Intersection of TANF and Child Care and Early Learning

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program is one of our country’s largest funding streams that helps with child care. TANF’s purpose is to support low-income families while encouraging them to work, and securing child care is key to parents staying or entering the workforce.

Nearly one-third of child care subsidy funding comes from TANF. However, TANF dollars that are spent directly on child care and not transferred to the Child Care and Development Block Grant program are not guaranteed to meet minimum health and safety standards.

In BPC’s surveys of parents with young children, safety is consistently ranked highest among factors important to parents when selecting child care. But states spending TANF funds directly on child care may be increasingly sidestepping federal health and safety regulations by transferring a smaller proportion of their TANF funds to CCDBG over time.

For more information on how each state allocates TANF funds on child care services, including a seven-year data comparison, please see the map below.