Early childhood program and system leaders need evidence-based information to support the important decisions they make every day on behalf of children and families. The purpose of the Child Care and Early Education Policy and Research Analysis (CCEEPRA) project is to support policy and program planning and decision-making with rigorous, research-based information. CCEEPRA activities aim to inform policies and practices related to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and other early childhood initiatives led by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).
Through CCEEPRA, Child Trends responds to the Agency’s requests high-priority issues in CCEE, by implementing research activities and sharing results and implications with federal, state, and regional leaders. Research topics and activities are informed through a partnership with the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) within the Administration for Children and Families to ensure that the project activities address the needs of children and families with low incomes and reflect the experiences parents, early childhood programs, and the child care and early education workforce. as well as the child care and early education workforce. This work is intended to address critical issues in child care and early education (CCEE) field while building the capacity for new research and evaluation efforts.
Products supported through CCEEPRA are shared in a range of formats to support CCEE leaders in learning about emerging CCEE research. These products provide insights on supporting children and offer suggestions for how state, territory and federal policymakers can use data to better understand children’s needs and experiences. This work is funded by OPRE with research set aside funding within the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014.
CCEEPRA Key Research Topics and Activities:
Access to CCEE not only supports children’s development but also directly impacts parental employment, earnings, and opportunities to pursue education and training. Many provisions of the CCDF program are designed to improve families’ experience searching for child care, gaining access to care, and securing stable, high-quality arrangements for their children. The CCEEPRA team, along with expert consultants, address the needs of families by studying their experiences finding, paying for, and using child care.
The team’s work is grounded in CCEEPRA’s multidimensional framework of access to child care and early education, which outlines four key dimensions that families consider when choosing CCEE. Through this framework, the team explores critical questions about how to define and measure access in family-centered ways that are meaningful and actionable for decision-makers. They also synthesize research to better understand and improve access to CCEE, particularly for children from families with low incomes.
Improving the quality of CCEE is a central focus for states’ early childhood investments. Since 1997, states have been implementing Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) and other quality improvement initiatives aimed at strengthening the CCEE system. Quality improvement is an ongoing and cyclical process that occurs at multiple levels—including classrooms, homes, programs, and systems. State-led quality initiatives use a variety of strategies to support these continuous improvement efforts.
The CCEEPRA team addresses research gaps related to quality measurement, quality improvement strategies, QRIS, and strengthening state systems that support CCEE quality. The team’s research is grounded in CCEEPRA’s conceptual model, which outlines the drivers of change and impact in quality improvement systems.
CCEE leaders are responsible for administering and improving a wide range of policies and programs to support the well-being of children, families, and the CCEE workforce. A key pilar of the CCEE system is the federal CCDF program, authorized through the CCDBG Act of 2014. The CCDF program helps states and territories improve access to safe, high-quality CCEE for families with low incomes. Families who receive CCDF subsidies can choose from a broad range of CCEE settings—including community-based child care centers, home-based providers, school-based programs, faith-based providers, and family, friend, or neighbor care. This range of CCEE options offer different environments and experiences to meet the unique needs and preferences of families.
Research conducted through CCEEPRA focuses on the full range of CCEE programs that have the potential to serve families using CCDF subsidies, as well as how states and territories implement the CCDF program. The CCEEPRA team analyzes the characteristics of various program types, the geographic and community contexts in which they operate, and the children and families they serve. The team also produces resources to support the development of infrastructure that underpins CCDBG implementation—such as licensing and monitoring, cross-sector collaboration, quality improvement initiatives, subsidy policy, professional development for the CCEE workforce, administrative data, and evaluation efforts.
Teachers and caregivers in both center-based and home-based settings play a critical role in delivering high-quality care and education to children across the United States. It is important to understand the characteristics of the CCEE workforce, the contexts in which they work, their financial and personal well-being, and the preparation and ongoing training they receive to support the growth and development of children of different ages and of varying physical and cognitive abilities.
The CCEEPRA team convenes experts and conducts research to advance understanding of the professional and demographic characteristics of the CCEE workforce, and how these characteristics influence their ability to support young children’s development. The CCEEPRA team also conducts and synthesizes research to better understand professional supports available to the CCEE workforce, such as benefits and professional development.
The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), first fielded in 2012, offers an unprecedented national view of CCEE providers in both center- and home-based settings, the CCEE workforce across these settings, and households with young children. The CCEEPRA team analyzes NSECE data to document key trends in child care and early education. These analyses focus on several important topics, including:
- Characteristics and supply of child care and early education: The CCEEPRA team uses NSECE data to examine key questions related to the professional characteristics and development of the workforce, the cost and quality of CCEE, and how care and quality characteristics vary by geographic area, provider type, overseeing organization or program, and other important contextual factors.
- Families’ search for and use of different types of CCEE: The CCEEPRA team uses NSECE data to examine families’ experiences searching for child care and the factors influencing their decisions. as well as their experiences within CCEE programs and how those experiences shape children’s development.
Research can be time consuming to navigate and challenging to apply to the day-to-day work of state child care and early education (CCEE) leaders. To address this, the Research Translation to Support CCEE Leaders project within CCEEPRA was developed to create and share short, easy-to-use research products. These products are designed to help CCEE leaders make research-informed decisions that support young children and their families.
The CCEEPRA Research Translation team uses a variety of formats—such as short written summaries, infographics, videos, slide decks–to produce research highlights on topics relevant to CCEE leaders. The team engages CCEE leaders, federal staff, technical assistance providers, and others to help identify topics. To date, they have developed several research highlights that cover a range of CCEE topics including access, systems, professional development, quality, and other topics related to the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).
Staff/Funding
Principal Investigators: Tamara Halle, Kathryn Tout
Co-Investigator: Kelly Maxwell
Project Director and Financial Manager: Danielle Hegseth
Deputy Project Director: Megan Treinen
Activity Leads: Rachel Abenavoli, Lorena Aceves, Sara Amadon, Deana Around Him, Patti Banghart, Meg Bredeson, Erin Bultinck, Julianna Carlson, Sarah Daily, Annie Davis Schoch, Zipi Diamond, Nicole Forry, Audrey Franchett, Tracy Gebhart, Cassie Simons Gerson, Silvana Hackett, Tamara Halle, Phoebe Harris, Sarah Her, Ashley Hiralall, Sarah Kelley, Weilin Li, Van-Kim Lin, Ying-Chun Lin, Rebecca Madill, Emily Maxfield, Kelly Maxwell, Meghan McDoniel, Brenda Miranda, Christina Padilla, Katherine Paschall, Jordyn Pourier, Zakia Redd, Dale Richards, Katie Richards, Shana Rochester, Vanessa Sacks, Sara Shaw, Bonnie Solomon, Rebekah Stafford, Kate Steber, Jing Tang, Dana Thomson, Kathryn Tout, Kara Ulmen, Claire Vansell, Elizabeth Villegas, and Mallory Warner.
Project Managers: Hannah Wodrich and Claire Vansell.
Contracting Officer’s Representative: Ivelisse Martinez-Beck
Funded by: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), with set aside funds from the CCDBG Act of 2014.
