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

In 2021, Milwaukee launched the Dual Enrollment Preschool Technical Diploma program using $309,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The program is a partnership between local high schools, the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, and Next Door, a Milwaukee early education nonprofit.  Dual Enrollment Academy (DEA) participants receive college-level training to begin careers in early childhood education. In their senior year, DEA students earn both high school and college credits through in-person, virtual, and experiential learning experiences, with the goal of earning a Preschool Technical Diploma by graduation. Students pay no tuition for the program’s 18 credits, and they receive a free computer, free books, and free transportation to MATC and partner sites.  Credits earned through DEA can also be applied to MATC programs in the future, shortening the time and reducing the cost of completing a technical diploma or associate degree at MATC.  learn more: dual enrollment preschool technical diploma Sources: City of Milwaukee City Clerk Communications Center. (2021, October 15). Committee recommends approval of early childhood education investment. Milwaukee Area Technical College. (n.d.). Dual Enrollment Academy for High School Seniors.

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 2024, the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) allocated $85 million in discretionary funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for five competitive grant opportunities to support expansion of licensed child care programs in Ohio.   The five grant types include a start-up grant for new centers; a program expansion grant; a program repairs grant; a grant to support conversion from family child care type B (programs that care for one to six children) to type A (programs that care for seven to 12 children); and a grant to increase a program’s capacity for children with special needs. The amount a center-based program can request ranges from $50,000 to $500,000, depending on the grant type; the amount a family-based program can request ranges from $5,000 to $25,000.   Funds can be used to repair facilities or conduct minor renovations; they can also be spent on salaries or benefits as well as materials and equipment for classroom use. Construction and major renovations are not eligible.  learn more: early care and education access grants Sources: Wente, K. B., & Damschroder, M. (n.d.). Child Care Manual Procedure Letter No. 176. Ohio Department of Children & Youth. Weber, K., Leffler, L., & Schulman, K. (2025). Work in Progress: State Child Care and Early Education Updates 2024. National Women's Law Center.

In July 2021, the Illinois General Assembly passed Public Act 102-0174, instructing the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board to create and implement the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program. The program aims to upskill the early education workforce by giving students financial support to complete their degrees and by aligning early education career pathways across Illinois institutions of higher education.   For undergraduate students seeking credentials and/or a degree in early childhood education at a 2- or 4-year ECACE member institution, the scholarships pay the cost of attendance, including tuition, fees, room and board charges, or commuter allowances.. For the 2024-25 academic year, the ECACE Scholarship award was the lesser of $7,500 or the cost of attendance. Recipients are expected to teach in the early education field in Illinois after completing their program of study.  Until June 2024, the ECACE Scholarship Program was funded by federal Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) stabilization funds. In 2023-24, $76.4 million in ECACE Scholarship funds were distributed to nearly 4,700 students. This was a large increase from  2022-23 ($29.6 million in scholarships for about 2,100 students) and 2021-22 ($5.7 million in scholarships for about 400 incumbent workforce).  Starting in FY2025, the program is funded using $5 million in Illinois state general funds. This appropriation was considerably less than  in previous years, and thus fewer students received scholarship; in 2024-25, the program was able to support only a portion of renewal applicants.  learn more: Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Scholarship Program  Sources: Illinois Student Assistance Commission. (2025). Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program. Illinois Student Assistance Commission. (n.d.). Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Scholarship, AY 2023-24. Illinois General Assembly. (2021). Public Act 102-0174. Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity. (2023). Frequently Asked Questions.

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.