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.

In 2006, the Denver Preschool Program  (DPP) was funded through a 0.12% sales tax approved by voters in Ballot Question 1A; this was increased to 0.15% in 2014 when voters reauthorized and extended the program to 2026. The DPP offers tuition credits to all four-year-old children in the city. In addition to tuition assistance, the DPP also provides grants for professional development for early childhood educators. The program—which resulted from extensive lobbying and collaboration with businesses, parents, and educators in The Preschool Matters campaign and in the government-led Invest In Success initiative—has made a significant investment in early childhood education in Denver. To date, it has provided over $168 million in tuition support and over $25 million in professional development and has benefited more than 68,000 students, covering around 60% of Denver's four-year-olds. Learn More: Denver Preschool Program (DPP) Sources: https://dpp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Stats-2016-2022.pdfEditSign https://denverearlychildhood.org/for-programs/funding-opportunities/denver-preschool-program/

Seattle's Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) was created to support the educational and developmental needs of children in Seattle from birth to postsecondary programs. DEEL is responsible for leadership, direction, policy development, interdepartmental and interagency communication and coordination for early learning programs and education programs and policies and serves as the city's higher education liaison. It works in partnership with the Seattle School District No. 1 (Seattle Public Schools), the Seattle Colleges, government agencies, and community-based organizations. DEEL's nationally recognized Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) provides universal access to preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. The program has grown from serving 280 children in 2015 to more than 2,130 children during the 2022–23 school year, with 75 percent of children attending at no cost. With 138 classrooms across 90 sites, 76 of which are operated by community-based providers, 36 by Seattle Public Schools, and 26 by family child care providers, SPP offers culturally responsive curricula to a diverse population of children and families. DEEL’s Early Learning division also oversees the city’s Child Care Assistance Program and has provided essential supports to stabilize the child care industry during the pandemic with the goal of strengthening the city’s early learning ecosystem. Learn more: Seattle Department of Education and Learning Source: Office of the Mayor (2022). Seattle Preschool Program Expands for 2022-2023

Passed in 2021, the Fair Start for Kids Act invested $1.1 billion to enhance the child care system in Washington state by making care more affordable, expanding access, and increasing resources to support providers. To support providers and improve quality, the Act established the Dual Language Designation as a funding award for licensed or certified providers that accept state subsidies or offer Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) or Early ECEAP services. Programs must serve multilingual families and have at least one bilingual staff member providing instruction in English and a partner language, or be a tribal language revitalization program. Awards are given per classroom or per learning environment (about $2,700 each), and facilities can be awarded for up to 10 classrooms per year. The funding can go toward enhancing environments for multilingual children, such as wages for staff providing bilingual instruction, professional development and staff training, culturally appropriate curricula, and other instructional materials. A total of $2.8 million is dedicated to the Dual Language Designation programs through June 30, 2023. Learn more: Fair Start for Kids Act Source: Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families. (n.d.). What is the Fair Start for Kids Act?. Washington State Legislature. (n.d.). SB 5237 - 2021-22.

In 2017, the Southern New Hampshire Services and Department of Labor Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program (ECAP) was established. Combining classroom instruction and work experience, the apprenticeship program hopes to increase the apprentice’s skill level and wages while enhancing the quality of care. ECAP apprentices can obtain a Childcare Development Specialist Certificate from the Department of Labor and the New Hampshire Bureau of Child Care Licensing and a credential to teach in a child care center. The program lasts 1.5 years, and participants earn college credit through Community College System of New Hampshire or Granite State College. Learn more: New Hampshire Connections Sources: New Hampshire Connections. (n.d.). USDOL Early Childhood Registered Apprenticeship Program. Southern New Hampshire Services. (n.d.). Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program.

Through a March 2021 ballot measure, Rhode Island voters approved the Early Childhood Care and Education Capital Fund, which dedicated over $13 million in one-time grant funding for physical improvements to existing child care spaces and for the development of new licensed early childhood care and education facilities. Grant funds can be used for costs associated with the design, construction, repair, renovation, rehabilitation, or other capital improvement or deferred maintenance of an eligible facility. The approved applicants include five expansion projects totaling more than $7.8 million and creating nearly 500 slots, plus 10 capital improvement projects totaling $700,000 and improving more than 700 childcare seats. Awards will be made until the fund is fully allocated. Learn more: Early Childhood Care & Education Capital Fund Sources:State of Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee. (2022). Governor McKee Announces $8.5 Million in First Round Awardees from Early Childhood Care and Education Capital Fund. LISC. (n.d.). Early childhood care and education capital fund.

Established in 2009 and renewed in 2019, the Illinois Early Childhood Construction Grant (ECCG) Program is a state-sponsored initiative to invest in quality early childhood education facilities. In July 2022, Governor J.B. Pritzker committed $60 million in capital grants for early education providers through this program. The funding supports the construction, expansion, and renovation of facilities for early learning for children from birth to age five. Centers that plan to increase their capacity to provide care and education for children in underserved communities are eligible for up to $10 million under the Early Childhood Construction Grant. The centers must contribute from 3% to 10% of the cost. The ECCG Program is administered by the Capital Development Board (CDB), an independent state agency that oversees construction of state facilities and other public purpose capital projects. Grant funds must be used for non-recurring durable improvements, such as adding onto an existing building, new construction of a facility or renovations to an existing facility to create a new early childhood center, acquisition of a facility, purchase or replacement of equipment, safety improvements, and classroom conversions. Learn More: Early Childhood Construction Grant Program Sources: IFF. (2022). Frequently Asked Questions: Illinois Early Childhood Construction Grant Program.Illinois Capital Development Board. (2022). Governor Pritzker Announces $60 Million Competitive Grant Program for Early Childhood Construction in Illinois.