California State Budget, Legislature & The Capitol

California Budget Updates

To support our field keeping up with budget related information, TFC will host updates and information on our Budget Page . If you have information you would like to have hosted, click here.

Use this Excel document to help you track budget actions as it is updated in real time. Click here to see the 2026-27 budget summary.

Upcoming Budget Hearings

• Assembly Budget Subcommittee 7 on Accountability and Oversight - Wednesday, January 28, 2026 @ 9:00 a.m. - State Capitol, Room 126
• Impact of 2026 Federal Funding Withholding for Child Care Services

February 18, 2026 7th Annual Hybrid 
"Lifting Up Families" Advocacy Day

Advocacy Day Registration is Live!

Click here to register your virtual or in-person attendance.



Join us on February 18, 2026 for the 7th annual "Lifting Up Families" Advocacy Day at the State Capitol and online. This is our statewide day of action to spotlight the real needs of families, elevate solutions that work, and show lawmakers the strength of the coalition behind child care and family-support services. The 2026 Advocacy Day webpage has full details.

Join as a Partner Organization for Advocacy Day!

Our last partner meeting is Tuesday, February 3rd via Zoom at 3:30 p.m., and we’d love for you to join us to connect with other partners, learn more about Advocacy Day, and explore how your organization can contribute to statewide efforts. Email McKenzie Richardson if you need the invitation information.

Nearly 70 organizations partnered with us last year, amplifying a unified message across all 120 legislative offices. Partner organizations are highlighted on event materials—including information packets with district-specific data delivered to every legislator—showcasing their leadership and the strength of our shared work. We welcome partners from all industry sectors.

To join this year’s growing coalition and get involved in upcoming partner meetings before February 18, please reach out to mckenzie@thrivingfamilies-ca.org.

Become a Sponsor for Advocacy Day!

Sponsoring Advocacy Day puts your organization in the spotlight, showing your commitment to families while connecting you with hundreds of advocates and legislators. With options like supporting participant buttons, legislator packets, the morning coffee program, or lunch, sponsors gain visibility, recognition on event materials, and a tangible way to help make the day a success. Click here for the sponsorship form.

Important Dates, Deadlines,

Hearings, and Bills

Dates & Deadlines:

• January 31 - Last day for each house to pass bills introduced in that house in the odd- numbered year.

Upcoming Hearings:

• Assembly Health Committee - Tuesday, January 27, 2026 @ 1:30 p.m. - 1021 O Street, Room 1100
• The Devastating Impact of Federal Disinvestment on California’s Health Care System: What We Know and How the State, Health Care Providers, and Communities Are Responding

Legislative Resources:

• See the tentative 2026-27 Legislative Calendar here.
• Visit TFC's Legislation Page to find a comprehensive list of bills of interest.
• Visit TFC's Budget Page for full budget bill details, as well as budget hearing video archive links.
• Click here to view all the bills that the Assembly and Senate introduced this legislative year.
• Click here to view legislative committee information, rules, and position letter deadlines.

Webinar (1/29) - How States are Improving Compensation for the ECE Workforce

There is an upcoming webinar, hosted with the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at UC Berkeley (CSCCE), focused on how states are advancing compensation for the early childhood workforce.

The webinar will feature members of the recently created Compensation Capacity-Building Community of Practice. This Community of Practice, led by CSCCE, brings together a small group of state and local teams to foster shared learning and inform the broader field. At the webinar, panelists from Colorado and Louisiana will share how advocates and policymakers are implementing innovative approaches to strengthen workforce stability through compensation reform.

Thursday, January 29th, 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm PT

Register here.

Did You Know?

Child Care Q&A's

NOTE: If you have a question you would like answered or researched, please email.

Question: Does California have an obligation to continue paying child care providers based on per-child enrollment, instead of based on per-child attendance?

Answer: Senate Bill 120 funded payment to child care providers based on a family's certified need (i.e. enrollment) until June 30, 2026, and CCB 25-20E clarified that the state will continue to pay providers based on enrollment until June 30, 2028 in compliance with the Child Care Providers Union bargaining agreement.

Federal Update

New Updates on CCDF and Federal Proposed Rule Posted to TFC's Webpage

Click here to be directed to our website page that will be continually updated with the latest news.

• Federal judge extends CCDF funding flowing
• Coalition letter and resources in response to proposed rule

NEW: A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must keep federal funds flowing to child care subsidies and other social service programs in five Democratic-controlled states for the next two weeks. Read more on our webpage.

