Shira Small

Research Assistant for @CLASPChildCare | Opinions my own

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

In 2022, as the #ECE sector continued to face significant harm from the pandemic, 1,434,900 children received subsidies for child care — an increase of 8% from the year before. Read our new fact sheet analyzing the most recent CCDF participation data. https://t.co/C0esfyZ71i

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

1/ *NEW* Our latest blog discusses the federal attacks on child care and Head Start — and their harmful impacts for children, families, providers, and the economy. https://t.co/eigYlNjipq

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

1/ Recent news suggests that the Trump Administration will call for elimination of Head Start in their upcoming budget proposal. This will have devastating impacts for children, families, and the workforce. 🧵 https://t.co/lyadrGyq2E

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

Yesterday, the Trump admin shuttered five Administration for Children and Families regional offices.

This will make Head Start and child care services harder to find, less safe, and more expensive for children and families. https://t.co/zp49v8fH2M

[Shira Small @CLASPShira]

Cutting 25% of HHS staff while asking the Department to take over programs from ED will lead to increased delays, inefficiency, and harm for programs the Department administers.

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

The additional layoffs announced yesterday for the Department of Health and Human Services will make it harder to administer programs that support early learning and wellbeing.

Children and families deserve better. https://t.co/gERJfS0e0X

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

To improve policy, we must address inequity. As Black History Month comes to a close, we’ve released a blog uplifting the ways Black women and their labor have shaped the child care sector, and why fixing the sector requires dismantling its racist roots. https://t.co/idtiu9ksEX

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

Today, @RepSylviaGarcia reintroduced the Dream and Promise Act, which would create a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, Dreamers, and more — potentially protecting 5M+ people. This bill charts a crucial path forward amid rising attacks on immigrant children and families.

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

In December, Congress passed a continuing resolution that included $500M #childcare funds.

Read @CLASP_DC’s analysis of the available state allocations and the need to center children, families, and providers as the appropriations fight continues. https://t.co/qpfohDo7HB

[Shira Small @CLASPShira]

Nobody is better equipped to explain the state of the child care sector than those keeping it afloat. Read the latest➡️

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

2025 will bring both opportunities and challenges as we continue fighting for a stronger child care system.

Hear directly from a parent, provider, advocate, and CCDF administrator about the progress that’s been made and some of the work yet to be done. https://t.co/ZiqQu2iUaK

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

Child care is unaffordable.

In our latest fact sheet, @RWilensky @alyssadfortner, and @CLASPShira lay out opportunities and policy recs to improve child care affordability within the confines of the current system. https://t.co/jeZbL11e5U

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

*NEW* Our latest fact sheets explore:

💵Increasing child care affordability
👩‍🏫Diversifying the provider workforce
✍️Simplifying the application
🗣️Improving information access

All within the existing child care program! Read more⬇️https://t.co/b5FPIJtAp2

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

Tune in on 10/8 at 2pm for @CLASP_DC and @EconomicPolicy's @EARNetwork webinar on state progress in advancing equity in child care. Register here to join our fantastic panelists and moderator @RWilensky next week! ⬇️
https://t.co/1U86aMWZlu

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

COVID relief funding lowered child care costs for 1 million+ families. The final round of relief $$ expires today.

Providers, children, and families deserve a better-funded child care system that works long term. Learn about the impacts of this funding⬇️ https://t.co/oN0IW2bw0n

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

As the final COVID relief funding expiration date approaches, so does the need to improve access to affordable child care. Sustained, increased, and significant investment is key to creating a system that works for parents, providers, and the economy. https://t.co/WYFJblM3sQ

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

Child care access greatly affects families' economic security, yet this impact is not fully captured. With the U.S. Census Bureau's annual poverty stats release approaching, our new blog highlights this issue and explores gaps in the data. https://t.co/s2Jc3IQprV

[Shira Small @CLASPShira]

There are so many critical updates included in the new #HeadStart final rule. Read about them and their implications in my latest blog for @CLASPChildCare.

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

The new Head Start final rule:
✅Increases Head Start teacher pay & benefits
✅Improves mental health supports for teachers & families
✅Improve quality and clarifies requirements across the program
Read more about the final rule in our latest blog: https://t.co/VSy66ekUTe

[Shira Small @CLASPShira]

The evidence is clear: added investment in child care and early education helps more families access affordable care. Read more from @alyssadfortner and me about the tremendous progress states made with COVID emergency funding and what's at stake when it expires in September.

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

In one month, $15B emergency child care relief funds expire. In our latest blog, we look back on the incredible work this $$$ facilitated – documenting what we already know: robust federal investment is critical for more accessible and affordable care.
https://t.co/fHAFSjIDwl

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

Tri-Share is a cost-sharing model that divides the cost of child care between parent(s), employers, and the state.

Want to learn more about the policy, lessons learned, and what states might want to consider in exploring this model? Read the latest➡️ https://t.co/KiQ6qlY89D

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

In 2006, participation in CCDBG reached its peak. Since then, access to #childcare subsidies has decreased and fluctuated. What is impeding access to care? Who is most affected?⬇️
https://t.co/oP1QObcMAr

[Shira Small @CLASPShira]

So excited this report & data are out in the world. When only 14% of kids are accessing the subsidies they are eligible for under state income limits, that's 86% of families struggling to find and afford care. Only sustained investment can help families access the care they need.

[CLASP Child Care & Early Education @CLASPChildCare]

*NEW* Today, we released our “Child Care Assistance Landscape: Inequities in Federal and State Eligibility and Access” report - and the data is clear.

Far too many children who are potentially eligible to receive access to CCDF-funded #childcare do not. https://t.co/oP1QObcMAr