	Introduction

Federal investments in early childhood care and education come in many forms. These investments stretch across multiple federal agencies and congressional committee jurisdictions. They vary from targeted to flexible funding streams, from grant programs to tax provisions. Some programs primarily or exclusively provide early childhood services (e.g., Head Start), while others are broad-based, flexible funding streams for which early childhood services are among many allowable uses (e.g., Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). These federal programs often have differing policy goals, target populations, program services, and administrative rules. For instance, some programs target a particular service (e.g., child care, home visiting), while others target a particular population (e.g., special needs children, working parents). In many cases, federal programs target low-income families, but certain programs and child care-related tax provisions benefit middle- and upper-income families as well. In recent years, both Congress and the Obama Administration have demonstrated interest in early childhood issues. The President has proposed the creation of new early childhood programs (e.g., Preschool for All), as well as reforms to existing programs. In some cases, these or other early childhood proposals have been taken up by Congress. 114-95 ), which was signed into law in December 2015, authorized a new Preschool Development Grants program to be administered by HHS, jointly with ED. This legislation builds on a predecessor program of the same name that has been funded (at ED, but administered jointly with HHS) in annual appropriations acts since FY2014 under broad authorities and without a standalone authorization. Of note, several early childhood care and education programs are due for possible reauthorization in the 114 th Congress, including Head Start, mandatory child care funding authorized in Section 418 of the Social Security Act, and the IDEA Part C early intervention program for infants and toddlers. In addition, Congress may also take an interest in the Administration's implementation of recent reauthorizations, including the December 2015 ( P.L. 113-186 ) reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). These laws mark the first comprehensive reauthorizations of the ESEA and the CCDBG since 2002 and 1996, respectively. Report Roadmap

This report begins with information on current and historical funding levels for a selection of early childhood care and education programs and tax provisions. At the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), for instance, the request called for a $434 million (+5%) increase for Head Start and a $3.9 billion (+68%) increase in combined mandatory and discretionary funding for the CCDBG. Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)

The CCDBG is the primary source of federal grant funding dedicated to child care subsidies for low-income working families. However, the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 ( P.L. At the federal level, the program is administered by HHS.
The federal government has a long history of investing in early childhood care and education. As early as the 1930s, the government was supporting nursery schools for low-income children. Over time, the federal role in early childhood care and education has evolved, and today's federal investments in this area come in many forms. For instance, such investments
Stretch across multiple federal agencies and congressional committee jurisdictions. Agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Education (ED), the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Vary from targeted to flexible funding streams, from grant programs to tax provisions. Some programs exclusively offer early childhood services (e.g., Head Start), while others are broad-based funding streams for which such services are among many allowable uses (e.g., Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). Often have differing policy goals, target populations, program services, and administrative rules. Some target a particular service (e.g., home visiting, child care), while others target a particular population (e.g., special needs children, working parents). Many programs target low-income families, but some programs and tax provisions benefit middle- and upper-income families.
Currently, some of the largest federal investments in targeted early childhood programs come from HHS, through programs such as Head Start ($9.2 billion in FY2016) and the Child Care and Development Block Grant ($5.7 billion in combined mandatory and discretionary funding in FY2016). Two child care-related tax provisions (combining to account for an estimated $5.5 billion in FY2016) and the USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program (estimated at $3.3 billion in FY2016) also provide substantial financial contributions to federal early childhood initiatives. By comparison, funding for targeted early childhood programs at ED and DOI tends to be lower, on average, typically falling below the billion-dollar mark for any one program.
In recent years, both Congress and the Obama Administration have demonstrated interest in early childhood issues. The President has proposed the creation of new early childhood programs (e.g., Preschool for All), as well as reforms to existing programs. In some cases, these or other early childhood proposals have been taken up by Congress. For instance, the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-95), which was signed into law in December 2015, authorized a new Preschool Development Grants program to be administered by HHS, jointly with ED. This legislation builds on a predecessor program of the same name that has been funded (at ED, but administered jointly with HHS) in annual appropriations acts since FY2014 under broad authorities without a standalone authorization.
Of note, several early childhood care and education programs are due for possible reauthorization in the 114th Congress, including Head Start, mandatory child care funding authorized in Section 418 of the Social Security Act, and the IDEA Part C early intervention program for infants and toddlers. In addition, Congress may also take an interest in the Administration's implementation of the reauthorization law (P.L. 113-186) for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) that was enacted in November 2014, substantively overhauling existing program rules for the first time since 1996.