NEW: Email McKenzie Richardson to include your organization's name and signature on our coalition letter in response to the federal proposed rule. Deadline to sign is EOD Friday 01/30. Click here to view the letter.

New Report from CBPP - Trump Administration’s Five-State Funding Freeze Is Unlawful, Harmful, and a Major Threat to People in Every State

The actions the Administration has already taken in its five-state funding freeze are illegal, unsupported by evidence, and extremely harmful to families with low and moderate incomes. Illegal, because the Administration failed to show any noncompliance on which its actions are based or follow the statutes and regulations that dictate how mis-expenditures are investigated and, if verified, addressed. Unsupported by evidence, because the Administration has not provided any information documenting fraud. And harmful, because millions of children would see their families lose capacity to cover child care or other essentials like rent, utilities, and diapers. Read more here

NWLC’s new report - Progress and Setbacks: State child Care and Early Education Updates 2025

ABOUT THE REPORT: Child care and early education are essential for children and families to thrive. Yet, child care is vastly underfunded and undervalued in the United States. As a result, families struggle to access affordable, high-quality child care, while child care workers are left underpaid and overburdened.

Amid challenges, many states made gains in the 2025 legislative session, adopting policies and allocating funding to expand families’ access to child care and early learning opportunities and better support the child care workforce, as shown in the state-by-state summaries in this report. 

However, not every state had success this year, as several missed opportunities to increase funding or approve legislation to better support families, child care programs, and early learning educators—and some states reduced funding for early care and education. Further sustainable, long-term investments and policy improvements across all states, accompanied by significant federal investments, are necessary to create a child care system that works for all families, children, and child care providers.

Click here to read the most recent weekly federal update from the National Women's Law Center.

Federal Government Update 

This week, the House passed a crucial funding bill that retains the increases to the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Head Start and Early Head Start, as proposed by the Senate Labor, HHS bill over the summer. Specifically:

• $8.8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, an increase of $85 million above FY25. ($8.746 billion)
• $12.4 billion for Head Start, an increase of $85 million above FY25. ($12.72 billion)

Two programs that were slated for elimination in the original House version maintain level funding:

• $315 million for Preschool Development Grant
• $75 million for Child Care Access Means Parents in School

While these increases are welcome after flat funding in FY25, we remain concerned that these increases are not as robust as in the past several years and are still nowhere close to fully funding these critical early childhood programs.

Additionally, the funding package that’s headed to the Senate includes deeply harmful investments in ICE enforcement. See more in item #3.

Now, the package heads to the Senate in hopes of averting a partial federal government shutdown on January 30th. NWLC is continuing our advocacy efforts on these increases and preservation of these critical programs until it’s signed into law. 

Take Action: Tell Congress: No Cuts to Child Care! (NWLC)

Developing: The White House budget office has ordered a review of funding for 14 Democrat-led states, and DC, a spokesperson for OMB confirms. The mandate came in a memo this week demanding responses from all federal agencies except the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Pentagon. 

The request signals a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive strategy to target federal funding in blue states – an unprecedented policy approach triggered during last year’s government shutdown that has rapidly accelerated in the wake of sweeping fraud allegations in Minnesota. The political implications are intensifying as the Justice Department has reportedly opened investigations into Minnesota Governor Walz and other state officials, while ICE enforcement actions in Minnesota have resulted in the detention of four students, including a five-year-old child.

Take Action: RAPID RESPONSE: Child ICE Detention in Minnesota  (P-5 Network)

As a reminder, since January 1st, 2026, the administration has taken drastic measures that are already having devastating effects on the child care sector:

• Froze child care funding for 5 states: letters were sent to California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, and New York, suspending about $10 billion in funds for CCDF, TANF, and SSBG.
• TEMPORARILY BLOCKED thru 2/6: Trump can't withhold funds from 5 Democratic states yet, judge says | AP News
• Doubled down on “Defend the Spend” policy, requiring all 50 states to provide additional documentation and verification before receiving child care funds. This policy has led to delays in states' access to funding.
• HHS Proposes Major Rollback of Child Care Subsidy Regulations: HHS released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to undo key components of the March 2024 CCDF final rule, citing administrative burden and a desire to restore state flexibility. Proposed eliminations include:
• The 7% cap on family co-payments.
• The requirement for states to use grants or contracts for direct service delivery to underserved populations.
• The mandate that child care providers be paid prospectively and based on a child’s authorized enrollment rather than attendance.
• This will undo much of the progress in the sector.

