Child Care and Early Education Issues Overview

Early Care and Education Issues Overview

During the last decade there have been at least five driving forces that have dramatically changed child care and early education programs. These include:

An increase in the number of mothers in the workforce;
The demand for early childhood programs for working families and those seeking early educational experiences for their children. Sixty-one percent of children under age six in the United States are in some kind of care outside the home, including both low-income working parents and non-working mothers;
Changes in the federal welfare law brought new activity requirements for low-income parents and the funding to provide child care for families on welfare and making the transition to employment;
The development of new brain research and the results of long-term studies of early education programs. This technology and new findings have contributed to the development of policy efforts to improve the quality of child care and early childhood education programs in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for children;
The early childhood field has been considering how it relates to the K-12 system as a result of the enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind law, and the potential to take advantage of early childhood education as a way to close gaps in achievement.

NCSL staff tracks several important areas of child care and early education, including child care subsidy programs, birth to five/school readiness, prekindergarten, financing and research and policy. The human services federal affairs staff represents state legislatures on federal child care and early education issues in Washington, D.C.

States are enhancing child care subsidy programs that have grown from their connection with the welfare system to include professional development and other quality approaches. Consideration of recruitment, training and education, retention and professional development of teachers has been a consideration for child care and emerging prekindergarten programs. Other issues of quality include licensing and regulation to ensure health and safety concerns are met.

In some states, the focus is on birth to five, working toward a coordinated system of early childhood with the goal of preparing children to be ready to learn in school. A companion effort is coordination and alignment of programs to better integrate funding sources for maximum investment and blend program requirements to improve access and effectiveness. Evaluation of programs and assessment of children have emerged as issues of debate.

Financing options for states has been critical as states have struggled with budget shortfalls. Other approaches include attention to educating parents and involving the private sector in specific efforts.

Policymakers can learn from research about child development and child outcomes from participation in early care and education programs. There are hundreds of studies of programs across the United States and in other countries that can point to policy options.

The federal government is a partner in early care and education by providing key funding sources and establishing basic requirements for states. The Child Care and Development (CCDF) block grant was created in 1990 and expanded in the 1996 welfare reform law. The CCDF is due to be reauthorized as part of the federal welfare reform reauthorization. The major issues in the Congressional debate are increasing the funds for child care, what match will be required for new funds, and state flexibility in spending the funds. Head Start is also set to be reauthorized by Congress this year. For further information go to the human services federal issues page.

NCSL staff in D.C. and Denver can provide comprehensive, thorough, and timely information on critical child care and early education policy issues. We provide services to legislators and staff working to improve state policies affecting children and their families. The Denver-based child care and early education project staff focuses on state policy, tracking legislation and providing research and policy analysis, consultation, and technical assistance specifically geared to the legislative audience. Denver staff includes Steffanie Clothier, Julie Poppe, and Stephen Fagan. Denver staff can be reached at 303.364.7700 or cyf-info@ncsl.org.

NCSL staff in Washington, D.C. track and analyze federal legislation and policy and represent state legislatures on child care and early education issues before Congress and the Administration. In D.C., Sheri Steisel and Lee Posey can be reached at 202.624.5400 or fedhumserv-info@ncsl.org.

The child care and early education project and D.C. human services staff receive guidance and support from NCSL's Human Services and Welfare Standing Committee.