BUZZ
Key Takeaways
- The Trump administration just announced cuts to child care grants at more than a dozen universities due to concerns that their programs teach identity politics.
- The Department of Education also accused some institutions of prioritizing characteristics over merit in the child care program for parenting students.
- President Trump's proposed 2026 budget would completely eliminate the $75 million program for low-income families.
More than a dozen higher education institutions will lose federal grants to provide child care to low-income college students this fall after the Trump administration said some programs push identity politics on young children.
The U.S. Department of Education announced late last week that more than 100 grants under the Child Care Access Means Parents in School program will be renewed, and more than 12 others will be cut, the Washington Post reports.
Department spokesperson Ellen Keast told the newspaper “that some of the rejected recipients would have taught children between the ages 2 and 5 about gender identity and racial justice.”
Additionally, some of the colleges facing cuts “prioritized the hiring of child care staff based on ‘immutable characteristics, not merit,’” according to the report.
“The Trump administration will not fund programs that are not in the best interest of the American families they are intended to serve,” Keast said.
The department did not release the names of the institutions that are facing the cuts.
Meanwhile, the future of the whole program is in question.
President Donald Trump’s proposed 2026 budget would cut the $75 million program completely. It asserts that “subsidizing child care for parents in college is unaffordable and duplicative,” and funding can be “secured through the Child Care Development Block Grant” instead.
But some Democrat lawmakers are demanding the funding remain in place. U.S. Rep. Robert Scott, D-Virginia, told the Washington Post that offering child care to college students is a good inter-generational investment.
“By limiting the availability of these programs, the Trump Administration is making life harder for parents seeking a better life for themselves and their families, and depriving children of consistent care,” Scott said.
The move is part of the Trump administration’s larger efforts to crack down on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in higher education. According to the administration, DEI programs often violate civil rights by favoring some identity groups over others in admissions, hiring, scholarships, and other practices.
