In 2021, the Louisiana Department of Education (DOE) created the Fast Forward initiative to offer students opportunities to earn an associate degree or gain meaningful work experience in a variety of fields, including early childhood education, through an apprenticeship while in high school. In the early childhood field, the initiative is intended to expand the teacher workforce. Participants are trained to assure the health, safety, and well-being of young children in out-of-home care. The Fast Forward program has three pathways: Jump Start 2.0 Pathway, TOPS University Pathway, and Louisiana Transfer Degree Pathway. In 2021 the program announced grants of up to $50,000 to be awarded to a lead regional secondary school system and its higher education partner in each of the eight regions of the state. The DOE and the Board of Regents each contributed $200,000 for the total grant cost of $400,000. The initiative aims to assist with establishing statewide industry or sector partnerships among local educational agencies and institutions of higher education. Learn more: Louisiana Department of Education Sources: Louisiana Department of Education. (n.d.). Fast Forward Louisiana Department of Education. (2023). Approved Fast Forward Pathways List. Louisiana Department of Education. (n.d.). Fast Forward Pathways. Louisiana Department of Education. (n.d.). Jumpstart 2.0 Associate of Applied Science: Care and Development of Young Children. Louisiana Department of Education. (2021). Louisiana Department of Education Launches Bold Career and College Readiness Pilot Supported by BESE, Board of Regents. Louisiana Board of Regents. (2021). Louisiana Previews New Career & College Readiness Pathways During Joint BESE, Regents Meeting. Louisiana Department of Education. (2021). Louisiana Department of Education Awards $400,000 in Planning Grants to Improve Career & College Readiness.

In 2023, the Vermont General Assembly passed House Bill 217, enacting a 0.44% payroll tax to fund new early childhood investments. In its first fiscal year, the bill is funded through a combination of one-time funds and an increase in the base appropriation to the child care subsidy program from the state’s general fund. In future years, the program will be funded by an increased base budget plus revenue from the new payroll tax that will be appropriated to a dedicated fund. The payroll tax will apply to employees and self-employed individuals. For employees, the tax will be 0.44% and will be split between employer and employee, with 0.33% paid by the employer and 0.11% paid by the employee. Self-employed individuals will pay only the employee share of 0.11%. Learn More: Inside the winning fight for affordable child care in Vermont Source:Vermont State Legislature. (2023). H-0217 As Passed by Both House and Senate. Vermont Legislative Joint Fiscal Office. (2023). Fiscal Note: H.217 (Act 76) – An act relating to child care, early education, workers’ compensation, and unemployment insurance.

Pennsylvania’s Enterprise to Link Information for Children Across Networks (PELICAN), created in 2006 by Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare and Department of Education, is the state’s early childhood integrated data system. PELICAN links data on care, education, and workforce services for all of PA’s early learning and education programs (e.g., Head Start, Family Visiting, Pre-K, etc.). It also provides demographic, program, workforce, and individual data by request and data-sharing agreement. Individual data is deidentified through common identifiers. For public use, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning has used PELICAN to create Early Learning Dashboards using demographic and program data related to certification and licensing, early intervention, family engagement, integrated programs, children eligible vs. children served, location density, subsidized child care, and more. Learn More: Pennsylvania’s Enterprise to Link Information for Children Across Networks (PELICAN) Sources:Holman, D., Pennington, A., Schaberg, K., and Rock, A. (2020). Compendium of Administrative Data Sources for Self-Sufficiency Research. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services..PDG B-5 TA Center. (2021). State Highlight: How Pennsylvania State Leaders Used Data to Distribute CARES Act Funds Equitably During the COVID-19 Pandemic.LiBetti, A. & Fu, R. (2022). A State Scan of Early Learning Assessments and Data Systems. New America.

Multnomah County’s Preschool for All (PFA) initiative is funded by a personal income tax on high-income earners who live or work in Multnomah County. This includes a 1.5% tax on income over $200,000 for joint filers ($125,000 for single filers) and another 1.5% on income over $400,000 for joint filers ($250,000 for single filers).  In 2023, the tax generated $152 million in revenue, which the county plans to use to expand the early childhood education system by 12,000 publicly funded preschool slots by 2030. Specifically, the county will create new preschool classrooms, subsidize existing ones, and offer teachers higher pay (from $19.91 to $37 per hour).  LEARN MORE: PERSONAL INCOME TAX FOR UNIVERSAL PRE-K Sources: Frost, A. (2023). Parents and providers highlight successes of Preschool for All. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Multnomah County Department of County Human Services. (n.d.). Questions & Answers.

In 2017, Philadelphia implemented a sweetened beverage tax to fund the city's Pre-K program. The tax charges distributors of sugar-sweetened beverages 1.5 cents per ounce. In its first year, it generated nearly $79 million in revenue, creating 2,000 pre-K slots. From 2017 to 2022, the tax generated $409 million for the city. Pre-K programs received $158.1 million, or 38.6% of that revenue. Learn More/Source: Philadelphia Case Study

In March 2024, the Pittsburgh City Council amended the City of Pittsburgh’s zoning code to allow more home-based child care providers to open and operate, thus increasing families’ access to quality child care.  Specifically, the change allowed facilities that care for up to six children in neighborhoods zoned for single-family residential use, as well as accessory structures, to operate without obtaining a special exemption. It also eliminated off-street parking requirements for such facilities. LEARN MORE: PITTSBURGH ZONING CODE UPDATE FOR CHILD CARE CENTERS Sources: Felton, J. (2023). Proposed zoning change would make it easier to open child cares in Pittsburgh residential areas. Pittsburgh Tribune Review. Trying Together. (2024). Council Approves Zoning Changes to Support Pittsburgh Home-Based Child Care Providers.

