Administration of Children and Families

The Child Care Bureau, Office of Family Assistance, supports low-income working families through child care financial assistance and promotes children's learning by improving the quality of early care and education and afterschool programs.

In 2001, Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act, a bipartisan education reform bill. The goal of the Act was for every child to be reading at grade level by third grade. No Child Left Behind focuses specific attention on services for children who are more likely to fall behind in reading, such as children from low-income families or children who are English language learners.

President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush recognized that efforts to achieve the goals of No Child Left Behind must start before children enter kindergarten. In April 2002, the Bush Administration announced the Good Start, Grow Smart (GSGS) initiative to help States and local communities strengthen early learning for young children. The goal of GSGS is to ensure that young children enter kindergarten with the skills they will need to succeed at reading and other early learning activities.