Building an Early Learning System That Works: Next Steps for California

There is overwhelming evidence that children's early years, from birth through preschool, are a crucial time for their development, and that high-quality early learning opportunities support children's school readiness, promote later life success, and yield a return of up to $7 for every $1 invested. Unfortunately, despite having the sixth-largest economy in the world, California lags behind many states and developed countries in providing early care and education (ECE). In fact, in 2015-16, 1 million California children qualified for subsidized ECE, but only a third of them received services. Providing access to high-quality ECE for all children in the state will require a comprehensive approach to turning an uncoordinated set of underfunded programs into a true system of supports for children, families, and providers. A complement to the Learning Policy Institute's (LPI's) earlier report "Understanding California's Early Care and Education System," this report examines the challenges California's counties face in providing ECE and provides recommendations for improving access to high-quality ECE for all children. The report examines the ECE practices in 10 counties that vary by region, population density, and child care affordability, and features examples of promising practices. It describes the landscape of ECE at the local level as it is shaped by federal and state policies. Recommendations in the report address four key areas: (1) Building a coherent ECE administration system; (2) Making ECE affordable for all children up to age 5; (3) Building a well-qualified ECE workforce; and (4) Improving the quality of all ECE programs. [For the policy brief, see ED606718. For "Understanding California's Early Care and Education System," see ED606735.]