In 2020, Colorado voters approved Proposition EE, which more than tripled state taxes on cigarettes, tobacco, and vaping products, and established a dedicated funding stream for the state's universal pre-K program. Proposition EE generated $208 million in tax revenue in fiscal year 2021-22, about $22 million more than was estimated. In 2023, a follow up proposition, Proposition II, was approved to allow the state to retain and use the $23 million excess revenue from increased and new taxes established by Proposition EE, instead of refunding it to distributors and wholesalers. In addition, Proposition II maintains the same tax rates as Proposition EE. Learn More/Source: Proposition EE, Nicotine Tax Measure for Universal Preschool, Cruises to Victory

In 2023, Colorado launched its Universal Preschool Program to provide free, high-quality preschool education to all four-year-olds in the state, with special provisions for three-year-olds from low-income families or those who meet other qualifying criteria. Overseen by the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), the program uses a streamlined enrollment process to make quality preschool more accessible. It also includes a family matching system, which lets parents choose from a range of licensed preschool providers, including school-based, community-based, and home-based options. Licensed preschool providers can participate in the program by agreeing to uphold its quality standards. Learn More: Colorado Universal Preschool program Sources: Zelinger, M. (2023). Proposed rule change for Universal Pre-K could help Coloradans next year. 9News Denver. Colorado Department of Early Childhood. (n.d.). Universal Preschool Family Information.

In 2022, the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) established the Community College Tuition Partnership Program, which is funded by the San Diego Quality Preschool Initiative (SDQPI) and First 5 San Diego. SDCOE partners with community colleges across the county to offer free tuition for early childhood educators to attain their associate degree in child development. The program also covers costs associated with technology, books, and other necessary resources. Those eligible for tuition assistance include teachers, instructional aides, support staff, and administrators employed at sites that participate in SDQPI.  LEARN MORE: COMMUNITY COLLEGE TUITION PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM Sources: San Diego County Office of Education. (n.d.). Workforce Investment Program Tuition Assistance. San Diego County Office of Education. (2022). SDQPI and First 5 San Diego Partner to Provide Free Tuition to Early Education Providers.

First implemented as CARES 2.0 using funds from fiscal years 2017 and 2018, CARES 3.0 is the newest version of a stipend program designed to support more than 2,000 early educators working across San Francisco's city-funded center-based and family child care (FCC) programs. The city anticipates investing $60 million annually to support this program. To be eligible for stipends, educators must:

• Be employed by an Early Learning Scholarship (ELS; San Francisco’s subsidy system) or Preschool for All (PFA) program that has been deemed eligible by the Department of Early Childhood, and;
• Work directly with children for at least 20 hours per week

Awards are determined based on educator role, part-time or full-time status, education level and experience, and proportion of subsidy-eligible children served. Stipends begin at $4,000 and increase to $39,100 per educator or FCC owner per year; higher amounts are reserved for those with the highest educational attainment and percentage of subsidy-receiving children served. FCC owners are eligible for the highest stipend amounts.This program is paid for through a commercial rent tax passed in 2018 (Prop C, referred to as "Baby" Prop C, a Commercial Rent Tax for Childcare and Early Education). Learn More: CARES 3.0 Sources: San Francisco Office of Early Childhood. (2023). CARES 3.0. San Francisco Office of Early Childhood. (2023). CARES 3.0. Eligible Programs. San Francisco Office of Early Childhood. (2023). CARES 3.0 FAQs. San Francisco Office of Early Childhood. (2023). CARES 3.0 Stipend Amounts.

Announced in November 2022, New Mexico’s Competitive Pay for Professionals (CPP) program provides a $3-per-hour pay increase for all eligible child care employees, including educators, administrative staff, food services staff, and others with an active background clearance. Licensed centers and homes providing child care services, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, and Tribal Child Care and Development Block Grant funded programs are eligible to participate in the program, which will reach an estimated 16,000+ early education staff across the state. The program was initially funded using $77 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars. Learn More: Competitive Pay for ​Professionals Grant Opportunity Sources: New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department. (2022). Competitive Pay for ​Professionals (CPP) Grant Opportunity.

