Policy Strategies

Tax is expected to generate approximately $146 million annually to support early education

In 2018, 51% of San Francisco voters approved Proposition C ("Baby" Prop C), a Commercial Rent Tax for Child Care and Early Education. The proposition authorized an additional tax on commercial property and leases with annual gross receipts over $1 million; nonprofits and other small businesses are exempt. 85% of the revenue generated by this tax is designated for child care and early education. The remaining 15% is deposited in the city/county General Fund for other city-approved uses. The tax is expected to generate approximately $146 million annually to support child care and early education; these funds may be used to: Support quality early care and education for children under the age of six in San Francisco families at 85% or less of State Median Income (SMI); Support quality early care and education for children under the age of four in San Francisco families earning up to 200% of the Area Median Income (AMI); Invest in comprehensive early care and education services that support the physical, emotional, and cognitive development of children under the age of six; Increase compensation (including but not limited to wages, benefits, and training) of care professionals and staff in order to improve the quality and availability of early care and education for children under the age of six. Learn more: Baby Prop C Sources:San Francisco Office of Early Care and Education. (2021). Baby Prop C Fact Sheet - Legal Uses and Allocation.Children's Council San Francisco. (2021). Children’s Council Celebrates the Passage of Prop C by CA Supreme Court."

Includes training and coaching

The Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education (ADECE) provides coaching and technical assistance support to early childhood programs across the state. Under the Office of Early Childhood Development, ADECE offers a variety of programs, including Early Head Start–Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) Coaching, which provides coaching and technical assistance for programs (childcare and family child care) in the EHS-CCP partnership; First Class Foundations Coaching for educators in the state-funded First Class pre-K program; DHR–ASSIST, which provides coaching and technical assistance related to social emotional learning and resilience for adults and children in child care and family child care; and Quality Rating and Improvement coaching and technical assistance to early childhood programs to support teacher and child interactions in the classroom. Learn More: Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education Sources: Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education. (n.d.). Professional Development. Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education. (2021). Alabama Early Childhood B-8 Coaching Framework.

Data Visualization Tool

The Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education's Data Dashboard is a data visualization tool[tooltip]Data Visualization Tool: A data visualization tool that makes aggregate data related to early childhood education programs and services available for public view.[/tooltip]. It provides demographic and program information for public use on the state's First Class Pre-K program and other services offered by the Department, including First Teacher Home Visiting and Preschool to 3rd Grade Continuum sites. Learn more/source: alabama data dashboard

An executive order established the Alabama Children’s Policy Council, which coordinates services across the state through a local entity in each county.

In 2015, the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education was created as an executive department of state government, replacing the Department of Children’s Affairs, to oversee programs that support young children in the state. This cabinet-level agency is led by a secretary who reports to the governor.  Within the department, four offices guide the state’s early childhood priorities: the Office of School Readiness, the Office of Early Learning and Family Support, the Head Start Collaboration Office, and the Office of Child Development and Professional Support. The Alabama Children’s Policy Council, which coordinates services across the state through a local entity in each county, was created by executive order in 2015, the same year the Department was renamed.  Learn more: Education Commission of the States Source: Education Commission of the States (2018). Education Governance Dashboard State Profile Alabama. 

Percentage of 4-year-olds enrolled: 29% Percentage of 3-year-olds enrolled: 17% Hours of operation: 7 hrs/day; 5 days/wk

Created in 1991, the Arkansas Better Chance Program (ABC) provides targeted[tooltip]Targeted Pre-k: Pre-k programs in which eligibility is limited by child or family characteristics, most commonly income.[/tooltip], high-quality care for children from birth to age five who exhibit developmental and/or socioeconomic risk factors. In 2003, this initiative expanded to include the Arkansas Better Chance for School Success (ABCSS), which folded in a set of legislation aiming to support 3- and 4-year-old children in households experiencing poverty (up to 200% of the federal poverty level.) ABC/ABCSS includes center-based programs, home visiting programs, and family child care programs. As of 2022, the program serves 29% of the state’s 4-year-olds and 17% of the state’s 3-year-olds. Learn More: arkansas Better CHance Program Sources:Arkansas Better Beginnings. (n.d.). Arkansas Better Chance.National Institute for Early Education Research. (2023). Arkansas.Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. (n.d.). Arkansas Better Chance Program.

State-university partnership data visualization tool

The Arkansas Early Childhood Asset Map, launched in 2020 by the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, is a data visualization tool[tooltip]Data Visualization Tool: A data visualization tool that makes aggregate data related to early childhood education programs and services available for public view.[/tooltip]. It provides program information for public use on early childhood services as captured in the state’s annual “Getting Ready for School” publication. The map includes information on special nutrition programs, Arkansas Better Chance programs, Head Start programs, child care vouchers, and Better Beginnings programs. Supported by a state-university partnership, the map is housed at the Arkansas Economic Development Institute at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and funded by the DHS. Learn more: Arkansas Early Childhood Asset Map

$1,500 per educator (per language)

