🚨 Reporting & CCDF Funds - TOP Changes You Need to Know ASAP

Today’s Issue: Baby Formula Recall; New CCDF Reporting Changes; ECE in the News = 1.75 cups of coffee.

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🤢 Baby Formula Recall: Nestle just issued a HUGE recall of some baby formula products saying they may contain a toxin which can cause food poisoning. The firm said specific batches of its SMA infant formula and follow-on formula were not safe to be fed to babies. Yikes! 😱 The batches were sold across the world and can trigger nausea and vomiting when consumed. Oh boy. Now, it doesn’t seem that it impacted US products, but for our international readers, check out the article and LIST OF COUNTRIES 👉👉👉 HERE!!

Quick Reader Poll

📖 Reporting Changes - What to Expect from the CCDF Fund Freeze

Last week, we covered the CCDF fund freeze and its impact on ECE. There were SOOOO many questions from our readers about what to expect from the freeze and reporting. We are covering that in this week’s issue.

Quick Recap - What The Heck Happened?!

Over the last few weeks, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, froze billions of dollars in Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) until states provide verification that funds are being spent as intended.

States are now under pressure to prove every dollar is used exactly as intended. And to do that, they’re pushing new compliance expectations downstream to providers.

What are the biggest risks?

• Attendance-based billing is back.

• Upfront payments are disappearing (check the article below).

• Documentation requests are growing more detailed.

• Payment delays are becoming more likely.

The biggest risk of all? Not knowing what has changed until it hits your cash flow. 🚨

Our article ⬇️ BELOW ⬇️ breaks down what ECE leaders need to know now:

• States vs. ECE Centers - Who provides what to keep funds flowing.

• Reporting/billing changes - What you should flag immediately (and how to fix gaps fast).

• What records may be required - If your program faces enhanced review or a fraud inquiry.

• How payment timing may shift — Steps to protect your cash flow and operations.

The regulatory environment has shifted. The question is whether your systems, staff, and processes have shifted with it. We give insights that help.

👇‼️  Click the button below for the full article. It’s worth the read. Get ahead of the changes before they reach your bottom line.👇‼️👇

ECE In The News

👀 2026 4 Things to Watch In ECE: From Fed spending to new opportunities, this report and article highlights the TOP 4 areas to watch in ECE during 2026. What are your thoughts captured in this 👉👉 ARTICLE?

🆓 Fed Grants Are Still Flowing: 23 states received grants to strengthen childcare. These grants range from $500k to $15 million, and are intended to help states expand parental choice, improve system efficiency, and raise the overall quality of early learning programs. See if your state is one of them 👉👉 HERE?

The Internet is a Playground:

🗓️ On this Day in History: In 1784, Continental Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris, ending the American Revolution! The independence of the 13 colonies is now recognized by Britain. 🇺🇸 

👑 Super Space Cool: This is really neat. Want to see where the Mars rover is actually ON MARS? You can with this cool NASA map of Mars. The kids will LOVE it.

🐾 Aww: He’s a round kitty fitting in a square box.

YOUR VOICE COUNTS

Is there a topic you want more info on or want to share a funny story? Then let us know! Shoot us a quick email at [email protected]. This newsletter is for you, and well, you should have a say, don't’ you think?