What's at stake?
A funding freeze to multiple federal grants that support childcare has been temporarily halted, with it previously impacting around $10 billion in funding to five states.
The Trump Administration effort to freeze billions in federal child care funding could cost Fresno County millions, and leave hundreds of infants, children, and families with even fewer options in a community where finding reliable childcare has never been easy.
As the White House battles with the courts over the order, Fresno-area child care specialists are bracing for impact.
Ofelia Gonzalez, who serves as Deputy Director at Central Valley Children’s Services Network, said that a continuation of the funding freeze would exacerbate an already high demand for child care.
“If a funding freeze persists, it could lead to a 14–15% reduction in program funding, resulting in longer wait times for child care and subsidy support and fewer available providers; particularly for infant care and non-traditional hours, which are already in high demand,” Gonzalez told Fresnoland in an email statement.
The Trump administration attempted to freeze $10 billion in federal funding for child care in five states, with California alone possibly standing to lose $4.7 billion.
On Jan. 6, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would halt access to the following federal funds for California, Minnesota, Illinois, New York and Colorado:
- $7.3 billion for the Temporary Assistance for Need Families (TANF), a cash assistance program for low-income families.
- $2.4 billion for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)
- $869 million in Social Services Block Grants (SSBG)
The department cited concerns of fraud for the freeze. However, a restraining order by aNew York federal judge temporarily stopped the freeze. Currently, the funding freeze has been postponed for two weeks, startingFriday.
California receives $3.7 billion every year from its TANF block grant, with CalWORKS receiving $2 billion. Additionally, over $1 billion in federal funds for CCDF are allocated to California for2025, according to the latest allocations by the Office of Child Care.
According to Fresno County, the potential impacts of the funding freeze have not yet been determined. The county’s department of social services received $145 million in TANF funds for the 2025-2026 year along with over $3.6 million in SSBG funds for social workers and foster care support.
“Fresno County is awaiting additional information from the State to determine a timeline for any potential impacts due to the funding freezes,” said Gavin Harrison, a senior staff analyst for the county department of social services.
The Central Valley Children’s Services Network is Fresno County’s designated point of referral for childcare. The Network partners with school districts, licensed childcare homes and centers and administers subsidized childcare programs. Gonzalez said the Network received over $20 million of in-state childcare funding this year.
According to Gonzalez, the county currently only has the capacity to serve 23% of children aged 0-12 for working families. On top of this, data from the county notes that only 15% of infants and toddlers have access to childcare.
Currently, there have been no impacts to the Network’s capacity.
“In current time, there has been no changes to program operations. Our team at CSN is continuing to actively monitor the situation and staying in close communication with state and federal partners while we await further guidance,” Gonzalez said.
For a district like Fresno Unified, the impact of the funding freeze may manifest itself across its eight child development centers that provide full-day care to hundreds of infants, toddlers and preschool aged children.
AJ Kato, a district spokesperson, said Fresno Unified receives around $24 million from the CDE’s California State Preschool Program. This supports both part and full-year preschool programs.
In 2026, 1,385 preschoolers were enrolled at 73 FUSD preschools.
Currently, the district serves 345 infants and toddlers at its development centers.
First 5 Fresno County, a local child development organization that coaches and supports local childcare providers, said that any impact on childcare in Fresno could cause a chain reaction of disruption.
“First 5 Fresno County is only one support to the local early childhood ecosystem of services. So, if the other parts dwindle or go away, that leaves gaping holes for families who are already under-resourced,” said Fabiola Gonzalez, executive director of First 5 Fresno County. “We are actively in conversations with a few county departments that serve families with young children, to see where we can further leverage our roles and be innovative with/for local organizations serving young families.”
CSN’s resources and referrals page for childcare referral options is available here.Fresno County resources regarding childcare are available here.
More information on Fresno Unified’s child development centers is available here.
