THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
and
Health and Medicine Division
Board on Children, Youth, and Families
Committee on Financing Early Care and Education with a Highly Qualified Workforce
*****
Congressional Briefing
Thu, Feb 22, 2018
2257 Rayburn House Office Bldg. – 10:30 a.m.
and
Thu, Apr 5, 2018
632 Hart Senate Office Bldg. – 10:00 a.m.
on
Transforming the Financing of Early Care and Education
High-quality early care and education (ECE) is critical to positive child development and has the potential to generate economic returns, but the current financing structure of ECE leaves many children without access to high-quality services and does little to strengthen the ECE workforce. This new report, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, says that transforming the accessibility, affordability, and quality of ECE provided outside the child’s home will require phased implementation, amounting to at least an estimated $140 billion annually from the public and private (philanthropy, employers, and families) sectors in the final phase of implementation. It also looks at the ideal financing structure which should support high standards; a highly qualified workforce; and equitable access for families from all socio-economic, racial, ethnic, ability, and geographic backgrounds.
This briefing was for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on February 22, 2018 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.