The package included much-needed increases to a number of key programs that support infants and toddlers and their families, and provided a vehicle for the passage of critical legislation to better support families with young children from pregnancy onwards. ZERO TO THREE’s comments on the passage of the package can be found here.
Babies’ brains grow faster in the first three years than at any other point in life, setting the stage for future development and health outcomes. As the State of Babies Yearbook 2022 makes clear, many babies lack the ingredients that will support positive development and ensure they can thrive. Investments that support their good health, strong families, and access to positive early learning experiences help support that early development, and the positive impacts of those investments persist throughout the course of babies’ lives and into adulthood. As it ramps up its work on appropriations for FY2024, Congress must protect and continue to grow these investments across all the programs below that support infants and toddlers and their families.
Learn more about key investments in the FY2023 appropriations bill here, or see the table below for program-specific funding information.
