Early Care and Education

Helping Low-Income Women Access Quality Child Care is Vital to Fixing Our Economy
(Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity - Oct. 13, 2010)

In this commentary, two lead members of the Women’s Economic Security Campaign discuss findings from the group’s new report, Child Care Matters: Building Economic Security for Low-Income Women. The authors argue that the economy cannot recover if low-income women lack access to quality early care and education for their children, which is vital to securing stable employment and ensuring long-term security for their families. The authors provide recommendations that would increase access to affordable, quality child care for low-income women and improve training and compensation for child care workers.

The Impact of the Economy on Parents’ Child Care Choices and Perspectives
(National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies - Oct. 4, 2010)

The report shows that despite modest improvements in the economy, many families are still struggling. Nearly 40 percent of parents say the current economy has affected their child care arrangements and they worry about not being able to meet their household expenses. Three-quarters of parents rate affordable child care as the most important (31 percent) or one of the most (45 percent) important factors in helping working families.

State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm
(National Women's Law Center - Sept. 30, 2010)

NWLC’s seventh annual report reveals that states largely held off major cuts as of February 2010, with help from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. Although most state policies are holding steady compared to a year ago, they have not improved or are behind where they were in 2001. As a result, state policies continue to fall short, particularly in the area of reimbursement rates. The report also includes some information about developments since February 2010 that indicate states may face challenges in protecting their child care programs as ARRA funds are exhausted.

Ready, Set, Go! Why Business Should Support Early Childhood Education
(Institute for a Competitive Workforce, U.S. Chamber of Commerce - Sept. 8, 2010)

In this report, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) explains the strong evidence behind early childhood investments and ways that executives can promote effective public policies to help young children succeed. ICW's resources give business leaders an excellent introduction to the research and current policy landscape, as well as promising practices and helpful advocacy tips. This report was funded, in part, with funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Engaged Families, Effective Pre-K: State Policies that Bolster Student Success
(Pre-K Now - July 2010)

Family members are a child’s first and most important teachers. This Pre-K Now report, written by Deborah Stark, identifies policies that can enhance family engagement in state pre-k and highlights examples from states that are leading the way.

State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm
(National Women's Law Center - Sept. 30, 2010)

This report reveals that states largely held off major cuts as of February 2010, with help from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. Although most state policies are holding steady compared to a year ago, they have not improved or are behind where they were in 2001. As a result, state policies continue to fall short, particularly in the area of reimbursement rates. The report also includes some information about developments since February 2010 that indicate states may face challenges in protecting their child care programs as ARRA funds are exhausted.

Child Care Matters: Building Economic Security for Low-Income Women
(Women’s Economic Security Campaign - September 2010)

This report takes a close look at public and private programs that are helping low-income women gain access to quality early care and education. The report also looks at efforts to increase wages and training for women in the early care and education workforce. Without affordable, reliable child care, the report notes, low-income mothers have little chance of finding good jobs and staying employed.

Cutting Child Care Out from Under Californians
(UC Berkeley Center on Health, Economic & Family Security - September 2010)

To help patch a nearly $20 billion shortfall in California, the Governor proposed to cut $1.2 billion in child care funds, a move that would eliminate most subsidized child care for low-income families. He also proposed to terminate California's welfare program, CalWORKs, which serves 1.4 million people, 1.1 million of whom are children. Included in the CalWORKs cuts are child care subsidies for families receiving or successfully transitioned off welfare. In total, 240,000 children would lose access to subsidized child care. While the Legislature's Joint Budget Conference Committee rejected these child care cuts, the continued uncertainty about child care funding undermines the availability and sustainability of child care as districts are forced to close their programs because the state budget remains unresolved. This paper outlines the impact these child care cuts would have on working parents, children, and the state's economy.

Estimates of the Per-Child Costs of Pre-K

A report just out from the Institute for Women's Policy Research provides national estimates of the per-child costs of pre-K for various levels of program quality and other variables such as length of session and class size. The report shows how relative costs of quality improvements differ depending on existing program design and quality features. And, it shows that changes in per-child costs are not necessarily proportional to changes in the number of hours in a program day.

A Center Piece of the PreK Puzzle: Providing State Prekindergarten in Child Care Centers

This report by the National Women’s Law Center, A Center Piece of the PreK Puzzle: Providing State Prekindergarten in Child Care Centers, highlights the opportunities and challenges for child care centers providing state-funded prekindergarten programs, and offers strategies for ensuring that child care centers are able to fully participate in state prekindergarten initiatives and offer high-quality early education programs.

Making Pre-kindergarten Work for Low-income Working Families

As of 2006, 38 states and the District of Columbia had pre-kindergarten programs, which vary considerable in their design. While low-income children stand to gain the most from early care and education initiatives, working families may not be able to access programs that are not responsive to their needs. This paper by CLASP, discusses research supporting the need to review initiatives to ensure maximum access for children in working families, especially low-income children; highlights key strategies to address the needs of low-income working families; and examines the extent to which state pre-kindergarten policies currently do so.