WASHINGTON, DC — ZERO TO THREE, the nation’s leading early childhood development nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that all infants and toddlers are provided with a strong and healthy start in life, has expressed strong encouragement regarding President Biden’s proposed fiscal year 2025 budget. The organization noted that the federal spending blueprint includes essential and long-overdue investments aimed at building a robust foundation for young children and their families across the United States.
According to advocacy leaders at ZERO TO THREE, the proposed federal investments directly target critical areas of early childhood development, offering a comprehensive path forward for communities nationwide. The organization has long advocated for federal policy measures that prioritize the well-being of infants and toddlers, pointing to chronic underinvestment in the foundational years of human development.
“If implemented, President Biden’s budget released today will make our nation a better and fairer place to have and raise a baby,” said Miriam Calderón, Chief Policy Officer at ZERO TO THREE.
Calderón emphasized that the organization has consistently urged both Congress and the Administration to center the needs of babies and their families around five key pillars of early childhood infrastructure: maternal health, infant and early childhood mental health, child care, housing, and broad economic security. These five areas form the core framework of the organization’s ongoing national advocacy and research initiatives, which track the well-being of young children across every state.
The release of the fiscal year 2025 budget proposal follows closely on the heels of the President’s State of the Union address, where the administration outlined a broader vision for supporting American families. In that address, the President laid out a path toward a future where families are empowered and afforded genuine choices regarding their children’s care, education, and economic stability.
Child development experts and policy advocates at ZERO TO THREE noted that the newly unveiled budget builds substantially upon that vision by introducing concrete funding proposals designed to address virtually every facet of infant and toddler development. From expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care to bolstering maternal health outcomes and bolstering community-based mental health services, the budget reflects a holistic approach to early childhood policy.
The proposed investments come at a crucial time for American families, many of whom continue to face systemic challenges in securing stable housing, reliable child care, and comprehensive health care. Advocates point out that the earliest years of a child’s life represent a period of rapid brain development that lays the groundwork for all future learning, behavior, and health. Consequently, robust public investments during infancy yield profound, long-term benefits not only for individual children and families, but for society and the economy as a whole.
With the release of the executive budget proposal complete, the focus now shifts to Capitol Hill, where federal lawmakers will begin the complex and often contentious process of drafting and negotiating spending bills for the upcoming fiscal year. The path from a presidential budget proposal to enacted legislation requires bipartisan cooperation, careful prioritization, and sustained pressure from advocacy groups and concerned citizens alike.
“Now, Congress must work with the Administration to deliver for families and babies,” Calderón continued, underscoring the urgency of legislative action in the coming months. “We look forward to working with Congressional appropriators and our baby champions on the Hill to make these bold proposals a reality.”
As the legislative process unfolds, ZERO TO THREE plans to continue mobilizing its network of early childhood leaders, researchers, and advocates to ensure that the needs of the nation’s youngest citizens remain at the forefront of national policy discussions. The organization maintains that supporting babies and families is not merely a social obligation, but an essential economic and national imperative that requires steady, committed leadership from policymakers at every level of government.
