The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is an essential source of assistance for working families struggling to shoulder the ever-growing cost of child care. Millions of children across the country meet CCDF eligibility criteria – but the current program does not meet the full need, and recent federal actions threaten to put child care even further out of reach for many families.
The brief explains the basic structure and function of the CCDF, and how recent funding freezes and rule changes could make child care even more challenging for families to access. At a time when child care costs are skyrocketing, the piece encourages policymakers to bolster the program to support families in addressing barriers to affordable child care.