Standards of Infant/Toddler Care by Nenah Elam

1500-1865

nenahelam — 2025-08-28 18:18:00 UTC

Enslaved African women cared for owners' children

1866

nenahelam — 2025-08-28 18:19:42 UTC

Post-slavery Jim Crow laws legalized segregation in all areas of life, including child care

1935

nenahelam — 2025-08-28 18:21:30 UTC

Emergency Nursery Schools were created and served 75,000 children so that their parents could go back to work.

1965

nenahelam — 2025-08-28 18:23:37 UTC

President Johnson launched an eight-week summer program called Head Start, serving more than 560,000 children and families across America

1966

nenahelam — 2025-08-28 18:24:17 UTC

Head Start funded as a part-day 9-month program.

1972

nenahelam — 2025-08-28 18:25:07 UTC

President Nixon vetoed the Comprehensive Child Development Bill, which would have created a universal child care system. His argument was that it would weaken families.

1972

nenahelam — 2025-08-28 18:25:36 UTC

Head Start expands services to children with disabilities. This was a major step towards inclusion in early education.

1980s

nenahelam — 2025-08-28 18:26:13 UTC

The Reagan administration cut low-income family supports but increased tax benefits for higher-income families.

1954

nenahelam — 2025-08-29 18:12:05 UTC

Congress introduced child care tax deductions to help offset childcare costs

1990

nenahelam — 2025-08-29 18:24:33 UTC

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) was passed and provided subsidies to help low-income families access child care

1994

nenahelam — 2025-08-29 18:27:00 UTC

Early Head Start was established to serve infants and toddlers, recognizing the importance of care in the first three years.

2000

nenahelam — 2025-08-29 18:28:43 UTC

Groundbreaking research on early brain development contributes to improvements in child care.

2014

nenahelam — 2025-08-29 18:32:05 UTC

Congress reauthorized the Child Care and Development Block Grant, adding stricter licensing requirements for programs receiving CCDF funds

2020

nenahelam — 2025-08-29 18:33:55 UTC

Supplemental funding for child care was provided to the states by Congress in order to address the impact of COVID-19

2021

nenahelam — 2025-08-29 18:42:11 UTC

The American Rescue Plan Act was passed by Congress, which wasa $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, allocating $39 billion towards child care.