If 2025 featured a mix of highs and lows in early care and education, 2026 is poised to bring a series of deeper challenges to the field, as states prepare to make difficult budget decisions in anticipation of the looming federal funding cuts.
of و to و a – تفاصيل مهمة
“It’s pretty grim,” said Natalie Renew, executive director of Home Grown, a national initiative committed to improving the quality of and access to home-based child care, about the outlook for the sector.
“I don’t think anyone is particularly optimistic about child care” in the new year, added Daniel Hains, chief policy and professional advancement officer at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
A handful of early care and education experts noted that 2025 did herald in a number of key victories in the field.
Some states have made progress in policies shaping child care and early childhood education. In 2025, Arizona, Connecticut and Montana were among those that made new investments in the field. New Mexico took its gains in recent years a step further by announcing free universal child care for all families, regardless of income, beginning last November.
in و the و and – تفاصيل مهمة
Alongside those wins for early learners and their caregivers came some challenges. Head Start was caught in political crosshairs than once throughout the year — first when it was floated for elimination, then when many of its regional offices across the country were closedand later when programs serving thousands of children nearly lost access to services during the prolonged government shutdown. And some states, such as Indiana, feeling stretched by the end of federal pandemic relief dollars, began to pull back on support for families and programs, slashing provider reimbursement rates, instituting co-pays for families who use subsidies, and changing subsidy eligibility, among other actions.
Now, those experts say, the
“>▶ عرض المحتوى المضمّن
that many states have experienced as historic pandemic-era investments expired is going to run headlong into another kind of budget shortfall in 2026. That’s one of four main issues they said they’ll be watching in early care and education in the new year.
1. Child Care Spending: States Begin Tightening the Belt
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed into law in July 2025 includes significant cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. The cuts effectively shift the costs of those programs from the federal government to states. If states decide to pick up the tab, they’ll likely have to pull back on other services.
Now, و those و experts – تفاصيل مهمة
Most of the cuts won’t go into effect until after the 2026 midterm elections, but states will start planning ahead.
“It’s less painful to do it slowly than all at once,” explained Melissa Boteach, chief policy officer at ZERO TO THREE.
Unlike the federal government, states can’t spend than they earn; they have to balance their budgets. So they’ll be looking for ways to increase revenue, such as through new taxes, or cut costs by eliminating or scaling back programs and services.
“Uncertainty is the word,” said Aaron Loewenberg, senior policy analyst at New America. “There’s a lot of anxiety and uncertainty at this point about what the next year or two could look like.”
at و to و the – تفاصيل مهمة
As states look to reduce costs, they will have fewer dollars to invest in early care and education. Certainly the prospect of bold new projects and initiatives seems less likely, experts said, but it’s also possible that existing programs could be scaled back.
What will emerge, said Hains of NAEYC, is a divide between states that have the will and resources to fund ECE, and states that don’t.
“We’re going to be looking at two very different countries: States that have revenue to invest in child care and early learning — (like) Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, Montana — while other states are going to be in constrained and challenging situations.”
Ultimately, funding cuts will be felt by children, families and early educators.
and و to و will – تفاصيل مهمة
“There’s no way to nickel and dime investing in children,” Boteach said. “At the end of the day, if we’re going to really transform outcomes for children and families, it requires resources. … Children in this country are going to suffer because we are disinvesting rather than investing in their future.”
2. Expanding Access: Can Promises of Universal Child Care Be Fulfilled?
New Mexico’s pledge of free, universal child care has buoyed the spirits of many early childhood educators and advocates.
“It’s an enormous bright spot in an otherwise very difficult year,” Boteach said.
The initiative is in its early days — the income limitation was lifted on Nov. 1, 2025 — so this year will offer state leaders a chance to make good on their promise. Early childhood policy experts will be watching closely.
of و the و early – تفاصيل مهمة
Loewenberg of New America said he’ll be looking at how leaders navigate challenges in the system, whether families feel it’s successful, and how such a policy could be replicated in states that don’t have the oil and gas revenues that New Mexico uses to fund universal child care.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on New York City as Mayor Zohran Mamdani settles into his new role and pursues his own
“>▶ عرض المحتوى المضمّن
for universal child care.
“I’m holding out excitement or negativity to wait and see what happens,” said Loewenberg. “I think we’re past the point of saying, ‘This is great because people are talking about it.’ The difficult work is being able to make it work. That remains to be seen.”
his و Meanwhile, و all – تفاصيل مهمة
One critical step is working out the funding mechanism for universal child care, which will likely require cooperation from the state government.
