ACF Improves Educational Freedom and Opportunities for Families

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took steps across programs to expand choices for parents to support their children’s education. These actions aim to deliver educational freedom for families as part of President Trump’s Executive Order 14191 “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families.”

"HHS is taking bold, decisive action to protect every parent's right to choose the best education for their child," said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. "I'm committed to ensuring ACF succeeds in delivering President Trump’s vision: putting federal dollars in the hands of families, not bureaucrats, and giving every child a real chance to thrive.”

Increasing access to a range of education programs beyond government-run schools can improve student achievement and performance at public schools. Expanding the use of federal funding to support educational freedom is a key strategy to enhance our national competitiveness and deliver better outcomes for families, students, and communities.

“Parents have the right to know all the available options in choosing the best settings for their children, including private and faith-based education options.” said ACF Acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison. “With these actions, ACF is offering guidance across multiple programs to put parents first.”

The actions taken by ACF span across multiple programs, providing guidance on how to use federal funding to support parents in choosing the educational services that best meet their specific needs and values. ACF programs spearheading these efforts include:

• Office of Child Care (OCC): OCC released an Information Memorandum (IM) providing guidance and strategies for states to expand the programs that accept Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) vouchers, building on one of the core statutory purposes of CCDF to empower families to make their own decisions regarding childcare that best fit their needs. Learn more in the IM.
• Office of Family Assistance (OFA): OFA released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to address how states may use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to expand educational choice for families by funding services specifically for children and youth in after-school and childcare programs, including those run by non-governmental entities such as private and faith-based options. Learn more in the DCL.

“These actions will help make sure states are supporting parents in accessing the schooling options they want and deserve for their children,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Early Childhood Development, Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith. “We must empower parents to seek out the best education for their children and provide the resources they need to enroll. Only then will we see families thrive and children achieve the reading and math scores we know they are capable of.”