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1854 – Nursery School for Children of Poor Women Opens in New York City

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1854 – Nursery School for Children of Poor Women Opens in New York City

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One of the earliest formal child care institutions in the U.S. was established in 1854 through a partnership with the Children’s Hospital of New York. This nursery school was designed to support poor women by providing safe supervision and basic care for their children while they worked. The initiative marked a shift in public attention toward institutional support for child welfare, particularly in urban settings impacted by industrialization and immigration.

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1889 – Hull House Establishes a Day Nursery in Chicago

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1889 – Hull House Establishes a Day Nursery in Chicago

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Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr founded Hull House as part of the broader settlement house movement, focusing on immigrant support and community uplift. In 1889, they added a day nursery to serve working mothers in the neighborhood. This became a model for integrating child care with broader social services, educational opportunities, and reform. Addams’s work helped legitimize early childhood care as part of social progressivism.

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1935 – The Emergency Nursery Schools and Mothers’ Pensions

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1935 – The Emergency Nursery Schools and Mothers’ Pensions

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During the Great Depression, the federal government introduced work-relief programs under the New Deal. One such initiative was the Emergency Nursery Schools (ENS), which served more than 75,000 children. Simultaneously, the Social Security Act institutionalized “mothers’ pensions,” reflecting a shift toward supporting maternal care at home, particularly for widowed or single mothers. These twin efforts reflect the tension between child care as employment support versus family preservation.

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1941 – Lanham Act Establishes Wartime Child Care Centers

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1941 – Lanham Act Establishes Wartime Child Care Centers

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With the onset of World War II and the entry of women into the wartime labor force, the federal government passed the Lanham Act, which provided funding for over 3,000 child care centers by 1944. These centers supported over 129,000 children, demonstrating the feasibility and value of publicly funded child care. However, they were dismantled quickly after the war, revealing lingering societal resistance to non-parental care and a reassertion of traditional gender roles.

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1958 – Only 4% of Preschoolers in Group Care

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1958 – Only 4% of Preschoolers in Group Care

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Despite the demonstrated utility of child care during the war, the 1950s were marked by a return to idealized domesticity. Influenced by Dr. Benjamin Spock and attachment theorists like Bowlby and Spitz, the public associated institutional child care with harm to children's emotional well-being. By 1958, only 4% of preschool-aged children were enrolled in group care, proving how deeply cultural norms restricted access to early education.

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As part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, Project Head Start was launched in 1965 to provide education, health, nutrition, and parental involvement services for low-income families. The initial summer program reached over 561,000 children and soon evolved into a yearlong program. This landmark initiative legitimized early education in public policy and introduced the idea of compensatory education to address structural inequalities.

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1972 – President Nixon Vetoes the Comprehensive Child Development Act

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1972 – President Nixon Vetoes the Comprehensive Child Development Act

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In a pivotal moment for national child care policy, President Nixon vetoed legislation that would have established a universal child care system. He claimed it threatened traditional family values and risked creating government overreach. The veto effectively stalled efforts toward broad-based federal child care for decades, reinforcing a two-tiered system of private care for the wealthy and minimal, stigmatized care for the poor.

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1990 – Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)

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1990 – Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)

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In response to increasing demand and advocacy for accessible child care, Congress passed the CCDBG to help low-income families afford care and improve quality standards across the country. The grant marked a renewed federal commitment to supporting working families, though it maintained a means-tested, decentralized model that perpetuated disparities in quality and access.

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The Child Care and Development Block Grant,

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1994 – Early Head Start Established for Infants and Toddlers

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1994 – Early Head Start Established for Infants and Toddlers

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Building on the Head Start model, Early Head Start was created in 1994 to serve low-income pregnant women, infants, and toddlers. The program emphasized holistic development, family engagement, and health services from birth to age three. This milestone recognized the importance of the earliest years in cognitive and social development and signaled growing attention to infant and toddler care.

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2014 – Major Reauthorization of CCDBG with New Licensing Standards

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2014 – Major Reauthorization of CCDBG with New Licensing Standards

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The 2014 reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant introduced critical improvements in health, safety, and licensing requirements. Programs receiving federal funds were now required to meet minimum training and inspection standards. This policy shift responded to longstanding concerns about quality inconsistency and aimed to professionalize the field.

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2021 – American Rescue Plan Act Invests $39 Billion in Child Care

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2021 – American Rescue Plan Act Invests $39 Billion in Child Care

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government passed a historic relief package that included $39 billion specifically for the child care sector. The funding supported providers facing closures, subsidized child care costs for struggling families, and reignited debates about establishing a universal early childhood system. This unprecedented investment marked one of the most significant moments in U.S. child care policy.