More than 12 million American children regularly rely on child care to support their healthy development and school success. Of these, over 1.6 million children receive a child care subsidy from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program each month. In addition, CCDF helps leverage child care investments from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and other funding streams, resulting in financial support to make child care more affordable for a total of 2.5 million children each month. Each year, CCDF invests over $5 billion ($7 billion in 2009 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act), plus additional funds transferred from TANF to CCDF. States, Territories, and Tribes annually spend $1 billion to support child care quality improvement, resulting in better learning environments and more effective caregivers in child care centers and family child care homes across the country. At the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is pursuing a comprehensive approach to helping more children in low-income families access high-quality care. ACF's Office of Child Care (OCC) administers the CCDF and works with State, Territory, and Tribal governments to provide strong support for children and their families as they juggle work schedules and struggle to find affordable, high-quality child care for their children. This paper provides details on the following: (1) Pathways to Excellence for Child Care Programs; (2) Pathways to Excellence for Child Care Professionals; and (3) Pathways to Stronger Policies and Accountability. (Contains 1 footnote.)