⇒ See item #2 for resources and more information

• Reports are coming out of Ohio, Idaho, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, Maine, and San Diego, California, that right-wing influencers have been harassing child care programs by showing up to and calling child care programs to try to interview employees and express suspicions of fraud, especially targeting child care entities run by people of Somali descent.
• Establishment of a new Department of Justice division for national fraud enforcement, which will investigate child care and Head Start programs around the country.

We call on federal leaders to immediately restore full child care funding, end intimidation and enforcement tactics that target child care communities, and halt the escalation of armed enforcement in our communities that has already resulted in tragic and preventable loss of life.

Families need stability. Providers need safety. Children deserve care environments free from fear, chaos, and political intimidation. Communities deserve better than reckless endangerment, intimidation, and violence. 

Take Action: Take action to restore child care funding! (CCEFN)

More:

• BACKGROUND: Trump Administration’s Withholding of Child Care Funding (CCEFN)
• RAPID RESPONSE PLAN: Child Care Funding Freeze (CCEFN)
• Message Guidance_Child Care Funding Freeze (Community Change)

Protect Head Start & Early Head Start 

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s attacks on Head Start, halting the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) ban on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, as well as mass office closures and layoffs at the Office of Head Start. These administrative actions had disrupted programs nationwide and hindered their ability to fulfil their mission of providing early education and care to young children from low-income families. More: Federal Judge Grants Second Preliminary Injunction Blocking Attacks on Head Start | American Civil Liberties Union

More: Judge blocks purge DEI-related terms in Head Start grant applications | AP News

Take Action

• Take Action: Take action to restore child care funding! (CCEFN)
• Find in-person and online events here: CHN/partner events joint calendar
• Messaging Guide for Child Care (c3 version) (c4 version) (CCEFN)
• Toolkit: Protecting Immigrant Families - Children Thrive Action Network
• Join us at the Children Thrive Action Network! CTAN is a new network of advocates and service providers at the national, state, and local levels. Our mission is to defend and support children in the United States in immigrant families. Organizations interested in a network to further this goal can join CTAN here.
• Protecting & Supporting Immigrant Children & their Families in Early Learning Spaces | MomsRising
• Meals and Snacks - CACFP Federal Advocacy Toolkit 2025
• CHN budget and tax toolkit for local groups (Coalition on Human Needs)
• To help local and state advocates raise their voices to protect and strengthen key nutrition, housing, early childhood, and other assistance, we’ve created this toolkit with resources to use for requesting a District (or DC) meeting with members of Congress, organizing site visits for policymakers, conversations with members of Congress and/or their staff (which you can use at a local town hall), emails to Congressional staff, getting letters published in local newspapers, and more. See our state data resource library, along with our general poverty and budget libraries, for additional resources. 

Most Viewed Bills of the Week:

1.H.R.4818 [118th] Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2023

2.H.Res.353 [119th] Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

3.H.R.6938 [119th] Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026

4.S.381 [119th]10 Percent Credit Card Interest Rate Cap Act

5.H.R.1 [119th] An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14.

6.H.Res.537 [119th] Impeaching Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.

7.H.R.7006 [119th] Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026

8.H.R.3633 [119th] Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025

9.S.3283 [119th] Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025

10.S.2296 [119th] National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

Upcoming TFC Events

Thriving Families CA Foundation, in partnership with DSS Child Development Fiscal Services and Baker Tilly (formerly Moss Adams), will be delivering a virtual training for our field focused on Fiscal and Audit topics. During the first part of the training, DSS will be presenting on Fiscal Essentials and provide in-depth reporting information for both direct service and AP contractors.

There will also be time set aside for a Q&A session. 

During part 2, there will be a training from an independent auditor on how agencies should be preparing and complying with the different audit requirements.



We hope you can join us!

CDSS & CDE Upcoming Events

Best Practices Cyber Training Opportunity: Protecting Your Email and Banking Information for Existing Contractors Only- This Friday!

Dear Child Care and Development Contractors,

This message is intended for contractors with the Child Care and Development Division.

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Child Care and Development Division (CCDD), would like to share an important training opportunity focused on cyber security and the protection of sensitive information.

The CDSS has recently observed instances of malicious email activity statewide targeting child care and development agencies and contractors. In some cases, cybercriminals attempted to impersonate child care agency leadership through compromised email accounts to request changes to direct deposit banking information. These incidents involved unauthorized access to legitimate email accounts using stolen login credentials.