Hains does find the policy pledge in itself encouraging.
“Reflecting back on the last decade or two in this work, how amazing is it that we are at a place where mayors and governors are putting forward real, meaningful proposals of child care as a public good that’s available to everybody?” Hains said. “As a whole, looking at the big picture, it’s exciting that child care feels like something that elected officials can deliver on.”
3. Workforce Instability: Immigration Enforcement Creates Chilling Effect
In 2025, the Trump administration intensified immigration enforcement, which has had deleterious consequences for early childhood educators and, in turn, the families who rely on them.
the و in و that – تفاصيل مهمة
An estimated one in five early childhood educators are immigrants. In large urban areas, such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, immigrants make up almost half of the child care workforce, Boteach pointed out.
New America, a left-leaning think tank, released a report in December that found a strong association between the increase in ICE activity and the number of foreign-born child care workers: Between February and July 2025, as ICE arrests increased after President Trump took office, there were 39,000 fewer foreign-born child care workers than the same period in 2024.
With funding for immigration enforcement, detention and deportation included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the trend is expected to continue in 2026.
“Immigration enforcement, to me, right now, is the number one disruptor both to parent behavior and provider behavior,” said Renew of Home Grown. “It is hugely disruptive.”
the و in و and – تفاصيل مهمة
Because arrests have been public, visible and sometimes physicalthey have created a culture of fear among immigrants, even those with legal status in the country, New America found. And now that early learning settings are fair game for ICE activity — prior to Trump’s second term, they were protected under a “sensitive locations” exception — many educators and parents worry about what may unfold before children’s eyes.
“The amount of stress, the amount of worry about targeting in your community, can affect providers’ mental health and then the health of those kids in their care,” Boteach said.
In effect, the escalation in immigration enforcement may impact both the availability and the quality of early care and education, she added.
4. Bright Spots: Solutions Emerge Amid Challenges
Even in a challenging political and budgetary environment, there are bright spots to keep an eye on in 2026.
the و in و of – تفاصيل مهمة
For one, Loewenberg pointed out, Head Start is still a viable, funded federal program. A year ago, that was not a sure thing.
A second is that a number of states with protected revenue streams for early care and education, including New Mexico and Vermont, will continue to invest in the field. Others are jumping in to commit dollars to the sector — New York, Texas and Washington among them.
Finally, early care and education is proving to be a viable campaign issue. In addition to Mamdani’s victory in New York, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia both won their gubernatorial races by talking about child care.
“You’re seeing in the elections that candidates that ran on child care, ran on helping families and children, won,” Boteach said. “These are winning political issues, which means both parties should be vying to talk about these issues and govern on these issues.”
and و to و New – تفاصيل مهمة
Indeed, Hains feels that the country is moving from a place of “whether” child care is a government responsibility to “how” and how much the government should be involved.
Did you use this article in your work?
Did و you و use – تفاصيل مهمة
We’d love to hear how The 74’s reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.Tell us how
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author:Emily Tate Sullivan
Published on:2026-01-05 21:30:00
Source: www.the74million.org
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’); fbq(‘init’, ‘626037510879173’); // 626037510879173 fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);{“@context”:”http://schema.org”,”@type”:”NewsArticle”,”dateCreated”:”2026-01-05T22:01:22+04:00″,”datePublished”:”2026-01-05T22:01:22+04:00″,”dateModified”:”2026-01-05T22:01:22+04:00″,”headline”:”4 Early Care and Education Issues to Watch in 2026 The 74″,”name”:”4 Early Care and Education Issues to Watch in 2026 The 74″,”keywords”:[],”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/1000281261/”,”description”:”If 2025 featured a mix of highs and lows in early care and education, 2026 is poised to bring a series of deeper challenges to the field, as states prepare to make difficult budget decisions in antici”,”copyrightYear”:”2026″,”articleSection”:”Education”,”articleBody”:”nnn n n n n nIf 2025 featured a mix of highs and lows in early care and education, 2026 is poised to bring a series of deeper challenges to the field, as states prepare to make difficult budget decisions in anticipation of the looming federal funding cuts.nnnnu201cItu2019s pretty grim,u201d said Natalie Renew, executive director of Home Grown, a national initiative committed to improving the quality of and access to home-based child care, about the outlook for the sector.nnnnu201cI donu2019t think anyone is particularly optimistic about child careu201d in the new year, added Daniel Hains, chief policy and professional advancement officer