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Informing Policy at the National Level

Our engagement in federal public policy is driven by research and innovation on behalf of young children, their families, and those who work with them. We ask and analyze the important questions, synthesize and learn from data, then translate this knowledge into meaningful resources to maximize impacts on early childhood practice and policy at the national level.

Featured Policy Reports

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Economics & Child Care: Where Are We Now and Where Do We Go? (2025)

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States Investing in Child Care through Trusts and Endowments (2025)

A child care provider plays at a table with a toddler

TANF and Child Care Expenditure Accountability (2025)

A toddler standing inside a classroom

Early Learning Facilities Policy Framework Update (2025)

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Rethinking Child Care Standards and Regulations (2025)

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Four Evidence-Based Reasons Why Increasing Child Care Ratios Would be Dangerous and Counterproductive (2025)

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Position Statement on Farm Bill Reauthorization (2025)

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Supporting Child Care Workers as Parents: How the Kentucky Subsidy Income Exclusion for Child Care Employees Helps Increase Access to Child Care (2024)

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National Child Care Gap Assessment: Kentucky Analysis (2025)

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National Child Care Gap Assessment: Nebraska Analysis (2025)

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The Opportunity Zones and the National Child Care Gap (2025)

Photo of a woman at a laptop holding a baby

Improving Child Care Worker Retention through Tax Reform by Including Early Childhood Educators in the Educator Expense Deduction (2025)

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Centering Families in the US Tax Code (2025)

A graphic with a blue background that says Buffett Early Childhood Institute Policy Framework

Policy Framework

Latest News and Media Mentions

Sep 09, 2025
New Interactive Map Reveals 4.2 Million Children Nationwide Lack Access to Child Care, Costing U.S. Economy up to $329 Billion
Jul 21, 2025
Republican Voters in Nebraska Believe Child Care is Important for Working Families, the Economy
Jul 09, 2025
New Report Finds U.S. Child Care System Is Failing and Economists Say It’s Time for Bold Action
Sep 18, 2025
Over 1,000 Nebraska providers elevate early childhood education
Nebraska Examiner
Sep 15, 2025
Two mothers and Trump’s Head Start rule: Child care shortages meet anti-immigrant politics
Chalkbeat
Sep 15, 2025
4.2 Million Children Potentially Need Care, Stuck Without Formal Child Care Spot
Bipartisan Policy Center

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