Shafaqna English- Six Democratic senators accused the Trump administration of worsening the US childcare crisis, warning that rising costs and daycare closures were leaving families with fewer affordable options.
In a letter to Alex Adams, assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the senators, led by Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren, argued that federal cuts and changes to childcare programs such as Head Start were destabilizing an already fragile system.
Childcare costs rose faster than overall inflation in 2025, while the cost of daycare and preschool increased 3.5% in the year to May 2026, the letter noted. “American families face skyrocketing child care costs,” the senators wrote, arguing that higher prices for food, supplies, insurance, rent and utilities were forcing providers to choose between raising tuition fees and closing.
The senators also criticized the administration’s handling of Head Start, saying the Department of Health and Human Services froze funding weeks after Trump took office, temporarily forcing some programs to close and leaving thousands of low-income families uncertain about childcare.
They also raised concerns over proposed changes to Head Start rules on child-to-teacher ratios, staff wages and benefits, warning they could increase staff turnover and reduce access to affordable, high-quality care.
The letter also cited ACF’s January freeze of $2.4 billion in Child Care and Development Fund grants for five states. The freeze was later rescinded after legal challenges, but the senators warned it could happen again.
They also raised concerns that ACF’s May rule rolling back Joe Biden-era childcare requirements could increase costs for families and push providers out of business, including by removing the 7% cap on eligible families’ childcare co-payments.
The senators asked ACF to provide information by Oct. 14 on the number of childcare centers that had closed since January 2025 and changes in average childcare costs.
They also requested monthly data on Head Start and Child Care and Development Fund grants, details of support for centers facing closure, and an analysis of how recent regulatory changes could affect costs and the number of childcare providers.
The letter was signed by Warren and six other Democratic senators: Raphael Warnock, Jeffrey Merkley, Andy Kim, Peter Welch, Ben Ray Luján and Angela Alsobrooks.
Source: Guardian