Resource Library

Defining and monitoring early care and education (ECE) program engagement in Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) are essential tasks that can inform implementation and improvement efforts. Accurate data about the types of ECE programs that are rated, where they are located, and who they serve can shape outreach and recruitment efforts. The term engagement is used as a broad term in this brief to encompass varying...

Researchers and policymakers in the early care and education (ECE) field are interested in understanding the factors that contribute to successful quality improvement (QI) initiatives in ECE settings. They also want to learn about factors leading to improved outcomes for children and families through successful QI initiatives. One factor posited to influence the success of such initiatives is the readiness of individuals and organizations to adopt new quality improvement practices.

Much like the 7.8 million families with young children in urban areas, many of the 1.1 million families with young children in rural areas need and use early care and education (ECE). Families across the United States face challenges accessing child care, and challenges often vary by population density. Although the definition of what constitutes an urban, suburban, and rural area differs across studies, the literature suggests that...

This research review addresses the question:

What evidence do we have from the literature on associations between infant/toddler teacher and caregiver preparation (e.g., education, credentials, etc.) and quality of caregiving and child outcomes?...

These snapshots describe U.S. households’ costs for, and usage of, ECE in 2012, looking at differences by age of child, household income, and community urbanicity.

This snapshot presents findings about the health insurance coverage among the center-based child care and early education workforce and how it varies by race and ethnicity.

The INQUIRE Toolkit grows out of the growing awareness of the importance of collecting data related to early care and education.  The Quality Initiatives Research and Evaluation Consortium (INQUIRE) Data Work Group was convened to address a request from stakeholders for information on building an effective data infrastructure to support activities including monitoring, continuous program improvement, reporting, validation and evaluation in Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) and...

This resource provides guidance to data users interested in using the 2019 NSECE to examine questions related to ECE access using a multi-dimensional, family-centric definition of access.

This highlight draws key findings from two reports focused on families’ search for child care and states’ efforts to provide parents with consumer education to help inform their child care search process: 1) Parents’ Reasons for Searching for Early Care and Education and Results of Search: An Analysis Using the Access Framework; and 2) Supporting Families’ Access to Child Care and Early Education: A Descriptive Profile of States’ Consumer Education Websites.

As policymakers and program administrators work to enhance the quality of early care and education settings, there is…