Head Start and Child Care Funding in the FY 2009 Budget

March 6, 2008

The President’s proposed FY 2009 budget flat funds Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) for a seventh consecutive year, which will result in 200,000 fewer children receiving child care assistance by 2009, in addition to the thousands of children that have already lost child care assistance due to years of flat funding. In order to restore CCDBG to FY 2002 funding levels, an increase of $874 million would be needed in 2009.

In spite of signing the newly reauthorized Head Start bill in December 2007, which strengthened and expanded the bill, President Bush’s proposed FY 2009 budget provides only a minimal increase in Head Start funding, which is not enough to cover inflation, let alone many of the provisions included in the reauthorized bill. When adjusted for inflation, Head Start funding is approximately 12 percent below 2002 levels. As a result, 13,000 fewer children will have access to Head Start’s critical child development services in 2009. In order to restore Head Start to FY 2002 funding levels, an increase of $1.072 billion would be needed in 2009.

The President’s budget is the first in a series of steps that are taken before a final Budget is passed. It will be important to speak to key members on the Labor HHS Education Appropriations Committee and urge them to include meaningful increases in Head Start and Child Care in their budget letters due in the coming weeks.