The dots on this map represent the likely locations of families—each dot corresponds to 10 families—with at least one child under the age of 6 based on Census Bureau estimates. Child care provider locations are not displayed on the map, but their locations and, where available, their capacities were used to calculate the supply of nearby licensed child care for each likely family location. Adjusted supply, represented on the map by the scale between scarce and adequate supply, is inclusive of multiple types of care—center-based care, home-based family child care, Head Start programs, and state preschool programs.

The supply measure ranges dramatically across states and communities and is influenced by the significant disparities in state licensing environments. An area is designated a licensed desert if it meets the threshold of having three or more children under age 6 for every available licensed slot. The variation in state licensing requirements significantly influences these measures and the resulting desert designations. Comparison data displayed on the right-hand side of the map include census tract-level demographic variables, specifically: poverty rates, Hispanic/Latino population, Black non-Hispanic population, and median household income.

These updated licensed child care desert resources are dedicated to the memory of Rasheed Malik, the late senior director of the Center for American Progress Early Childhood Policy team. A tireless champion for the nation’s children and families, Malik dedicated his career to improving access to and quality in early education, setting children on a path for a more promising and prosperous future. His pioneering work in spearheading CAP’s initial child care deserts research forms the foundation of these current resources and served as the basis for transformative legislative proposals aimed at establishing an equitable, universal early learning system for all children and the people who care for them. He is dearly missed.