Media Contact: Allie Wright, [email protected], (202) 794-1823

Washington, D.C. (March 21, 2018) – The omnibus spending bill released tonight by Congressional leaders includes an enormous increase in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and increases funding for other crucial early childhood education programs, including Head Start and Early Head Start.

“I’m grateful to Congressional leaders and members of Congress from both parties for prioritizing investments in kids and securing this additional funding,” said Kris Perry, president of Save the Children Action Network (SCAN). “This deal will allow over 200,000 more low-income children to receive access to high-quality child care programs, which we know levels the playing field for all children.”

The proposal includes $610 million in new funding for Head Start ($9.86 billion overall) and a historic increase of $2.37 billion for CCDBG ($5.3 billion overall).

“Without access to programs like Head Start, children living in poverty often fall behind, leaving them at a disadvantage for years to come,” said Perry. “We look forward to working with members of both parties in Congress and the Administration to increase this investment even further.”

The release of the spending agreement comes the day after Save the Children and Save the Children Action Network’s annual Advocacy Summit, in which more than 250 advocates – including 75 high school and college students – from 34 states met with more than 150 lawmakers and their staffs on Capitol Hill, urging them to invest in kids.

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Save the Children Action Network is the political voice for kids. We believe that every child deserves the best start in life. That’s why we’re building bipartisan will and voter support to make sure every child in the U.S. has access to high-quality early learning and that no mother or child around the globe dies from a preventable disease or illness. By investing in kids and holding leaders accountable, we are helping kids from birth to age five survive and thrive. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.