Funding Early Childhood Education

The importance of high-quality early childhood care and education (ECCE) has been well-established through research, with benefits extending throughout a child’s lifetime. However, funding for preschool and early childhood programs is fragmented and inconsistent, resulting in a patchwork of programs with variations in quality, eligibility, structure, and funding per child. Despite recent increases in federal and state funding, overall funding and access to high-quality ECCE remains low. Some states (and cities) have attempted to maximize resources through collaborative efforts and blended funding models, and through alternative funding initiatives, but the lack of coherency, sufficiency, and sustainability creates significant inequities across the country, limiting access and quality. In sum, the resulting current “system” does not effectively serve children. Addressing funding fragmentation and the lack of access and quality in the system would require overcoming piecemeal approaches toward strong federal or state unified approaches toward expanded ECCE.

Keywords: ECCE funding; pre-K funding; funding sufficiency; federal funding