To help support agencies and reduce the risk of similar incidents, the CDSS is offering an informational training designed to help contractors better understand the growing cybersecurity risks facing organizations that serve California families. It will break down privacy and security protections and clarify how state-related programs may apply to your organization, even when working with limited staff and resources. The training is intended to provide helpful guidance and resources and is not related to compliance or enforcement activities.

DATE: January 30, 2026  

Time: 1:30p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  

Registration: Cyber Security Registration Link

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the webinar. 

Family Child Care at Its Best: Training of Partner Facilitator Topics

With generous funding from the California Department of Social Services, WestEd continues to expand the reach of Family Child Care at Its Best (FCCB) curriculum by training partner facilitators to offer FCCB workshops for their communities. This year we will offer three courses for individuals who have completed the Introduction to FCCB for Partner Facilitators course.

Topics Offered for 2025–2026:

• Child Observation: January 11, 2026–February 21, 2026
• Serving Children with Disabilities or Delays & Their Families (English): April 12, 2026–June 1, 2026
• Serving Children with Disabilities or Delays & Their Families (Spanish): April 26, 2026–June 7, 2026

For more information on FCCB Partner Facilitator opportunities and registration links for each course, visit the FCCB website.

CDSS & CDE Information & Updates

RELEASED JANUARY 23, 2026: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-21EIII: ERRATUM TO THE ALTERNATIVE PAYMENT PROGRAM ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT ALLOCATION

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently published an updated Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-21EIII: ERRATUM TO THE ALTERNATIVE PAYMENT PROGRAM ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT ALLOCATION

Purpose: This erratum Child Care Bulletin is to provide revised communication to child care and development contractors regarding administrative allocation appropriated in Assembly Bill (AB) 102 for the administration and support costs associated with implementing ongoing provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding with Child Care Providers United.

RELEASED JANUARY 23, 2026: Management Bulletin 26-01: California State Preschool Program Cost of Care Plus Rate Allocations and One-Time Stabilization Payments for Family Childcare Providers and Centers

Attention: Executive Directors and Program Directors of all California State Preschool Programs

The California Department of Education (CDE), Early Education Division (EED) has released Management Bulletin (MB) 26-01: California State Preschool Program (CSPP) Cost of Care Plus Rate Allocations and One-Time Stabilization Payments for Family Childcare Providers and Centers. This MB revises and replaces MB 25-11 and was updated to provide clarification on the allowable use of Cost of Care Plus Rate Allocations for CSPP contractors.

Specifically, this MB was updated to align the allowable uses for Cost of Care Plus Rate Allocations with the Legislative intent and allows for these funds to be used for bonuses, incentive and retention payments, or any other one-time payments to CSPP staff.

MB 26-01 can be accessed on the CDE MB 26-01 web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/mb2601.asp.

If you have programmatic questions regarding the information in this MB, please contact your assigned EED Program Quality Implementation Office Regional Consultant. The CDE, EED Consultant Regional Assignments directory web page can be accessed at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/assignments.asp.

Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-34E: Errata to Mandatory Transition to the Updated Desired Results Development Profile (DRDP) 2025

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child Care and Development Division (CCDD) has recently published an updated: Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25-34E: Errata to Mandatory Transition to the Updated Desired Results Development Profile (DRDP) 2025

The purpose of this erratum is to correct the contact information provided to child care and development contractors in Child Care Bulletin (CCB) 25‑34 regarding the additional contact information associated with the CRRP@dss.ca.gov email address. This additional contact information has been deleted, and the deletions are marked within brackets and with a [strikethrough]. Contractors need to contact their assigned Program Quality and Improvement Consultant. Questions about the CCB should be sent to your assigned consultant. The list of assigned consultants can be found on the Child Care and Development Contacts webpage. Aside from the deletion communicated in this erratum, all guidance and information contained in the original CCB 25‑34 remains accurate and in effect.

Partner Survey: RAPID-CA Survey Opportunity for California Families

Attention: Executive Directors, Program Directors, Educators, and Early Childhood Education Partners

The California Department of Education, Early Education Division, is sharing the following partner survey from the Stanford Center on Early Childhood for awareness and distribution.

The RAPID Survey Project at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood is inviting California families with children under age six to participate in a paid survey opportunity. The survey collects information on families’ experiences related to material hardship, childcare use and access, health care, parent and child well-being, and use of transitional kindergarten.

