Early Care and Learning

The achievement gap for low-income young children starts early in life and is difficult to reverse. What science tells us about brain development, along with what we know from economic analysis, makes it clear that investing in high-quality early care and learning is essential to reducing this gap.

States as well as communities make important choices about how much they invest in early care and learning strategies that can improve the odds for healthy early childhood development. Research is clear that early school success for low-income young children also depends on efforts to increase family economic security.

Strategies to help young children with the social and emotional, language, and academic skills they need to succeed in the early school years are critical across all early care and learning settings, starting with infants and toddlers. Of special concern are young children who experience multiple risks beyond poverty and economic hardship.

Publications

• Coaching and Quality Assistance in Quality Rating Improvement Systems
  Approaches Used by TA Providers to Improve Quality in Early Care and Education Programs and Home-based Settings
  Report, January 2012
• Linking Home-Based Child Care And State-Funded Preschool
  The Community Connections Preschool Program (Illinois Action for Children)
  Report, May 2011
• Racial Gaps in Early Childhood
  Socio-emotional Health, Developmental, and Educational Outcomes Among African-American Boys
  Report, May 2011
• Quality in Family, Friend, and Neighbor Child Care Settings
  Report, May 2011
• Quality Stars NY
  Field Test Evaluation Report
  Report, April 2011