Early Childhood Care and Education

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What are other states doing?

Preschool: Connecticut / Georgia / Massachusetts / New Jersey / New York / North Carolina

Improving childcare quality: Indiana / Oklahoma, North Carolina, New Mexico, & Colorado

Home visiting and parent support: Ohio / Vermont

Coordinated, comprehensive services: California / Kentucky / North Carolina

Preschool

Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina invest in preschool education in order to give four- and sometimes three-year-olds a better start in school.

Connecticut enacted legislation to enhance access to community school readiness and childcare programs for eligible children in designated school districts. The Connecticut School Readiness Initiative includes provisions to expand and improve childcare quality for three- and four-year-olds in targeted communities. This initiative also helps build or renovate preschool program facilities. Funds can be used for part-day/part-year programs, combined school readiness and “wraparound” childcare programs, or full-day/full-year school readiness programs.

Georgia offers voluntary universal preschool for all four-year-olds. The program is funded primarily by proceeds from the Georgia Lottery for Education and is administered through the Georgia Office of School Readiness (which reports directly to the governor). Preschool programs must use approved curricula. Services are offered through public and private schools, private childcare learning centers, Head Start sites, and other locations. First-year evaluation results of Georgia’s program reveal that participants rated higher than the general student body in development, promotion to first grade, attendance, first-grade academic development and achievement, and standardized test scores.

The Massachusetts Community Partnerships for Children (CPC) provides flexible state grants to communities to coordinate local preschool services and programs through childcare providers, Head Start, and public schools. CPC provides tuition subsidies and program choice for low-income families. CPC has been implemented virtually statewide, and has seen significant annual increases in funding and support from state and local policymakers.

New Jersey is under court order to implement “whole-school reform” measures, including full-day kindergarten for all five-year-olds and half-day preschool programs for all three- and four-year-olds in the state's poorest school districts (known as “Abbott Districts”). These programs are funded through Early Childhood Program Aid (ECPA), a state funding stream created in response to the Supreme Court ruling. Districts use existing community-based childcare and Head Start organizations, in addition to school districts, to deliver preschool programs. All programs from all providers must meet preschool standards developed by the New Jersey Department of Education.

New York has created a Universal Pre-K program with the intent to guarantee free early education to all four-year-olds by 2002. State Universal Pre-K dollars flow through the public school system to individual districts. Participating school districts must work collaboratively with community-based childcare and other early education providers to develop programs in school and non-school settings. Pre-K programs must provide comprehensive services to address parents' needs and integrate children with disabilities.

North Carolina Governor Michael Easley launched “More at Four,” a voluntary pre-kindergarten initiative that will serve four-year-olds at risk of school failure. Local funds for Head Start, Title I, Smart Start (a statewide public-private partnership providing community-based services to help children up to five years of age enter school healthy and ready to learn), or other community sources, will pay for part of the direct service operating costs. Programs will be delivered through childcare centers, Head Start programs, and schools. All programs must meet high-quality education standards.

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Improving childcare quality

The Indiana T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Project (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) is part of a multi-state initiative that seeks to reduce turnover among childcare providers by increasing educational opportunities and compensation. The Day Care Services Association (a nonprofit organization that created the model) licenses nonprofit organizations and provides technical assistance for the implementation of the T.E.A.C.H. model. In Indiana, the T.E.A.C.H. program provides scholarships to childcare providers for professional development and gives bonuses or salary increases to providers who complete their coursework. Costs of training and bonuses are shared by participants, sponsoring childcare programs, and the public-private Indiana Child Care Fund.

Oklahoma, North Carolina, New Mexico, and Colorado seek to improve the quality of care for young children by providing financial incentives to encourage providers to achieve higher levels of quality. Programs are rated based on specific quality elements such as program accreditation, provider experience and education, and staff/child ratios. Identifiable ratings indicators (stars, levels) allow parents to gauge a childcare program's or provider's overall quality without having to understand the details of state licensing requirements and accreditation standards. Subsidized childcare providers are reimbursed at a higher rate for achieving higher quality levels.

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Home visiting and parent support

Ohio and Vermont provide direct support services to parents and young children through home visiting and family support centers.

In Ohio, Teen parents and families with children under age three who are on TANF or who are at risk of child abuse, neglect, or developmental delay receive home visits by nurses through the Ohio Early Start program. Parents also may attend groups or classes on child development, health and safety, effective parenting, and nutrition.

In Vermont, a network of 16 parent/child centers providing early childhood and family support primarily to teen parents and their young children. The centers all provide eight core services either directly or through referrals:

Home visits
Early childhood services (childcare)
Parent education
Peer-to-peer support for parents
On-site support services for parents
Playgroups
Information and referral on family issues and statewide resources
Community development

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Coordinated, comprehensive services

California, Kentucky, and North Carolina invest in comprehensive early childhood development initiatives combining maternal and child health, family support, and early care and education services.

In California, the California Children and Families Commission (created by Proposition 10) oversees a comprehensive, integrated system of information and services that promote early childhood development and school readiness for children from birth to age five. Proposition 10 added a 50-cent-per-pack tax to cigarettes to support early childhood initiatives. Community trust funds in each county receive 80% of the funds collected. Parents, families, and community groups provide input on how to best meet local needs.

Kentucky uses 25% of its Phase I tobacco settlement dollars to fund the KIDS NOW comprehensive early childhood development initiative. Program components address maternal and child health, family support, early care, and education. KIDS NOW utilizes existing resources, public-private partnerships, and community-level planning and implementation.

North Carolina Smart Start is a public-private initiative providing early education funding to children and families in every county, regardless of income. Local nonprofit organizations ("Local Partnerships") administer Smart Start funds at the local level to improve childcare quality, make childcare more affordable and accessible, provide access to health services, and offer family support – depending on local needs. Studies show that children who receive Smart Start services are better prepared when entering school.

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Closing the Achievement Gap
NGA Center for Best Practices
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