Community Approaches to Funding and Supports for High-Quality Early Care Experiences: A United States Example

Abstract

While much research has validated the importance of high-quality early learning environments to achieve successful long-term outcomes, providing such environments for all children continues to be a challenge. Debates and varying opinions of how to best use and direct funds to early education and care, as well as determine levels of support to increase quality persist. To address these challenges, a large urban city in the United States has taken a multi-faceted, community-based approach to both funding and quality implementation supports. In the chapter, the authors will first detail examples of funding and provision challenges and provide examples of how cities have sought to address these challenges. Second, the chapter will detail the specific approach to funding and support in the example of focus. Third, the authors will present findings to date on the quality of environments and return on funding investment. Finally, the authors will conclude the chapter with recommendations for increasing access to high-quality early care experience in other contexts and environments across the globe.