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.

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.