and oversight of fiscal program integrit...

This updated resource is more essential than ever, as children disappear from classrooms and early education programs and all families, especially immigrant families, too often encounter mountains of ...

As momentum for child care grows across country, Democrats lead charge in Congress Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), longtime leaders on child ca...

This Black History Month calls us to commemorate the deep roots and ongoing consequences of inequity in the child care sector.

On February 3, 2026, Congress passed an amendment to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, funding all federal programs with the exception of the Department of Homeland Security for a full year. ...

Washington, D.C., January 5, 2026 — Last week, an ill-informed YouTube “influencer” accused child care centers run by Somali providers in Minnesota of fraud. In response to these accusations and witho...

By Shira Small, Rachel Wilensky, and Stephanie Schmit Since taking office on January 20, the Trump Administration has repeatedly undermined families’ access to child care and early education—dispropor...

By Lily Ana Marquez 1. What motivates me to show up as a parent leader and advocate? Being the parent of two children who are very different motivates me to continue as a parent leader and a strong ad...

1. What motivates me to show up as a parent leader and advocate?  Being the parent of two children who are very different motivates me to continue as a parent leader and a strong advocate. It is my re...

About Us Centering and Elevating Parent Voice in National Child Care Policy The CLASP Child Care and Early Education Policy Fellowship for Parents is designed to center and elevate the lived experienc...

On November 5, ICE took a childcare worker from her workplace — in front of the children she dedicates her life to protecting. This is unacceptable. We all deserve to feel safe at home, at work, and i...

The stalemate created by the refusal of Congressional leadership and the Trump Administration to come to the table is unnecessarily threatening food assistance, access to Head Start, and other importa...

This guide explains how early childhood providers can create "safe space" policies to protect immigrant families in their programs.

'We don't want to see our children ... caught in the crosshairs of these types of political fights,' national deputy director said.

In a functioning government, this budget would be free from interference by a presidential administration. Instead, the administration is manufacturing chaos and dysfunction to continue to weaken the ...

In a functioning government, this budget would be free from interference by a presidential administration. Instead, the administration is manufacturing chaos and dysfunction to continue to weaken the ...

By Shira Small The Trump Administration’s cuts to federal child care and early education programs and staff are putting children, families, and the economy at risk. Children are already losing access ...

Families are already struggling with higher costs of living, and the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill will only increase the costs of health care, food, and everyday necessities. The bill's text af...

New fact sheet in collaboration with the National Womens Law Center highlights the urgent need for long term, sustainable investments in child care.

As Congress negotiates the FY2026 appropriations package, another year of level funding for CCDBG, which has been proposed in the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencie...

As Congress negotiates the FY2026 appropriations package, another year of level funding for CCDBG, which has been proposed in the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencie...

No child should worry if their mom ate breakfast. Yet in many immigrant families, that sacrifice is routine.

Please reach out to Advocacy@startearly.org with questions. Please note: Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice.

Why is access to child care important for families?

Our fight to ensure the dignity, security, and well-being of those who have been most marginalized is far from over, and CLASP is ready to meet the moment.

By Rachel Wilensky, Karla Coleman-Castillo, and Wendy Cervantes In the four months since inauguration, the Trump Administration has leveled a staggering number of threats on social programs–from execu...

Urge Congress to reject budget cuts to programs that support babies and families.

This bill guts health care, restricts access to food, sacrifices our higher education system, and punishes immigrant families, all to provide more tax breaks for wealthy people and corporations.