Survey details include:

• Open to California parents and caregivers of children under age six
• Takes approximately 15 minutes to complete
• Participants receive a $5 gift card for completing the survey
• The survey is open through Thursday, January 29, 2026

Families who are interested may access the survey using the link below:

Participate in the RAPID-CA Survey (Stanford Center on Early Childhood): https://tinyurl.com/rapidca-cde

The survey is designed to provide timely and actionable data to support parent- and data-informed decision-making. For questions or to learn more about how RAPID-CA survey data may support your work, please contact Valeria Garcia at vcgarcia@stanford.edu.

Fiscal Year 2025–26 Enrollment, Attendance, and Fiscal Reporting and Reimbursement Procedures for Early Education Contractors

Attention: All Executive Directors, Program Directors, and Other Interested Parties

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2025–26 Enrollment, Attendance, and Fiscal Reporting and Reimbursement Procedures for Early Education Contractors has been posted to the California Department of Education (CDE) Early Education fiscal information web page. The Enrollment, Attendance, and Fiscal Reporting and Reimbursement Procedures for Early Education Contractors is commonly referred to as the Early Education and Nutrition Fiscal Services (EENFS) Fiscal Handbook.

The EENFS Fiscal Handbook is a manual that aids early education contractors in their enrollment, attendance, and fiscal reporting and explains reimbursement procedures and the role of the EENFS unit within the Fiscal and Administrative Services Division.

The updated EENFS Fiscal Handbook is available on the CDE Early Education fiscal information web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/cd/documents/fy2526fiscalhandbook.docx.

A listing of important changes is included at the beginning of the EENFS Fiscal Handbook each year. Please pay special attention to these changes and contact your assigned fiscal analyst with questions. The fiscal analyst directory can be found at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/cd/faad.asp.

CCLD has released a new Provider Information Notice (PIN), PIN 26-02-CCLD: EMPLOYEE TRANSFERS (MASS ROSTER TRANSFERS) THROUGH THE REGIONAL OFFICE


Primary Audience:

ALL CCLD FACILITY LICENSEES AND PROVIDERS

Summary:

PIN 26-02-CCLD informs all Community Care Licensing Division Licensees and Providers of the ability for Regional Offices to perform a mass roster transfer of all individuals from one facility’s roster to another under specific circumstances.

An electronic copy of PIN 26-02-CCLD: EMPLOYEE TRANSFERS (MASS ROSTER TRANSFERS) THROUGH THE REGIONAL OFFICE, is available for viewing/downloading by clicking on the following link:

PIN 26-02-CCLD: EMPLOYEE TRANSFERS (MASS ROSTER TRANSFERS) THROUGH THE REGIONAL OFFICE

Previous PINs are available at the CCLD website.

Paid Survey Opportunity from the Stanford Center on Early Childhood

Help spread the word to reach California parents of children under age 6 by sharing this paid survey opportunity with families in your networks.

The RAPID Survey Project at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood is listening to families with children under age 6 who live in California. This survey asks about experiences of material hardship, child care use and access, healthcare, parent and child well-being, and use of transitional kindergarten (TK). Take the 15-minute survey at this link and receive a $5 gift card: https://tinyurl.com/rapidca-cdss

The survey is open through Thursday, January 29th. 

Please reach out to vcgarcia@stanford.edu if you're interested in learning about how RAPID-CA survey data can support your work.

Social Media Spotlight

Follow TFC on social media!

We would love for you to tag us in your posts and use the hashtag #TFC2025

On Our Reading List

Information & Updates

Happening This Week, January 26 - January 30, 2026: 



Tuesday, January 27th:

• TFC Foundation Weekly Member Connections Meeting @ 1:00 p.m. Email to register.
• Bridge Program Bi-monthly Technical Assistance Call at 3:00pm. Register Here.

Friday, January 30th:

• TFC Workgroup - Prospective pay, CalWORKs, and more Meeting at 1:30pm.
• Cyber Security Training- Best Practices for Prevention Webinar at 1:30pm. Register Here. 
  

Thriving Families CA Foundation is committed to supporting our field with a coordinated calendar. Click here to see our current calendar of events. If you have an event to add, email us and it will be added.

The Weekly Good

An uplifting way to start the week, for those of us who need a break from the chaos that is our lives.

During this time where we are all stressed, it would be great to celebrate the positive. Each week we will celebrate everyday heroes, inspiring movements and great things happening in our field.