at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). nnnnA handful of early care and education experts noted that 2025 did herald in a number of key victories in the field. nnnnSome states have made progress in policies shaping child care and early childhood education. In 2025, Arizona, Connecticut and Montana were among those that made new investments in the field. New Mexico took its gains in recent years a step further by announcing free universal child care for all families, regardless of income, beginning last November. nnnnAlongside those wins for early learners and their caregivers came some challenges. Head Start was caught in political crosshairs more than once throughout the year u2014 first when it was floated for elimination, then when many of its regional offices across the country were closedand later when programs serving thousands of children nearly lost access to services during the prolonged government shutdown. And some states, such as Indiana, feeling stretched by the end of federal pandemic relief dollars, began to pull back on support for families and programs, slashing provider reimbursement rates, instituting co-pays for families who use subsidies, and changing subsidy eligibility, among other actions. nnnnNow, those experts say, the u201cchild care cliffu201d that many states have experienced as historic pandemic-era investments expired is going to run headlong into another kind of budget shortfall in 2026. Thatu2019s one of four main issues they said theyu2019ll be watching in early care and education in the new year. nnnn1. Child Care Spending: States Begin Tightening the BeltnnnnThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed into law in July 2025 includes significant cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. The cuts effectively shift the costs of those programs from the federal government to states. If states decide to pick up the tab, theyu2019ll likely have to pull back on other services.nnnnMost of the cuts wonu2019t go into effect until after the 2026 midterm elections, but states will start planning ahead. nnnnu201cItu2019s less painful to do it slowly than all at once,u201d explained Melissa Boteach, chief policy officer at ZERO TO THREE. nnnnUnlike the federal government, states canu2019t spend more than they earn; they have to balance their budgets. So theyu2019ll be looking for ways to increase revenue, such as through new taxes, or cut costs by eliminating or scaling back programs and services. nnnnu201cUncertainty is the word,u201d said Aaron Loewenberg, senior policy analyst at New America. u201cThereu2019s a lot of anxiety and uncertainty at this point about what the next year or two could look like.u201dnnnnAs states look to reduce costs, they will have fewer dollars to invest in early care and education. Certainly the prospect of bold new projects and initiatives seems less likely, experts said, but itu2019s also possible that existing programs could be scaled back. nnnnWhat will emerge, said Hains of NAEYC, is a divide between states that have the will and resources to fund ECE, and states that donu2019t. nnnnu201cWeu2019re going to be looking at two very different countries: States that have revenue to invest in child care and early learning u2014 (like) Vermont, New Mexico, Connecticut, Montana u2014 while other states are going to be in more constrained and challenging situations.u201dnnnnUltimately, funding cuts will be felt by children, families and early educators. nnnnu201cThereu2019s no way to nickel and dime investing in children,u201d Boteach said. u201cAt the end of the day, if weu2019re going to really transform outcomes for children and families, it requires resources. u2026 Children in this country are going to suffer because we are disinvesting rather than investing in their future.u201dnnnn2. Expanding Access: Can Promises of Universal Child Care Be Fulfilled? nnnnNew Mexicou2019s pledge of free, universal child care has buoyed the spirits of many early childhood educators and advocates. nnnnu201cItu2019s an enormous bright spot in an otherwise very difficult year,u201d Boteach said.nnnnThe initiative is in its early days u2014 the income limitation was lifted on Nov. 1, 2025 u2014 so this year will offer state leaders a chance to make good on their promise. Early childhood policy experts will be watching closely. nnnnLoewenberg of New America said heu2019ll be looking at how leaders navigate challenges in the system, whether families feel itu2019s successful, and how such a policy could be replicated in states that donu2019t have the oil and gas revenues that New Mexico uses to fund universal child care. nnnnMeanwhile, all eyes will be on New York City as Mayor Zohran Mamdani settles into his new role and pursues his own pledge for universal child care. nnnnu201cIu2019m holding out excitement or negativity to wait and see what happens,u201d said Loewenberg. u201cI think weu2019re past the point of saying, u2018This is great because people are talking about it.u2019 The difficult work is being able to make it work. That remains to be seen.u201dnnnnOne critical step is working out the funding mechanism for universal child care, which will likely require cooperation from the state government. nnnnHains does find the policy pledge in itself encouraging. nnnnu201cReflecting back on the last decade or two in this work, how amazing is it that we are at a place where mayors and governors are putting forward real, meaningful proposals of child care as a public