Last week, a New Mexico judge upheld the state’s universal childcare program, a victory for those who see greater public spending as the key to making childcare affordable. But there is a better way to lower costs: Reducing the regulations that make childcare so expensive in the first place.Consider the recent overhaul of the childcare policy landscape by Assistant Secretary for Family Support Alex J. Adams, who leads the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and recently unveiled a package of deregulating reforms. He is hardly the radical that critics — who argue his efforts would “endanger the children” — claim. At a time when too many policymakers want to throw taxpayer money at the problem of expensive childcare without tackling the underlying cost drivers, reforming regulations represents simple common sense.
The new Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) flexibilities aim to give states and childcare providers greater choices to expand access and improve affordability by clarifying that “eligible child care provider” should be interpreted broadly. This approach gives families more freedom to choose the care arrangements that work best for their unique needs, including smaller or faith-based daycares as well as care provided by neighbors, friends, or family members. The ACF also clarified that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds may be used more flexibly to support a wider range of childcare arrangements than in the past.The ACF also reversed Biden-era CCDF policies that favored grants and contracts over parent-directed vouchers, giving states greater leeway and parents more options, and undid onerous Biden-era Head Start requirements as well.Soaring childcare costs have become a widely held, bipartisan concern, and even on the Left some now recognize the role of overregulation in hampering daycare operations.Childcare regulation has become so all-encompassing, micromanaging every minute detail of the activity. Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp-Perez (D-WA) recently took aim at rules that make it illegal for childcare workers to peel bananas, oranges, and other fresh fruits in daycares. When even an elected member of a political party not exactly known for its hostility to regulations is pushing for reform, it’s clear that regulators have overreached.As a mother of young children, I’ve seen childcare overregulation up close. When searching through the website listing code violations for each daycare in our state, my husband and I were shocked to find that every daycare in our area had a lengthy rap sheet of citations.CORRECTS LAST NAME ABC Learning Center director Ahmed Hasan stands in the infant room at his daycare center, in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
