Since 2006, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) have coordinated with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to host the Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM). The Early Childhood Asset Map is a data visualization tool that provides demographic and program data on early childhood programs (e.g., licensed settings, Preschool For All, Head Start, and more), health factors, socioeconomic factors, and geographic regions related to services for children from birth to five. The tool is for public use and has begun to support the state’s data integration initiatives. IECAM was developed after the state’s Early Learning Council called for a web-based tool to support decision making. The IECAM is funded through the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Department of Human Services. Learn more: Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM) Other sources:Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (2023), EC Learning IL

Created in 2009, the Illinois State Board of Education’s Longitudinal Data System is a P-20 longitudinal data system that includes data on state-funded pre-K, special education early childhood programs, and infant and toddler programs. The system functions as a warehouse and linking mechanism across state agencies, including the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development. The system links program and individual data ranging from early childhood education and care to K-12/higher education to the workforce. The individual data is deidentified with a unique identifier. Data is available internally for agencies and authorized users. The Illinois Longitudinal Data System was created through Public Act 096-0107. The system has been funded by a federal Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grant and the Statewide Longitudinal Data System Recovery Act Grant, which authorized the expansion of infant and toddler data collection. Learn More: Illinois Longitudinal Data System Project Sources:State of Illinois (2014). Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge 2014 Annual Performance ReportEducation Commission of the States. (2021). Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems: Illinois.REL Blog (2018). Building a coordinated data system to support early childhood education

In 2006, Illinois launched its Preschool for All (PFA) Program, which was expanded in 2017 using dollars from a federal Preschool Development Grant. The program, which operates in nearly every county in the state, is a targeted one, serving children who are considered at-risk based on both economic and developmental factors. As of 2022, Illinois served 31% of 4-year-olds and 21% of 3-year-olds. Learn More: Illinois Preschool for All Sources:Illinois State Board of Education. (n.d.). Preschool for All (PFA).Illinois State Board of Education. (2023). Illinois Preschool for All Expansion Program Eligibility and Weighted Priority Enrollment Form.National Institute for Early Education Research. (2022). Illinois

North Carolina’s Infant-Toddler Educator AWARD$ Plus program provides supplemental pay to infant-toddler educators based on their education level and commitment to their early education program. This program is designed to retain and support the professional development of early childhood educators; in turn, this creates a more stable workforce with the skills needed to support young children's healthy learning and development. It also responds to inequities within the early education system, where infant and toddler teachers typically receive less financial and professional support than their colleagues who work with older children. Bonuses range from $600 to $4,000 per educator per year, with an average payment of $2,576. Amounts increase as educators obtain more formal education, and educators must remain in their early education program for at least six months to qualify for an award. In FY22, Infant-Toddler Educator AWARD$ Plus North Carolina provided supplements to 1,337 educators; turnover among recipients was 16%, which is lower than the estimated 26-40% turnover rate among educators in licensed child care programs nationwide. Learn More: Infant-Toddler Educator AWARD$ Plus Source: Child Care Services Association. (n.d.). Infant-Toddler Educator AWARD$ Plus.

In 2024, the Minnesota Legislature approved House File 5327, which provided supplemental appropriations for a range of child- and family-facing programs.   Among other actions, HF5327 authorized the state’s Department of Education to use up to $12 million in Early Learning Scholarship funds to build information technology systems for the program, and up to $2.4 million annually to maintain those systems. The bill required the department to have certain systems in place by January 1, 2026, and to consider integration with the Great Start Scholarships program when creating these systems.  learn more: Information Technology Systems for Early Learning Scholarships Sources: Child Care Aware of Minnesota. (2024). Final 2024 Legislative Update.

In 2007, Iowa launched a Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP) that offers universal access to at least 10 hours of care per week for all 4-year-olds. The funding comes from the K-12 state funding formula, which stipulates that programs serving 4-year-olds receive 50% of the K-12 state aid amounts. SWVPP serves children in a combination of public and private schools and community-based child care settings. It is offered in collaboration with a targeted program called Shared Visions, which provides quality care for children experiencing various risk factors. In November, 2022, the state learned it would lose out on $30 million in federal Preschool Development Grant funding, which may have an impact on future expansion efforts. learn more: Iowa Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children Sources:Iowa Department of Education. (2020). Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children.National Institute for Early Education Research. (2022). Iowa.Iowa Capital Dispatch. (2022). Iowa will not receive $30 million in federal aid for child care.

