Every year, millions of children from birth through age five benefit from an array of federal early learning and care programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Education (ED). While there are different early learning settings and certain programs have distinct requirements, together they form a mixed-delivery system that strives to support the care, education, and healthy development of children, prioritizing children from low-income families, parental choice, and children’s individual needs. (author abstract)