WASHINGTON, DC — ZERO TO THREE, the nation’s leading early childhood development nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that all infants and toddlers have a strong and healthy start in life, has expressed strong encouragement regarding President Biden’s proposed fiscal year 2025 budget. The organization highlighted that the federal spending plan incorporates essential and much-needed funding for programs designed to build a solid foundation for young children and their families across the United States.
According to leadership at the advocacy organization, the newly released blueprint takes critical steps toward prioritizing the unique needs of America’s youngest population, addressing systemic challenges that have long affected infant and maternal well-being.
“If implemented, President Biden’s budget released today will make our nation a better and fairer nation to have and raise a baby,” said Miriam Calderón, Chief Policy Officer at ZERO TO THREE.
Calderón noted that the organization has consistently urged Congress and the Administration to prioritize the comprehensive needs of babies and their families across five vital areas: maternal health, infant and early childhood mental health, child care, housing, and economic security.
The policy advocacy builds directly on themes highlighted during the recent State of the Union address, where the President laid out a forward-looking path toward a future where families are empowered and afforded genuine choices regarding their children’s development and well-being. The proposed fiscal year 2025 budget expands upon that vision by incorporating specific legislative and financial proposals designed to address virtually every facet of early childhood growth and family stability.
The federal investments outlined in the President’s budget proposal are viewed by early childhood advocates as a crucial down payment on the country’s future. By targeting resources toward the earliest stages of human development, the budget aims to mitigate the long-term impacts of poverty, inadequate healthcare, and unstable housing on infants and toddlers.
Public health experts and child development specialists have long emphasized that the first three years of life represent a period of unprecedented brain development, laying the neural architecture for all future learning, behavior, and health. Consequently, policies that support secure attachment, stable housing, accessible child care, and robust maternal health directly influence long-term societal outcomes.
ZERO TO THREE has pointed out that while the executive branch plays a vital role in setting national priorities through the budget request, the responsibility now shifts to Capitol Hill to ensure these funding levels are translated into law.
“Now, Congress must work with the Administration to deliver for families and babies,” Calderón continued, emphasizing the collaborative path ahead. “We look forward to working with Congressional appropriators and our baby champions on the Hill to make these bold proposals a reality.”
The organization continues to monitor federal developments closely, advocating for bipartisan cooperation to safeguard and advance programs that protect the health, safety, and development of infants and toddlers nationwide. As the federal budget process moves forward in the coming months, child advocates nationwide are mobilizing to ensure that the needs of the youngest Americans remain at the forefront of legislative negotiations.
