Child Care
One of the elements of welfare reform ushered in by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) was added funding and flexibility in providing subsidies to low-income families. States receive funding through the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant. That funding stream, with requirements for quality initiatives and other federal regulations, provides resources for states to meet the needs of families receiving welfare, those that are in training or the workforce, others making the transition from welfare to work, and low-income families who meet eligibility requirements. Subsidies may be paid to providers or to families with required access to multiple settings such as child care centers, prekindergarten programs, family child care homes, and care by relatives and friends. Between 1996 and 2001, total spending, including state and federal expenditures, tripled and the number of children participating doubled, from one million children to over two million children.
For participating families, market rate child care costs are out of reach. Child care subsidy programs provide a key work support. Research also shows good quality early education experiences can have a profound impact on the lives of children, including early childhood success in school and into adulthood. With 61 percent of children in the United States under age 6 in some kind of care, the demand for child care of all types has increased. Research has also raised concern about the quality of child care settings, with reports of programs with mediocre and even inadequate quality.
Key policy areas include eligibility levels, co-payments, provider reimbursement rates, incentives to address gaps in care, ways to improve the quality of programs, and efforts to improve the coordination of early childhood education programs. Policy approaches to increase quality include examining reimbursement rates and compensation to address teacher turnover; training requirements to improve teacher performance and child outcomes; use of curriculum to address classroom experiences; and evaluation of programs. NCSL's Child Care and Early Childhood Education Project can access a variety of research resources to provide up-to-date information about state approaches, eligibility levels, funding transfers and other state efforts.
Issue brief highlights State Policies in the Area of Child Care Assistance
A recent issue brief from the National Women's Law Center, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2007: Some Steps Forward, More Progress Needed, discusses the improvements made by some states in child care assistance polices. This document brings to light the many obstacles that states face and need to overcome to supply low-income parents and their children with the necessary support.
This issue brief is available here http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/StateChildCareAssistancePoliciesReport07Web.pdf
Project looks to identify state policies that support the positive development of infants and toddlers
Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care, is a project headed by the Center for Law and Social Policy and ZERO TO THREE. This report examines four core principles that establish the foundation for support that is essential to all babies and toddlers in child care need. The policy framework also includes recommendations to states on issues such subsidy policies, child care licensing, and quality.
To view the full report, go to http://www.clasp.org/publications/cp_framework_sum.pdf
Program Information Report Data (PIR) shows Head Start progress
A policy brief released by the Center for Law and Social Policy, Supporting Families, Nurturing Young Children: Early Head Start Programs in 2006, analyzes the 2006 Program Information Reports data from the Early Head Start program. This brief gives insight to the progress of the head start programs and details the gains made up till 2006.
The full document is available on CLASP's website at http://www.clasp.org/publications/ehs_brief9.pdf
Effective Strategies for Prekindergarten Expansion: Collaboration With Community Providers
This policy brief examines the benefits and challenges of implementing a mixed delivery system for prekindergarten that incorporates not only school-based providers, but also community services
The brief can be viewed here at http://www.ncsl.org/programs/cyf/expandingprek.htm
Policy brief examines state child care policies from 2006
The 2006 issue brief for the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), State Child Care Assistance Policies 2006: Gaps Remain, with New Challenges Ahead, presents a review of state polices that concern state child care polices. The brief focuses on helping low-income families' child care assistance, shortening waiting lists, as well as state reimbursement rates.
This report is available online at http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/StateChildCareAssistancePoliciesReport2006Web.pdf.
Financing Early Care and Education
Financing Early Care and Education: Funding and Policy Choices in a Changing Fiscal Environment, describes various funding and policy approaches for policymakers to consider when developing a law, policy or budget action related to child care and early childhood education.
This report can be found at http://www.ncsl.org/legis/cyf/ccfinance.pdf.
Making Child Care Better: State Initiatives
About 13 million kids are in child care and their early education experiences dramatically affect their development, including future success in school and better job opportunities. There is also evidence that good early childhood education helps decrease delinquency in later years. This book discusses four key ways to improve children's care.
The executive summary and information on how to order this book can be accessed at http://www.ncsl.org/programs/cyf/mccexec.htm
Investing in Our Future: A Guide to Child Care Financing
This book, Investing in Our Future: A Guide to Child Care Financing, Identifies several principles to help guide state child care financing decisions and offers a range of financing options that have been implemented in states and communities across the country.
The executive summary and information on how to order this book can be accessed at http://www.ncsl.org/programs/cyf/guide.htm
 Child Care and Early Education
NOTE: NCSL provides links to other Web sites from time to time for information purposes only. Providing these links does not necessarily indicate NCSL's support or endorsement of the site.
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