ACF strengthened its oversight of Head Start eligibility in fiscal year 2011
An examination of changes to procedures for monitoring and overseeing eligibility determinations made by Head Start grantees, based on administrative data and on interviews with Head Start grantees and program administrators
Reports & Papers
After child care subsidies for TANF leavers: Implications for child school readiness
A longitudinal study of the child care arrangements of children of former welfare recipients in southeastern Pennsylvania who received child care subsidies after leaving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), based on analyses of secondary and administrative data for 157 children
Reports & Papers
After child care subsidies for TANF leavers: Implications for child school readiness [Executive summary]
A summary of a longitudinal study of the child care arrangements of children of former welfare recipients in southeastern Pennsylvania who received child care subsidies after leaving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), based on analyses of secondary and administrative data for 157 children
Executive Summary
After school program quality standards: A review of standards developed by cities and states from across the nation
A comparison of the content of quality standards for after school programs in Baltimore, Maryland; California; Washington, District of Columbia; Florida; Georgia; Maryland; Michigan; Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee; New York; and North Carolina
Other
After two years of YoungStar, a more complete picture emerges
A study of the implementation of YoungStar, the Wisconsin state child care quality rating and improvement system, in Milwaukee County, based on an analysis of administrative data on Milwaukee County providers during the program's first two years
Reports & Papers
Are strong work-first welfare policies aligned with generous child care provisions?: What states are doing and the implications for social work
Welfare reform devolved authority to states in designing and implementing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and child care subsidy programs, thereby creating substantial variation in both programs across states. TANF and child care subsidy programs are, in theory, designed to work together to support employment among low-income families, yet we have little information on how these two programs collectively impact work and family life among the target population. This study examines the intensity of TANF work requirements and generosity of child care subsidy provisions across states and the interaction of the two programs. Overall, we find that states with stringent work requirements do not typically provide generous child care subsidies. This article discusses the implications for families, policy, and social work practice in light of our findings. (author abstract)
Reports & Papers
Assessing quality across all STAR levels
Findings from a study of the relationship of the observed quality of child care programs participating in Keystone STARS, Pennsylvania's child care quality rating system, to their STARS rating, based on data for 46 randomly-selected programs
Reports & Papers
Australian early childhood educators: From government policy to university practice
This article provides an overview of the Australian Federal Government initiatives in the area of early childhood with regard to the provision of early childhood education and care. These changes have influenced a Western Australian university to develop an innovative birth to 8 years preservice educator education curriculum. Using an ecological approach, this preservice curriculum reform is designed to address the growing need for teachers who recognize the importance of a child's physical, emotional, and cognitive development from birth to 8 years as significant in preparing young children for entry into "formal learning." (author abstract)
Other
Caring for the Caregivers: Estimating the Causal Impact of Allowing Home-based Child Care Workers to Form Labor Unions on the Cost, Type, and Availability of Subsidized Child Care in Illinois
This study investigates the impact of granting Illinois home-based child care providers the right to form a labor union on the per-child cost of subsidized child care for infants and toddlers, the type of child care (home-based vs. center-based) used by subsidy-receiving Illinois infants and toddlers, and the percentage of Illinois infants and toddlers who use child care subsidies. These analyses are conducted using a comparative case study method with social, economic, demographic, and housing data from the American Community Survey and records of the Child Care and Development Fund on United States infants and toddlers whose families received child care subsidies during the period from 2002-2008. Results are expected to reveal whether the unionization of Illinois home-based child care providers increased, via the collective bargaining process, the per-child amount of vouchers paid to providers; and the level of influence, if any, this action affords the unions to influence bureaucratic and regulatory processes encouraging subsidy-receiving families to choose home-based, as opposed to center-based, care for their young children.
