Nonprofit urges Congress to pass long-term, sustained investments in policies babies and families need
ZERO TO THREE, the country’s leading early childhood development nonprofit dedicated to ensuring all babies and toddlers have a strong start in life, applauded President Biden’s fiscal year 2023 for taking critical steps to build a stronger foundation for our nation’s young children and families.
“The White House’s proposed budget is good for babies and their families,” stated Miriam Calderón, chief policy officer at ZERO TO THREE. “It is a blueprint for Congress to model their 2023 appropriations and guarantee a budget that supports babies and families as well as demonstrates a true commitment to our nation’s future workers and voters. These are investments that ZERO TO THREE has long advocated for and that are desperately needed to respond to the moment. If Congress acts, we can meet families’ needs today and build a more equitable foundation for generations to come. ”
President Biden’s proposed budget would allocate:
- More than $20 billion for child care and early education programs, including $7.6 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant; $12.2 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start; $450 million for Preschool Development Grants; and $932 million for IDEA Part C.
- $38 million for the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health grant program to expand access to evidence-based and culturally appropriate infant and early childhood mental health services, a $28 million increase above the FY22 allocation.
- $5.7 billion for health centers, including $85 million dedicated to embedding early childhood development experts in health centers.
- $345 million for Title IV-B, Promoting Safe and Stable Families with an additional $300 million in proposed funding for improvements including for a new grant program for civil legal representation for issues such as housing, domestic violence, or employment matters for families involved in the child welfare system
- $100 million in competitive grants to advance equity within the child welfare system
- $6 billion for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), including an extension of the increased Cash Value Benefit for fruits and vegetables through FY2023.
- $111 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