In 1999, Kansas established the Children's Initiatives Fund (CIF) to promote the well-being of Kansas children. CIF is sustained through Kansas’s portion of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, which generated $52 million for the CIF in FY 2021. Most CIF funding is allocated to the Early Childhood Block Grant, which supports pre-K as well as care and education for children ages 0-3. Learn More: Kansas Children's Cabinet Annual Report

Formed in 2021, Kansas Children’s Cabinet’s Kansas Early Childhood Data Trust is an early childhood integrated data system. The system supports sharing of demographic, program, individual, and family data for early childhood programs and children receiving services from birth through age 5. The private data is shared between the Children’s Cabinet and Trust Fund, Kansas Department for Children and Families, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas State Department of Education, and Kansas Department of Corrections for specific projects through data-sharing agreements. The goal of the Trust is to improve the quality of data, maximize use of existing data, and identify needs and gaps in service delivery. The Data Trust was enacted under an agreement between the 5 state agencies in the Kansas Children’s Cabinet. The Children's Cabinet and this project receive Preschool Development Grant Renewal Funds. Learn More: Kansas Early Childhood Data Trust Other Sources:Kansas Office of the Governor. (2019). PDG Renewal Grant Proposal

SB 234, known as the Keeping Kids Close to Home Act, is a California law passed in 2019 that prohibits localities from requiring family child care (FCC) providers to obtain a zoning permit or business license to operate a child care program in their home. The law also states that landlords cannot evict FCC providers or refuse to rent to them because they plan to operate a child care business out of their home. This applies to small FCC providers, who care for up to eight children, and large FCC providers, who care for up to 14 children.  The Keeping Kids Close to Home Act also specifies that home-based child care programs can operate in many types of residences, including single-family homes, condominiums, apartments, townhomes, duplexes, and all other multi-family buildings. It went into effect on January 1, 2020.  LEARN MORE: KEEPING KIDS CLOSE TO HOME ACT Sources: Child Care Law Center. (n.d.). Know the Law: The Keeping Kids Close to Home Act. Sullivan, E. T. (2023). New State Laws Will Ease Housing Burdens on Home-Based Child Care Providers. EdSurge.

Created in 2012, the Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS) maintains the Kentucky Longitudinal Data System (KLDS), a statewide longitudinal data system that includes data on kindergarten readiness, birth statistics, and early learning programs’ enrollments/ratings. The KLDS functions as a data warehouse for data from multiple agencies, including Kentucky Department of Education and Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. The warehouse links and merges demographic, program, and individual level-data from early learning services through workforce for evaluation, research, monitoring, and public information purposes. The individual data is deidentified with a unique identifier. Data is accessible via request with a data-sharing agreement required for all deidentified individual level data. KYSTATS, which builds upon the work of the state’s P-20 Data Collaborative, was given authority to maintain the KLDS through KRS151B.132. KYSTATS is funded through state appropriations, federal Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grants, other grants, and user fees. Learn More: Kentucky Center for Statistics (KYSTATS) History

Since 1998, Kentucky has allocated 25% of funds from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement to early childhood care and education programs. In 2021, the annual revenue directed towards the state early childhood office was $7.4 million. Learn More: An unexpected windfall for early childhood education

In 1990, voters in Aspen approved a referendum to increase the city’s sales tax by 0.45 percent to provide “affordable housing and day care,” both in the city and in the surrounding Pitkin County community. The tax was extended by voters in 1999 and in 2008 by 66% and 67% of the vote, respectively, and will remain in effect through 2038. The annual revenue generated by the tax has hovered between $1 million and $1.6 million over the years.  The revenue is used for a wide range of purposes related to early childhood education, including child care subsidies for families. Just over half of the revenue is allocated to Kids First, an Aspen government program that assists families and child care providers throughout Pitkin County. For child care subsidies, Kids First assists families whose income is up to 500 percent of the federal poverty level. The program also offers grants to child care providers for quality improvements, professional development, and infant and toddler operational support, as well as bus passes for employees, training and technical assistance, substitute staff, quality improvement coaches, and grant writing and resource development assistance.  learn more: kids first Source: North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation. (n.d.). City of Aspen.