Administration for Children and Families/OPRE Projects
Case studies: Appendix II to the final report of the study Early childhood education and care (ECEC) in promoting educational attainment including social development of children from disadvantaged backgrounds and in fostering social inclusion
An examination of early childhood education and care policy developments in England from 1997 through 2010, and an exploration of Step by Step, a program to support professional development and to promote social inclusion, child-centered practices, and family and community engagement
Other
CCHRSC Child Care Administrator Standards Update and ECE-School-Age Care Profile Development Project: Inclusion from the perspective of diversity: Snapshot report
An examination of the concepts of diversity and inclusion as they relate to early childhood education (ECE) practice and policy in Canada, based on 31 key informant interviews with practitioners and experts in the ECE sector
Reports & Papers
Championing success: Business organizations for early childhood investments
A study of the early childhood policy and advocacy efforts of formal business membership organizations, based on survey responses from 104 local chambers of commerce and from 121 state business roundtables, state chambers of commerce, and city chambers of commerce
Reports & Papers
Championing success: Business organizations for early childhood investments
A summary of a study of the early childhood policy and advocacy efforts of formal business membership organizations, based on survey responses from 104 local chambers of commerce and from 121 state business roundtables, state chambers of commerce, and city chambers of commerce
Fact Sheets & Briefs
Championing success: Business organizations for early childhood investments [Executive summary]
A summary of a study of the early childhood policy and advocacy efforts of formal business membership organizations, based on survey responses from 104 local chambers of commerce and from 121 state business roundtables, state chambers of commerce, and city chambers of commerce
Executive Summary
Change or paradigm shift in the Swedish preschool?
A discussion of the relationship between both social investment policy starting in the 1970s and policy work of the 2000s, and a possible paradigm shift in Swedish early care and education (ECE), with a consideration of the goals of Swedish early care and education, funding mechanisms, governance and organization, attendance patterns, and changes in ECE settings due to policy changes, illustrated with examples from two evaluation studies of center-based care settings in Sweden after the introduction of a national curriculum in 1998, and with reference to a study based on interviews with parents and center-based early care and education teachers
Other
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): Assessment of sponsor tiering determinations 2011
An estimate of improper payments made in 2011 to family child care homes in the Child and Adult Care Food Program as a result of misclassification in provider tiering status, which is determined by a provider's low income status or operation in a low income area and which determines the rate at which providers are reimbursed for the meals and snacks they provide
Reports & Papers
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): Assessment of sponsor tiering determinations 2011 [Executive summary]
A summary of an estimate of improper payments made in 2011 to family child care homes in the Child and Adult Care Food Program as a result of misclassification in provider tiering status, which is determined by a provider's low income status or operation in a low income area and which determines the rate at which providers are reimbursed for the meals and snacks they provide
Executive Summary
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP): Assessment of sponsor tiering determinations: Summary
A summary of an estimate of improper payments made in 2011 to family child care homes in the Child and Adult Care Food Program as a result of misclassification in provider tiering status, which is determined by a provider's low income status or operation in a low income area and which determines the rate at which providers are reimbursed for the meals and snacks they provide
Fact Sheets & Briefs
Child care and the economy
A discussion of trends in the child care market and of prospects for federal preschool expansion policies
Other
Childcare and Parent Services: Improved business practices and controls needed to ensure better management of subsidized childcare program
An examination of and recommendations for processes in Georgia's child care subsidy program to identify improper payments and eligibility determinations, fraud, and abuse, based on interviews with state agency staff, analyses of administrative data, and site visits at 8 local state agency offices
Reports & Papers
Child Care Licensing Study, 2011 [United States]
The purpose of the 2011 Child Care Licensing Study is to report two aspects of child care licensing from 2008 for all 50 states and the District of Columbia (not including Idaho): (1) state child care licensing programs and policies and (2) child care center and family child care home licensing regulations. The study focuses on the processes and policies in each state related to staffing for the licensing program, monitoring facilities, and enforcement of licensing regulations.
Data Sets
Child-care subsidies and school readiness in kindergarten
A study of associations between child care subsidy receipt when children are 4 years old and a range of academic and socioemotional school readiness outcomes in kindergarten, including reading and mathematics ability, externalizing and prosocial behavior, and approaches to learning, based on data from 1,400 children from subsidy-eligible families participating in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort
Reports & Papers
Child care subsidies critical for low-income families amid rising child care expenses
A comparison of the child care expenses in 2005 and 2011 of families with working mothers and children under the age of 6, based on secondary analyses of data from the nationally representative 2004 and 2008 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
Reports & Papers
Child Development Services: Implementing comprehensive program management, encouraging responsible stewardship of resources, and developing data to support management decisions could improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness
An examination of and recommendations regarding the costs and fiscal management of Maine's state program for children with disabilities from birth through age 5, based on interviews with key informants and on program administrative data and documents
Reports & Papers
Child Development Services: Implementing comprehensive program management, encouraging responsible stewardship of resources, and developing data to support management decisions could improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness
A summary of an examination of and recommendations regarding the costs and fiscal management of Maine's state program for children with disabilities from birth through age 5, based on interviews with key informants and on program administrative data and documents
Fact Sheets & Briefs