In 2002, voters first approved a levy to support early childhood education through property taxes. It was renewed in 2008 with the approval of 72 percent of voters, in 2013 with 74 percent, and in 2018 with 83 percent. The levy requests $0.4026 per $1,000 of assessed property value, generating approximately $27 million annually. Funds from the levy support citywide early childhood, after-school, mentoring, child abuse prevention/intervention, foster care, and hunger relief programs. In the 2021-22 grant cycle, the Children’s Levy devoted 27% of its funds, or $7.4 million,  to early learning – its largest concentration of investment by far. Learn More: Portland Children's Levy Sources: League of Women Voters of Portland. (n.d.). Renew Portland Children’s Levy for five years. The Oregonian Editorial Board. (2023). Editorial endorsement May 2023: Voters should renew Portland Children’s Levy and seek investment shift. The Oregonian.

Georgia's FY2023 and FY2024 budget bills both included an increase in the base salary of state pre-K assistant and lead teachers. These increases were particularly notable for their inclusion of assistant teachers, who have not typically benefitted from pay increases in the past. Prior to the passage of the FY23 legislation, assistant teachers made $16,190 annually (regardless of experience or education). These pay increases were primarily paid for using Georgia State Lottery funds. Learn More: Georgia FY2023 Budget Sources: Georgia House Budget and Research Office. (2023). FY2024 Budget Tracker. Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. (2022). Overview: 2023 Fiscal Year Budget for the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.

Georgia's pay parity policy, first enacted during the 2015–16 school year, was introduced primarily in response to a high rate of turnover among pre-K educators, who frequently left for better-paying K-3 positions in the public schools. All settings participating in Georgia's pre-K Program, including community-based and public-school settings, are require to pay a base salary that is equivalent to the salary paid to public-school K-3 educators with a similar level of education and experience. All pre-K educators are compensated for an 8-hour work day, which includes 6.5 hours for instruction and 1.5 hours for planning. Pre-K teachers are also paid for an additional 10 days of planning and professional development time. Georgia's pre-K Program, including salaries for pre-K educators, is funded through the Georgia Lottery. Learn More: Strategies in Pursuit of Pre-K Teacher Compensation Parity Sources: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California, Berkeley & The National Institute for Early Education Research. (2017). Strategies in Pursuit of Pre-K Teacher Compensation Parity: Lessons from Seven States and Cities | Georgia's Pre-K.

New Jersey's first publicly funded pre-K program, the Abbott Preschool Program, was created as a result of a 1998 New Jersey Supreme Court ruling on school funding. Today, New Jersey's pre-K programs serve children in public-school, Head Start, and community-based programs; more than half of all participating children are served in Head Start or community-based settings. Starting and ongoing pay parity is required for community-based educators who have education and experience levels comparable to those serving in the public schools. Paid planning and professional development time parity is also required. Learn More: Strategies in Pursuit of Pre-K Teacher Compensation Parity: New Jersey Pre-K Source: Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California, Berkeley & The National Institute for Early Education Research. (2017). Strategies in Pursuit of Pre-K Teacher Compensation Parity: Lessons from Seven States and Cities | New Jersey Pre-K.

Preschool Promise—funded by Montgomery County, the City of Dayton, and local philanthropists—is a nonprofit organization that helps young children get ready for kindergarten; it "promises" one year of affordable, high-quality preschool for all four-year-olds in the county. Established in 2016, Preschool Promise partners with families, providers, and community leaders to ensure that quality early childhood experiences are accessible from the prenatal period to age five, particularly for Black children and children from lower-income families. The nonprofit has partnered with over 120 licensed preschool and child care sites, which collectively care for and educate over 3,000 preschoolers each year.  In 2016, voters in the City of Dayton approved a 0.25% earned income tax increase to support Preschool Promise, which went into effect in 2017. The eight-year levy, which has raised an estimated $11 million annually, passed with 54% of the vote.  LEARN MORE: Preschool Promise Sources: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. (n.d.). Preschool Promise EIR - Conscious Discipline Impact Study.EditSign

California offers various professional development resources provided by the Early Learning and Care Division (ELCD) to train professionals in the childcare field, including the Program for Infant/Toddler Care (PITC), which leads institutes for child care professionals on topics such as social-emotional development, quality group care, cognitive and language development, and cultural and family issues. The PITC program offers subsidized on-site training, mentoring and coaching to eligible child care programs in California. Through these programs, care providers, teachers, program directors and home visitors can access interactive training services and events, technical assistance, and coaching. Companion CDE resources are also available to in-home and family child care providers, infant/toddler care teachers, program directors and home visitors. There is also an Academy for Family Child Care (FCC), which includes a six-session virtual training on the unique assets and challenges of FCC and specialized training to support infant/toddler care. Learn More: California Early Learning and Care Division Professional Development Training Sources: California Department of Education. (n.d.). Professional Development Training. Program for Infant Toddler Care. (n.d.).