Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS)--a strategy to improve families' access to high-quality child care--assess the quality of child care programs, offer incentives and assistance to programs to improve their ratings, and give information to parents about the quality of child care. These systems are operating in a growing number of…

In November 2014, with broad bipartisan support, Congress reauthorized CCDBG [Child Care and Development Block Grant] (the major federal child care program) for the first time since 1996. The new law strengthens CCDBG's dual role as a major early childhood education program and a work support for low-income families. This implementation guide is…

One of a series of reports concerning state policies and practices in child care and early education, this report provides highlights and updates regarding state actions during 1998. The report is intended to serve as a supplement and companion to the more comprehensive information presented in "State Developments in Child Care and Early…

Noting that school-age child care can be considered an important component of community support for children and families, this report provides information and advice for programs and individuals wishing to secure funding for school-age care programs. The report contains the following sections: (1) "School-Age Care: Why Do We Care?,"…

Noting that families need access to high quality care so that their children can start school ready to learn and so that parents can work, this report examines state child care subsidy policy choices. Following an executive summary, chapter 1 of the report discusses state policy regarding eligibility criteria related to families receiving welfare,…

Reviews the status of present and proposed dependent care tax credit legislation and considers the special needs of families supporting vulnerable dependents. (RH)

This paper envisions child care problems in the year 2000 and explores their relationship to policies of today. The population entering parenting age in the year 2000 will bear the scars of the inadequate child care policies of the 1980's. New poor and black parents--many of them born to adolescent mothers in the early 1980's--will have been…

This fact book presents findings of the Children's Defense Fund's fourth annual survey on child care funding and priorities, and consists of five sections which provide an overview of states' child care activities, information about specific policies, and contacts in each state who can provide more detailed information. Section 1 presents recent…

This report examines the efforts of several visionary partnerships that have pioneered in bringing Head Start and child care services together for the children in their programs. While the partnerships vary in scope and design, all of the initiatives discussed in this report provide comprehensive services to children and families, including:…

Shifts in child care policies are on the horizon. Congress has passed landmark changes in federal welfare programs that will have a major impact on the demand for child care and require states to re-examine many of their current child care policies. This paper by the Children's Defense Fund is intended to help child care advocates understand the…

This report provides highlights and updates regarding state actions on child care, early education, and school-age care issues during 2001. It is intended to serve as a supplement to "State Developments in Child Care, Early Education, and School-Age Care 2000" and various reports published on this issue between 1997 and 1999. Information…

This report provides highlights and updates regarding state actions on child care and early education issues during 2000. The information in the report was collected by means of written and telephone surveys with advocates or state child care administrators in each state. The final draft was reviewed for verification by advocates or a state child…

This report provides highlights and updates regarding state actions on child care and early education issues during 1999. It is intended to serve as a supplement to "State Child Care and Early Education Development: Highlights and Updates for 1998" and "State Developments in Child Care and Early Education 1997." The information…