PUBLIC Version

The Administration for Children & Families  is seeking input from the public and interested stakeholders on strategies to improve access to high quality, affordable child care in the U.S. Comments are due by December 2, 2019.

This Request for Information seeks public comment on:

• Identifying emerging and innovative practices to improve access to high quality child care, as well as identifying regulatory and other policies that unnecessarily drive up the cost of care or limit parents' choice of different child care options;
• Identifying ways to improve funding of child care and other related early education programs to support quality and create a more streamlined, equitable, and sustainable financing framework for future generations.

Information collected through this request may be used by ACF in the development of future rulemaking and technical assistance, formation of legislative proposals and research agendas, and/or strategic planning. The photo below is from the Oct. 10 child care round table in Kansas City and is courtesy of Emily Wolf at the Columbia Missourian.

ACF is looking for an honest assessment of child care in the U.S. from the public and from a diverse array of stakeholder groups in order to inform the development of recommendations and/or future guidance. This includes parents who use child care, including parents of children with disabilities; small child care businesses, including family child care home providers; large and chain child care providers; pre-k groups; school administrators; child care regulators; state and local officials; employers; state and local chambers of commerce; foundations; faith-based and other community organizations; family child care networks; child care resource and referral agencies; universities and other institutions of higher education; child care workforce development organizations; economic development organizations; etc.