Senate Budget Vote Advances Harmful Cuts to Young Children, Families, and Early Childhood Educators
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For Immediate Release
July 1, 2025
Today, the Senate narrowly voted to pass budget legislation that will cause significant harm to many children, families, and early childhood educators for years to come. The bill includes deep cuts to programs on which many educators and families with young children rely, threatening access to health insurance, food assistance, and quality education for millions. NAEYC, alongside the early childhood education field and state and national partners, has spent months educating the public and policymakers about the many ways this legislation will cause real, lasting harm to the people raising and caring for our youngest children all across the country. The bill now goes back to the House of Representatives, and if passed there, will go to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
In response to its Senate passage, Daniel Hains, NAEYC’s Chief Policy and Professional Advancement officer, issued the following statement:
“NAEYC is deeply disappointed that the Senate has voted today for a budget that jeopardizes the health, well-being, and education of young children, and also negatively impacts their families and the early childhood educators who support and teach them. From our ongoing surveys and engagement with the field, we know that early educators and the families they serve need new investments and supports to ensure that all children have access to the high-quality early learning experiences they need to thrive. Instead, this bill strips health insurance from educators and families with low incomes, increases their risk of hunger, and closes pathways for them to advance their own education. It risks exacerbating families’ existing challenges in finding the high-quality child care they and their children need.
We urge members of the House of Representatives to listen to their constituents’ concerns, reject this harmful approach, and vote no on final passage. It’s not too late to open up bipartisan conversations to pass a budget that ensures educators, children, and families have the supports they need--and deserve-- to truly thrive.”