Launched in 2021 by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Connecticut’s ECE Reporter is an integrated data system for internal use that replaced the state’s former Early Childhood Information System. The system acts as a warehouse of demographic, program, and individual data collected from state-funded early childhood programs. All program- and child-level data is private and accessible only to administrators from the Office of Early Childhood; program- and child-level data for individual programs is also accessible to the lead administrator at each program. Other agencies may receive aggregate, deidentified information, which may be linked to the Department of Education's statewide longitudinal data systems (e.g., Connecticut P-20). The data is used for program payment, public funding, reporting, and research on early care and education. Learn More: Connecticut ECE Reporter

In 2014, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signed Smart Start into law, expanding preschool in public school buildings using funds from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. Smart Start preschool classrooms must provide high-quality early education; at a minimum, they must be open the length of the school day and during the entire school year. For FY 2016–25, the program is funded at $10 million per year. Learn More/Source: Fourteen Communities Awarded Funding to Create 416 Additional Preschool Slots

In 2007, Cuyahoga County's broader Invest in Children effort created the Universal Pre-Kindergarten program, targeting children aged 3-5. With funding from public and private sources, this initiative focuses on making early childhood education accessible through scholarships that are provided based on family need. In 2017, it received $10 million from County Executive in addition to the annual budget of $4.7 million as well as $12 million from its private fundraising campaign to expand the program. The county plans to expand the program until 70-75% of eligible 3- to 5-year-olds are enrolled in prekindergarten. As of 2024, the program has created roughly 3,000 child care slots in Cuyahoga County. LEARN MORE: CUYAHOGA COUNTY INVEST IN CHILDREN Sources: Cuyahoga County Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Invest in Children. Cuyahoga County Office of Early Childhood. (2008). Universal Pre-Kindergarten.EditSign Anthony, E., Rohrman, S., Cho, Y., Salas Atwell, M., & Fischer, R. (2020). Cuyahoga County’s Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program: Evaluating its Effects on Kindergarten Readiness and Third Grade Reading Proficiency. Case Western Reserve University Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development.EditSign North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation. (n.d.). Cuyahoga County, Ohio.EditSign

Since 2015, to establish subsidy payment rates, Washington, DC, has been using an alternative methodology that was developed in collaboration with early childhood finance experts. The city’s flexible financial model incorporates a variety of assumptions and data inputs to calculate the estimated cost of delivering services at each level of the District's Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) in centers and home-based settings, and under a variety of operating scenarios. Learn More: modeling the cost of child care in the district of columbia 2021 Source: Child Care and Development Fund Plan for the District of Columbia (2021)

Washington, DC’s Universal Pre-K program began in the 1960s and significantly expanded after the 2008 Pre-K Enhancement and Expansion Amendment Act (Pre-K Act). In 2022, 83% of the District’s population of 4-year-olds were enrolled in Universal Pre-K classrooms. DC’s universal program is made accessible through a mixed-delivery model, which includes classrooms in the DC Public Schools, public charter schools, and in community-based child care organizations. Today, the District has the highest percentage of both 3- and 4-year-olds served by a state-run program in the entire United States. The program is overseen by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). Learn More: DC Pre-Kindergarten Sources: District of Columbia Public Schools. (2022). Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Enrollment, Promotions, and Retentions Frequently Asked Questions for Parents and Guardians District of Columbia Public Schools. (n.d.). Early Learning National Institute for Early Education Research. (2022). District of Columbia

The Washington, DC, Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s DC Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System includes public and private early learning programs. The system functions as a warehouse of data that provides demographic, program, and individual data across agencies, spanning early childhood to the workforce. The individual data is deidentified with a unique identifier. The system provides public and private portals for data. The system is funded by federal Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems grants. Learn More/source: DC Statewide Longitudinal Education Data (SLED)

In June 2022, Delaware’s Joint Finance Committee voted to add $20.07 million to Delaware's Purchase of Care program (POC), which is the state’s subsidy for child care for low-income families. This investment includes a 15 percent increase to the rates paid to child care providers who accept POC. The funds for POC will be ongoing and included in the operating budget, rather than contingent or one-time funding. Furthermore, House Bill 377, signed by Governor John Carney in October 2022, establishes that the Delaware Department of Education will conduct an annual study on early education professionals to further develop a plan to support the workforce. learn more: first state pre-k Sources: First State Pre-K. (June 2022). Early Child Care Budget Update Rodel. (July 2022). The Education GA Ride Again. Delaware General Assembly. (October 2022). House Substitute 1 for House Bill 377.