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2025 Prenatal-to-3 Legislative Roundup

2025 Prenatal-to-3 Legislative Roundup

As the year winds down, we recap the 2025 action on state policies to support children and families.

Each year, our policy team tracks hundreds of bills that affect infants, toddlers, and their families. During the 2025 session, lawmakers across the country introduced, and many enacted, legislation aligned with six key components of the prenatal-to-3 system of care, as outlined in the 2025 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap.

As states prepare for the year ahead, our team will continue tracking legislative movement and providing timely analysis to support partners working to improve outcomes for young children and their families.

Explore examples from across the country!

Stay on top of 2026 trends

Get weekly updates on key developments during the 2026 legislative session by signing up to receive our Legislative Trends newsletter.

© December 2025, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, All Rights Reserved. The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center at Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University aims to accelerate states’ implementation of evidence-based policies that help all children thrive from the start.

Topics: Child care, Economic supports, Health care, Paid leave, Parental health
Subtopics: Child care workforce, Doulas, Earned income tax credit, Medicaid, Nutrition supports, Paid family leave

Press Release
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01.22.26

New Reports Illustrate Historical Patterns of Inequity in Policy Design and Their Impact Across Generations

Tracing policy decisions from early America to today, the reports reveal how long-standing choices continue to shape access and outcomes for families Press Contact: Sydne Lewis, 615-343-9946, sydne.lewis@vanderbilt.edu The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center at Vanderbilt

Press Release
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01.14.26

Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center Executive Director Cynthia Osborne elected president-elect of APPAM

Osborne will lead the nation’s premier public policy research association, shaping its 2026 Fall Research Conference and advancing excellence in policy analysis and management Press Contact: Sydne Lewis, 615-343-9946, sydne.lewis@vanderbilt.edu Dr. Cynthia Osborne, professor of early

Research Brief
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01.14.26

Willing Providers, Waiting Families: Subsidized Child Care in North Texas

Child care subsidies are a necessity for many families with low incomes, helping parents afford the care that makes employment and education possible. Providers who participate in the subsidy system play a central role in