🚨All 50 states, plus Washington D.C. & Puerto Rico joined ACF’s A Home for Every Child! They committed to improve their ratio of foster homes to children in care, creating bipartisan momentum to strengthening families & recruiting foster families. More: acf.gov/50-states-join-home-…

For over 25 years, every state has been under a Program Improvement Plan (PIP) after failing their assessment of the Child and Family Services Reviews — ACF’s mechanism for evaluating state compliance with federal child welfare laws. These PIPs did not improved outcomes, and unfortunately, the whole process ballooned administrative burden and created expensive and repetitive busy work for states. So ACF launched A Home for Every Child, which gives states the option of a new PIP designed to cut red tape, reduce administrative burden, and incentivize states to report better, more timely data. The entire nation has joined A Home for Every Child, and already 30 states have submitted new PIPs. Learn more about trends in the new PIPs from a just-released ACF issue brief: acf.gov/cb/policy-guidance/C…

ACF’s new proposed Head Start rule aims to empower local Head Start leaders, not federal bureaucrats, to build programs that meet the needs of the low-income parents and communities they serve. In a new report from AEI’s Conservative Education Reform Network, authors overview how decades of federal micromanagement via regulation have resulted in dwindling enrollments and increasing costs, and how ACF’s proposed rule offers a good beginning to revitalizing the Head Start program. Read more from AEI: aei.org/research-products/re…

ACF launched A Home for Every Child to do away with box checking processes that failed to meaningfully drive progress toward better outcomes for children in foster care. This fall, the new public A Home for Every Child data dashboard will display every state’s ratio of foster homes to children in need of care. ACF hopes the dashboard will drive healthy competition and policy innovation that stands to transform child welfare systems across the nation. Catch @ACF_Adams full conversation with @SutherlandInst to learn more: piped.video/watch?v=eZ0bZKEJ…

Assistant Secretary @ACF_Adams joined @MrDanielBuck for an @AEI webinar where they discussed the Trump administration’s proposed changes to the Head Start. Catch the full conversation at: piped.video/watch?v=Aoum_up2…

Local Head Start providers know their communities best, which is why ACF proposed a new rule for Head Start that will give local programs greater decision-making power to determine how they achieve required outcomes. To learn more about the proposed rule, catch @ACF_Adams full conversation with @SutherlandInst: piped.video/watch?v=eZ0bZKEJ…

Both the Obama and the Biden Administrations added regulations to Head Start. The theory was that the additional regulations would increase the quality of the program. Ten years later, data shows that the quality did not change, but costs increased and access to Head Start slots declined by 29%. That’s why the Trump Administration is taking a different approach. We are removing unnecessary red tape and trusting parents and local providers to make good decisions in the interest of the children and families they serve. Catch @ACF_Adams full conversation with @SutherlandInst: piped.video/watch?v=eZ0bZKEJ…

👀 New ASPE report overviews research on teacher-child ratios in early childhood education, finding there is not an optimal ratio that improves child outcomes, though more stringent ratios may increase per child spending. The report concludes that “no single ratio or group size is uniformly viewed as necessary for quality care.” Learn more: bit.ly/46IKpN8

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Alaska is the 37th state to end the ‘orphan tax.’ Now, social Security survivor benefits will be preserved for the child to whom they rightfully belong. Thank you, Gov. Dunleavy for prioritizing the needs of foster children across Alaska.

Outdated child welfare technology can mean delayed background checks for foster parents, in turn delaying placements for children in need of care. That’s why ACF has awarded $2.2 million in grants to modernize the technology that states and tribes can use to conduct required background checks, and more quickly license foster families. Read more from @State_Scoop: statescoop.com/federal-grant…

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ACF is making a $2.2 million investment to modernize child welfare licensing infrastructure in 14 jurisdictions to help expedite the placement process for foster youth. “Across the country, outdated equipment and technology, along with inefficient systems, have slowed required background checks during the placement process. These barriers can hold up the approval of qualified kin, foster families, and prospective adoptive parents — making it harder for children to be placed quickly in safe and loving homes,” @ACF_Adams explains. Learn more from @TheImprintNews: imprintnews.org/youth-servic…

ACF is proud to be part of President Trump’s #250Victories for Faith! Under the leadership of Secretary Kennedy, ACF has: Ordered 46 states and territories to remove all references to gender ideology from sex ed materials. Sent letters to all 50 states reminding governors that children may not be removed from their homes because parents with sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions decline to support a child’s self-identification as the opposite sex. Awarded over $100 million to promote healthy marriage, responsible fatherhood, and strong families across America, with a large percentage of awards supporting faith-based organizations. Defended foster parents sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions by warning multiple states that gender ideology mandates that deny qualified families from becoming licensed foster parents violates the First Amendment.

Earlier this year, ACF sent letters to all 50 states reminding them that children may not be removed from their homes solely because parents decline to support a child’s self-identification as the opposite sex. ACF remains committed to deterring inappropriate policies that drive unnecessary interactions with child welfare systems. Learn more: acf.gov/media/press/2026/acf…

There is no prescriptive path for an athlete’s journey to the Olympics. Katie Uhlaender, 5x Olympian, explains how no single training program can produce excellence across every sport for every athlete — and draws a parallel to the Trump Administration’s approach to Head Start. The federal government should not be in the business of dictating one-size-fits all requirements for early childhood programs that operate in vastly different communities across America. “For more than sixty years, the Head Start program has held a national promise that no child’s circumstances at birth should determine the limits of their future. However, like our Olympic athletes, we can’t pretend that every family, child, or community needs the same pathway to discover their potential.” More @KatieU11 in the @DC_Reporter: bit.ly/4AbvA34

📣 ACF has just awarded 14 child welfare jurisdictions between $54,000 and $200,000 to help expedite foster family licensure and placements by making fingerprinting more accessible and convenient for caseworkers. This investment to modernize technology and equipment will help remove unnecessary barriers that can hold up the approval of qualified kin, foster families, and prospective adoptive parents, making it harder for children to be placed in safe and loving homes. Learn more: acf.gov/media/press/2026/acf…

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The ACF team recently had the privilege of visiting the Bucks IU Early Learning Center with @RepBrianFitz to tour the program and talk with teachers, parents, staff and board members about ACF’s goal to strengthen Head Start and the ways supplemental funding has benefited this program in the past. Thank you, Bucks IU Early Learning Center for the work you do every day to invest in children and families.

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More than a dozen states continue to steal Social Security survivors benefits from foster children. Learn more about the "orphan tax" and ACF’s mission to end it across the nation: piped.video/watch?v=L0xVZOwd…