Child Care Bureau: Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)

Child Care and Development Fund, Report to Congress for Fiscal Years 2002 and 2003

Part VI: Child Care Research

BACKGROUND

The Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) has a long history in child care research, with child care studies that date back to the early 1970s. These early studies laid the foundation for CCB's research agenda, which is designed to support decisionmakers in crafting child care policies that support positive outcomes. It is also intended to increase the capacity for child care research at the national, State, and community levels and to promote linkages among research, policy, and practice.

Beginning in FY 2000, Congress authorized the Bureau to spend $10 million annually in CCDF funds for research, demonstration, and evaluation. Based on recommendations obtained through a broad-based planning process that included an HHS task force, a 2-day Child Care Research Leadership Forum, and a national call for input, CCB developed a strategic research agenda designed to build a solid research infrastructure and yield timely, useful information for child care policymakers.

The Child Care Bureau's Research Priorities

CCB seeks to address the questions that are most relevant to Federal, State, and local community policymakers. These questions include-

What are the effects of alternative child care subsidy policies and practices on children and families served?
What are cost-effective investments in child care quality?
What are the issues and outcomes related to caregiver professional development and training?
How does school readiness vary among young children in a range of care settings, and what factors promote children's early learning?
What are promising models of coordination between child care and other services for children and families in the States?

Research Activities >>