Launched in November 2021, the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD)’s bilingual incentive program provides a one-time payment of $1,500 to early education professionals who have bilingual proficiency. This incentive responds to the growing need for early education staff who speak a language other than English. Staff are eligible for an additional payment for each additional language for which they are certified as proficient. The bilingual incentive payment program is open to all early childhood educators who provide direct support to children from birth to age 5 and who are currently working within a: New Mexico licensed or registered childcare setting; Tribal child care program; New Mexico Pre-K or Early Pre-K program in a community-based setting; New Mexico Pre-K or Early Pre-K program authorized by a public school or charter including Title I or 619 Preschool Program; New Mexico Head Start or Early Head Start program; New Mexico Tribal Head Start or Early Head Start program; state-funded New Mexico Home Visiting program; state-funded New Mexico Family Infant Toddler (FIT)-Early Intervention Program Learn More: Bilingual Incentive Program Sources: New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department. (2021). Bilingual Incentive Program.

Partnered with the Children’s Funding Project to create a cost model

Established in 2005, Boston's Universal Pre-K (UPK) program, administered by the Boston Public Schools (BPS), offers free preschool for the city’s 3- and 4-year-olds in both public school buildings and community-based childcare organizations. Within a few years, it became apparent that the original funding level of $11,000 per child was inadequate and unsustainable for community-based child care organizations. BPS then partnered with the Children's Funding Project to create a cost model that disaggregated program costs to expose differences based on program length and per-child and per-classroom costs. As a result, in school year 2022–23 BPS implemented a hybrid funding model for UPK classrooms in community-based programs. This new approach provides a base funding level per classroom that covers staff salaries and benefits and an additional funding allocation per UPK-eligible child enrolled in the program. Learn more: children's funding project

Number of 3- and 4-year-olds seats: ~4,000 Minimum hours of operation: 6.5 hrs/day; 180 days/yr

Since 2005, Boston’s mixed-delivery Universal Pre-K (UPK)[tooltip]Universal Pre-K: programs in which the sole eligibility criterion is age.[/tooltip]  system has been offered to families with 4-year-olds for 6.5 hours per day, 180 days per year. Universal Pre-K programs in Boston are housed in Boston Public Schools, community-based providers, and family child care providers. Additionally, the city opened applications in March 2023 to include family child care providers in the cohort of programs eligible to offer UPK seats. Learn More: Boston Universal Pre-Kindergarten Sources:Boston Public Schools. (n.d.). About Boston Universal Pre-K.Boston Public Schools. (2022). Boston Universal Pre-K Program 2021-2022 Year in Review.City of Boston. (2023). Steps Taken to Increase Availability, Variety of Preschool Seats for Boston Families.

Data Visualization Tool

Brighter Futures Indiana Data Center, created in 2019 by the Indiana Family and Social Services Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning and Early Learning Indiana, is a data visualization tool[tooltip]Data Visualization Tool: A data visualization tool that makes aggregate data related to early childhood education programs and services available for public view.[/tooltip]. It provides demographic and program data on capacity, quality, supply, demand, affordability, subsidized care, and types of early childhood education programs and services. The public tool has data specifically curated for families, providers, and community members. The Data Center was created using funds from the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (PDG B-5). Learn more: Brighter Futures Indiana Data Center Sources:Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. (2019). Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning (OECOSL) Preschool Development Grant

Includes training, coaching, support for instructional coaches

The Center for Early Childhood Professional Development (CECPD) in Oklahoma is a centralized statewide program that offers conferences and training opportunities to early childhood teachers and directors/administrators. CECPD was created in 1998 with federal child development block grant funds. Now, most funding is provided by Oklahoma Department of Human Services/Child Care Services. CECPD is open to people who work in licensed child care facilities throughout Oklahoma. The Instructional Coaching Institute is a 3-day intense professional development program specifically for instructional classroom coaches. Coaching Innovations is a continuation of the Institute, providing targeted and individualized on-site professional development for instructional coaches. Teachers receive professional development in early literacy foundations for children birth through kindergarten, and literacy sessions are also available online. Learn more: Center for Early Childhood Professional Development Sources: Center for Early Childhood Professional Development. (n.d.). About Us. Oklahoma Human Services. (n.d.). Center for Early Childhood Professional Development. University of Oklahoma. (n.d.). Instructional Coaching Innovations Center for Early Childhood Professional Development.

Includes coaching, training, and an online component

Rhode Island’s Center for Early Learning Professionals offers in-person, online, and hybrid professional development opportunities in the form of intensive, multi-session training series. Participants receive assignments to apply skills in their work. The Center also offers on-site coaching and mentoring to support training implementation. Diverse training is open to all early care and education professionals in Rhode Island who serve children age birth to 5 in child care centers, family child care homes, public school inclusion preschools, and state-funded pre-K programs. The Center is funded by the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) as the workforce development hub for the birth-to-5 early learning community. The Center partners with BrightStars and other DHS-funded community partners to coordinate the delivery of services to best meet the individual needs of programs and providers. Learn more: Rhode Island Center for Early Learning Professionals Sources: Center for Early Learning Professionals. (n.d.). CELP PD. Center for Early Learning Professionals. (n.d.). What we do.