good thatu2019s available to everybody?u201d Hains said. u201cAs a whole, looking at the big picture, itu2019s exciting that child care feels like something that elected officials can deliver on.u201dnnnn3. Workforce Instability: Immigration Enforcement Creates Chilling EffectnnnnIn 2025, the Trump administration intensified immigration enforcement, which has had deleterious consequences for early childhood educators and, in turn, the families who rely on them.nnnnAn estimated one in five early childhood educators are immigrants. In large urban areas, such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, immigrants make up almost half of the child care workforce, Boteach pointed out. nnnnNew America, a left-leaning think tank, released a report in December that found a strong association between the increase in ICE activity and the number of foreign-born child care workers: Between February and July 2025, as ICE arrests increased after President Trump took office, there were 39,000 fewer foreign-born child care workers than the same period in 2024. nnnnWith more funding for immigration enforcement, detention and deportation included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the trend is expected to continue in 2026. nnnnu201cImmigration enforcement, to me, right now, is the number one disruptor both to parent behavior and provider behavior,u201d said Renew of Home Grown. u201cIt is hugely disruptive.u201d nnnnBecause arrests have been public, visible and sometimes physicalthey have created a culture of fear among immigrants, even those with legal status in the country, New America found. And now that early learning settings are fair game for ICE activity u2014 prior to Trumpu2019s second term, they were protected under a u201csensitive locationsu201d exception u2014 many educators and parents worry about what may unfold before childrenu2019s eyes. nnnnu201cThe amount of stress, the amount of worry about targeting in your community, can affect providersu2019 mental health and then the health of those kids in their care,u201d Boteach said. nnnnIn effect, the escalation in immigration enforcement may impact both the availability and the quality of early care and education, she added.nnnn4. Bright Spots: Solutions Emerge Amid ChallengesnnnnEven in a challenging political and budgetary environment, there are bright spots to keep an eye on in 2026. nnnnFor one, Loewenberg pointed out, Head Start is still a viable, funded federal program. A year ago, that was not a sure thing.nnnnA second is that a number of states with protected revenue streams for early care and education, including New Mexico and Vermont, will continue to invest in the field. Others are jumping in to commit more dollars to the sector u2014 New York, Texas and Washington among them. nnnnFinally, early care and education is proving to be a viable campaign issue. In addition to Mamdaniu2019s victory in New York, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia both won their gubernatorial races by talking about child care. nnnnu201cYouu2019re seeing in the elections that candidates that ran on child care, ran on helping families and children, won,u201d Boteach said. u201cThese are winning political issues, which means both parties should be vying to talk about these issues and govern on these issues.u201dnnnnIndeed, Hains feels that the country is moving from a place of u201cwhetheru201d child care is a government responsibility to u201chowu201d and how much the government should be involved.nn n n n Did you use this article in your work?
nWeu2019d love to hear how The 74u2019s reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers. Tell us hown n nnn !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?n n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;n t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,n document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);n fbq(‘init’, ‘626037510879173’); // 626037510879173n fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);n nnnnnDisclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification. nWe do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.nnnnnnAuthor: Emily Tate SullivannPublished on: 2026-01-05 21:30:00nSource: www.the74million.orgn”,”publisher”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”,”@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”uaetodaynews”,”logo”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/images-e1759081190269.png”},”sameAs”:[“https://www.facebook.com/uaetodaynewscom”,”https://www.pinterest.com/uaetodaynews/”,”https://www.instagram.com/uaetoday_news_com/”]},”sourceOrganization”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”},”copyrightHolder”:{“@id”:”#Publisher”},”mainEntityOfPage”:{“@type”:”WebPage”,”@id”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/1000281261/”,”breadcrumb”:{“@id”:”#Breadcrumb”}},”author”:{“@type”:”Person”,”name”:”uaetodaynews”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/author/arabsongmedia-net/”},”image”:{“@type”:”ImageObject”,”url”:”https://uaetodaynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/child-care-issues-to-watch-825×495.jpg”,”width”:1200,”height”:495}}
Disclaimer: This news article has been republished exactly as it appeared on its original source, without any modification.
We do not take any responsibility for its content, which remains solely the responsibility of the original publisher.
Author: uaetodaynews
Published on: 2026-01-05 18:01:00
Source: uaetodaynews.com