Washington, D.C. — As the Biden administration looks to realize the president’s commitment to expanding early learning opportunities—including universal preschool—the Center for American Progress released a new report outlining six key recommendations for ensuring that such a program would contribute to an equitable early childhood system:
- Design a system for preschool to be delivered in a variety of settings, including family child care.
- Boost support for Head Start to expand service to more preschoolers and their families.
- Couple investments in preschool with funding for infants and toddlers.
- Ensure equitable access and quality by conducting reviews of which families do and do not currently have access to preschool and studying current programs’ geographic distribution, quality, and resource inequities.
- Provide equitable compensation for early educators, regardless of provider setting.
- Incentivize states and localities to create accountability systems to ensure preschool programs are responsive to families’ needs.
“America’s children need an early education system that is set up to meet their needs from birth to kindergarten. Unfortunately, current early learning opportunities are often dictated by a family’s wealth or geographic residence. These principles would ensure that a new federal preschool program delivers high-quality and affordable preschool options across all settings for all families,” said Laura Dallas McSorley, director of Early Childhood Policy at CAP and author of the report.
Please click here to read: “6 Ways To Ensure Preschool Contributes to an Equitable Early Childhood System” by Laura Dallas McSorley
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Colin Seeberger at [email protected].