As national concerns over the quality of child care increase, nonprofit organizations are taking the lead in developing innovative programs to improve early care and education. This Urban Institute research brief looks at North Carolina's TEACH initiative, which is a model for other states.

Child care subsidies help low-income families work and leave welfare, but even during a period of progress toward providing child care assistance to families in the late 1990s, the majority of eligible children went without. CLASP reports that the growth of child care funding essentially stopped in FY 2001, and funding shortfalls are forcing states to adopt policies that hurt families' efforts towards employment and earnings.

Although targeting the youngest learners (at ages when the brain develops rapidly) pays off, most education money goes to older children. A report from the Child and Family Policy Center of Iowa and Voices for America's Children finds 13.7 cents of every per-child public education dollar goes to younger kids. Congress is debating a $1.2 billion increase in the Child Care and Development Block Grant's annual appropriation, a move that would increase investments in early learning by $34.57 per young child in America. A $400 million increase in Head Start funding would translate to a $17.29 increase in per young child funding.

Low-wage mothers spoke out about child care arrangements in two MDRC studies that offer a reality check for policymakers and advocates concerned with quality child care and early development. Based on their findings, researchers say policymakers need to focus on both formal and informal care, and how these arrangements are often combined in the daily lives of low-income children. They should also note that families have limited control over their child care options -- money, sparse options in low-resource neighborhoods, and job inflexibility all play a big role.

A new survey by the National League of Cities shows that child care and early childhood education are high on the agenda for city leaders. That heightened attention to the early years also has some mayors worried about Bush administration efforts to change Head Start.

Families who receive child care subsidies are more likely to work and to stay off welfare. Without quality child care, children are less safe and families less secure -- yet only one out of seven children who are eligible for federal child care assistance receives it. This CLASP fact sheet has the data and the arguments for including adequate childcare funding in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reauthorization legislation pending in Congress.

Coming home to an empty house—or at least one empty of adults—is a common experience for many school-aged children. Yet parents worry, with good reason, about the risks. This article from the September-October issue of Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children, looks at latch-key reality.

Imagine yourself face-to-face with one of the Democratic presidential candidates. What questions would you ask to get a sense of where he or she stands on the issues that really matter for children? Our Kids & Politics project has some suggestions—take a look at the Questions for Candidates and Issues sections. Feel free to report candidates’ responses back to us.

For many working parents, high-quality child care can be unaffordable and hard to find -- but not for parents in the military, which many agree has designed and implemented a model child care system. This Urban Institute overview notes four principles that guided the military to success: viewing child care as a fundamental workforce issue, establishing and enforcing quality standards, training the childcare workforce as professionals, and providing for shared costs between parents and employers.

While Head Start primarily serves low-income preschool children ages 3-5, the Early Head Start program serves low-income infants and toddlers (birth to age three) and pregnant women. This brief describes the unique features of the Early Head Start program.