Launched in 2021, the Wage Supplement Program, an initiative of Oklahoma Human Services Child Care Services, provides supplemental pay to early educators and directors across the state. This program is designed to retain early education professionals and support their professional development; in turn, this creates a more stable workforce with the skills needed to support young children's healthy learning and development. Supplements range from $400 to $2,000 per educator or director per year. To be eligible, educators and directors must serve in a licensed child care setting with a two-star quality rating or higher, participate in the state professional development ladder or maintain a director's credential, work a minimum of 30 hours per week providing or supporting child care, and remain at their program for a minimum of 6 months. Learn More: Oklahoma Child Care Wage Supplement Sources:Oklahoma Center for Early Childhood Professional Development. (2022). Child Care Wage Supplement.Oklahoma Center for Early Childhood Professional Development. (2022). Wage Supplement Scale.

Oklahoma City provides free, full-day seats for any 4-year-old child living in the city limits. The Universal Pre-K (UPK) program is voluntary and offered through a mixed-delivery model, with students attending classes in public schools, Head Start programs, and community-based organizations. The city has instituted various quality improvement measures for its UPK classrooms, including lead teacher credentialing, class size and ratio requirements, and play-based curricula. Learn More: Oklahoma City Pre-K & Kindergarten Sources:Oklahoma City Public Schools. (n.d.). Pre-K & Kindergarten.Washington Monthly. (2022). Sooner the Better.

Oklahoma’s voluntary public prekindergarten program currently serves 65% of the state’s 4-year-olds in a mixed-delivery model, offering programming in public schools, Head Start, and community-based organizations, as well as some private institutions such as assisted living homes. Funded spots for 4-year-olds are available in 100% of the state's districts. Oklahoma also offers funding for 3-year-olds through the Oklahoma Early Childhood Program (OECP). Oklahoma is 2nd (after Washington, DC) in national access rankings for 4-year-olds according to the National Institute for Early Education Research. Following a report from the Center for American Progress which showed that 55% of Oklahoma’s population lived in child care deserts, the Oklahoma State Department of Human Services announced the initiation of a Child Care Desert Startup Grant in 2022, meant to increase accessibility in areas of the state that lack sufficient quality care options. Learn More: Oklahoma Pre-k Sources:National Institute for Early Education Research. (2023). Oklahoma.Washington Monthly. (2022). Sooner the Better.Oklahoma Human Services. (2022). Expanding the business community and growing capacity: Oklahoma Human Services announces Child Care Desert Startup Grants.

In 2021, the Oregon Legislature passed HB 3073, which created the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC). DELC was established on July 1, 2023. This agency combined the state's early education programs under one roof by moving the Employment Related Day Care program (ERDC), which was housed in the Oregon Department of Human Services (OHDS), to DELC. According to the DELC, this change will allow more efficient child care searching for families, will offer more training sessions for license-exempt providers, and will expand the types of providers and programs under the agency while prioritizing mixed-delivery of early care and education. The creation of a new department will not automatically create better outcomes for children, but it can help provide the structure and coordination needed to improve early education quality and accessibility across a state or city (Kagan & Gomez, 2015). Learn More: Oregon Early Learning Division Sources:Department of Early Learning and Care - Oregon Early Learning Division HB3073 2021 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System Oregon Early Learning Division Infographic (2022)Kagan, L. and Gomez, R. (Eds.). (2015) Early Childhood Governance: Choices and Consequences. Teachers College Press.

In June 2023, the Promise All Atlanta Children Thrive (PAACT) initiative, a city-wide alliance of public and private partners led by the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS), announced the PAACT Repair and Renovation Grant Program. These grants provided up to $75,000 in funding for child care providers to repair, renovate, or otherwise improve their facilities. Eligibility was limited to providers who participated in Georgia's Quality Rated System and who served low-income newborn to four-year-old children in Atlanta.  The PAACT Repair and Renovation Grant Program was part of the PAACT Fund for Quality, established in 2020, which aimed to improve child care program quality and enhance the physical environments where young children learn and grow. The PAACT Repair and Renovation Grant Program was funded by the city’s $5 million PAACT commitment, supported by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, as well as $5 million from the public school system and $10 million from the private sector. Partner organizations—including the Reinvestment Fund, the Low Income Investment Fund, Early Learning Property Management, and Quality Care for Children—offered technical assistance, engaged contractors, built business practices, and tracked progress toward project completion.  When the program ended, PAACT had provided repair and renovation grants to 74 Atlanta early learning programs to improve their facilities. According to PAACT, providers most commonly prioritized playground equipment, kitchens, and HVAC systems for repairs and renovations. Programs could also spend the money on ADA compliance, roofing and gutters, site security, and bathroom upgrades.  learn more: PAACT repair and renovation grant program Sources: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. (n.d.). PAACT Repair & Renovation Grant Opportunity. Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. (2022, April 4). Early Education Advocates Cheer Mayor Dickens’ Announcement of $5 Million Investment. Gil, C. (2023, June 27). Atlanta’s Child Care Providers Invited to Apply for PAACT Repair and Renovation Grants. Low Income Investment Fund. LaRocca, A. (2025). Repair and Renovation Grant Program: Summative Evaluation Report. Luminary Evaluation. Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. (n.d.). Request for Qualifications: Construction Services for the PAACT Early Childhood Repair and Renovation Grant Program.

First implemented in June 2022, the Partner Up! grant program provides funding to help businesses purchase child care slots on behalf of their employees. Child care programs can apply as businesses to help cover the cost of child care expenses for their own staff. This program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Act, the Preschool Development Grant, and Quality Jobs, Equity, Strategy and Training. Learn more: Partner up! Grant Program Sources:Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. (n.d.). Partner Up! Grant Program.

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.