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National Federation of Day Nurseries (NFDN) is founded
A group of New York philanthropists presented a Model Day Nursery at the World's Columbian Exhibition in 1893. Five years later, they went on to found the NFDN, an organization committed to improving child care. -
The Children's Bureau is Founded
In 1912, President William Taft created the Children's Bureau to to oversee and maintain national standards of child welfare. The agency tackled the nation's biggest problems, such as child labor and infant mortality. -
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Emergency Nursery Schools offer education in a time of need
During the Great Depression, the WPA established an Emergency Nursery Schools program. These schools gave work to many unemployed teachers and offered education in a time of need. They would later be forced to shut down after World War II ended the unemployment crisis. -
Lanham Act is passed
In 1941, Congress approved the Lanham Act which was intended to create community facilities in “war-impact areas." It also authorized support for child care. Yet, many of the facilities were poorly staffed and fell apart shortly after. Following the war's end, funding for the act was cut off, forcing most of the child care centers to shut down within a year or two. -
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The ICC advocates for child care
After Congress failed to address certain child care issues, a group of activists formed the Inter-City Committee for Day Care of Children (ICC, later to become the National Committee on the Day Care of Children) in 1958. Although the ICC helped improve maternal employment and children's welfare, the organization failed to convince President Eisenhower to take lead on child care and they failed to muster a universal child care policy. -
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Welfare Reform Bills Passed
In 1962 and 1965, Congress passed two welfare reform bills to reduce the number of Americans receiving “welfare” (Aid to Families with Dependent Children, or AFDC). This also served as a way to encourage low income mothers to gain employment. -
Comprehensive Child Development Act
President Richard Nixon stopped activists' efforts to pass a universal child care policy with this act. Thus, federal child care support was limited to policies targeting low income households. -
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The 90's
Following Ronald Reagan's presidency, more funds were allocated towards child care. A major event in this period was Congress combining the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) with several smaller programs, forming the Child Care and Development Fund.