Implementation of Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships

Of the 12 million children under age 3 in the United States, nearly 25 percent live in a family with earnings below the poverty level, with little to no access to quality and affordable child care. To address this problem, Congress appropriated $500 million in 2014 to expand access to Early Head-Start programs, which included the creation of Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships (Partnerships).

In 2019, Start Early conducted interviews with a variety of state leaders regarding Partnerships programs. Interviewees included those who administer a Partnerships grant, and some who supported implementation of Partnerships in their states but did not have a Partnerships grant. As a result of these interviews, Start Early is proud to share our report on the lessons of implementation of the Partnerships across states.

Key Findings

Start Early found that states with Partnerships program have:

Leveraged multiple funding sources and state systems in new ways to support local program success and expanded access to high-quality child care for thousands of families.
Supported continuity of care without interruptions for infants and toddlers in working families with low incomes.
Raised the bar for what quality infant and toddler child care could and should be.
Created higher education pathways to build new skills and competencies for the infant and toddler workforce.
Piloted reforms that were ultimately scaled statewide to improve care for many more infants and toddlers.

Publications & Resources

Expanding High-Quality Care for Infants & Toddlers: Lessons from Implementation of Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships in States

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Full policy paper detailing the history and current state of the country’s child care system and Partnerships programs.

Download Expanding High-Quality Care for Infants & Toddlers: Lessons from Implementation of Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships in States

Overview & Resource Guide: Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships

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A 2-page document that highlights the benefits and outcomes of the Partnerships and provides links to resources, reports, and videos from the Office of Head Start, Administration for Children and Families, First Five Years Fund, Bipartisan Policy Center, participating Educare schools, and more.

Download Overview & Resource Guide: Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships

Snapshot: Expanding High-Quality Child Care for Infants & Toddlers

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A snapshot highlighting unique findings and recommendations for the Partnerships program and states across the country.

Download Snapshot: Expanding High-Quality Child Care for Infants & Toddlers

Communications Toolkit

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Find talking points, sample social media posts and a template email that can be utilized to engage with partners, programs, etc. about the report.

Download Communications Toolkit

WEBINAR Recording

Expanding High-Quality Child Care for Infants & Toddlers

In this webinar, hear compelling stories shared by states highlighted in this paper. Participants discussed the strategies used by communities working to expand access to high-quality infant and toddler care.