We empower states with rigorous evidence to implement effective and equitable policies that ensure all children thrive from the start.
Did you know that Virginia’s recent early childhood investment will likely pay for itself within a year? The Virginia Early Childhood Foundation contracted with us to estimate the impact of the state’s one-year $309 million investment in early childhood care and education. In the next year alone, the Virginia economy will see a return on investment of at least $364.3 million from increased family earnings and disposable income. It's all in our recent report, Early Investment, a Lifetime of Returns: Articulating the Value of Early Childhood Investments in Virginia.
Last week, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin referenced our report in his announcement of significant early learning and child care investments. Youngkin said our findings on the return on learning investments informed the development of his new initiative.
Governors, agencies, and state legislatures are hard at work. The following legislative and administrative changes have promise to improve the health and wellbeing of young children and their families.
Early Care & Learning
Early Educator Investment Collaborative announced $9 million in grants to support Colorado, the District of Columbia, and Louisiana to explore approaches to increase wages and benefits of the early care and education workforce.
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth announced $15 million in Infant and Toddler Infrastructure Grants to expand licensed programs in communities experiencing the highest disparities in infant mortality rates.
For the first time, a Medicaid contractor in Kansas has begun offering doula coverage.
North Carolina expanded Medicaid eligibility earlier this year and is implementing the expansion this month.
MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid and CHIP program, began offering a doula benefit on December 8.Doulas can apply to become MassHealth doula providers and receive payment for assisting MassHealth members.
Equity for Children with Disabilities and Delays
Start Early released a new report focused on the pursuit of “equitable inclusion for young children with disabilities and developmental delays in early childhood opportunities.” Grounded in a human rights framework, the report asserts that meaningful inclusion is a universal right for all children.
Collaborating with Tribes on Child Care
The Bipartisan Policy Center released recommendations for American Indian and Alaska Native Families. The report serves as a guide for state government officials to work with tribes as sovereign governments, emphasizing the need for policymakers to actively listen, learn, and collaborate for the wellbeing of all children, particularly Native American youth. Recommendations include enhancing communication between state governments and tribes, implementing innovative approaches for tribal services in urban areas, and reforming federal funding using data-driven methods to address the specific needs of native communities.
State Struggles to Address Child Care Cliff
The National Women’s Law Center published a blog post about how, despite calls for action, Congress has not provided emergency funding to stabilize the child care sector following the expiration of $24 billion in federal child care funds from the American Rescue Plan Act in September 2023. States like New York, Kentucky, and Wisconsin have taken steps to mitigate the impact through substantial investments in workforce retention grants and stabilization programs.
The Cost & Benefits of Early Learning Investments
The podcast Impacting the Classroom recently featured Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center staff members on two episodes.
Part 1, The Cost of High-Quality Childcare, delves into the complexities of the childcare system. Guests Jen Huffman and Anna Kresse emphasize the extensive positive impacts of investing in affordable, high-quality childcare. Impacts include facilitating mothers' return to work, alleviating child poverty, and bolstering the economy, while addressing challenges like funding sustainability.
Part 2, The ROI of High Quality Childcare, focuses on the payoff. In this episode, Anna Kresse and Mackenzie Whipps discussed the investment into high-quality childcare and its huge return on investment.
Wrapping Up 2023 With a Progress Summary
On December 11th, The Hunt Institute, the Alliance for Early Success, and the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center hosted an expert panel on 2023’s big wins for little kids. Part of the Hunt Institute's Early Efforts webinar series, the panel included Prenatal-to-3 Executive Director Dr. Cynthia Osborne and other national and state leaders. During the webinar, panelists discussed the year's biggest early childhood policy advancements, such as Medicaid expansion and earned income tax credits (EITCs).
Snapshots from the NEW 2023 Roadmap
In November, we launched a brief series on 2023 prenatal-to-3 research and policy progress:
The Impact of a Growing Evidence Base on the Roadmap – In 2023, we integrated new research on paid family leave and comprehensive screening and connection programs, and we performed a thorough review of the evidence base for community-based doulas. This brief explains how these changes impacted the Roadmap.
Variation in Child Care Subsidy Policies Across the States – We track state policy activity on child care subsidies based on three key policy levers. Over the last year, 18 states increased income eligibility thresholds, 5 states decreased copayments, and 25 states increased reimbursement rates for infants in center-based care.
Paid Family Leave Across the States – States’ paid family leave programs vary depending on several policy choices that can impact take-up and equitable access. Just this year, 34 states introduced—and several successfully enacted—legislation to establish or modify a paid family leave program. Additionally, two states began implementing programs of at least 6 weeks.
Earned Income Tax Credits Across States – The impact of state earned income tax credit policies on families varies based on the EITC value, refundability, and eligibility requirements. In 2023, 30 states introduced—and several successfully enacted—legislation to establish or expand a state EITC.
Expanded Income Eligibility for Health Insurance Across States - In 2023, nine states introduced legislation to expand Medicaid, with one successfully enacting legislation and another implementing expansion via ballot initiative. Several states took other actions, such as lengthening the duration of pregnancy Medicaid coverage.
Minimum Wage Policies Across States - Current wage rates, future increases, and other state choices impact the effectiveness of state minimum wage policies. Just this year, 30 states introduced—and several successfully enacted—legislation to increase their minimum wage or eliminate the subminimum wage for certain populations.
Stay tuned for a final brief on how states rank in terms of the impact policies have on family resources. The 2023 Policy Impact Calculator demonstrates striking variation that results from different choices about minimum wage, child care subsidies, and other policies.
The Roadmap’s Hidden Gem: Child and Family Outcomes
Most people know the Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap for its 12 evidence-based policies, but you can also find outcomes data on all 50 states and D.C. across 20 measures of child and family wellbeing. The Roadmap provides states with two accessible ways to analyze their data: a snapshot of overall performance and a detailed view of each outcome across all states.Read more here.
The newsletter will skip January, but we will return to your inboxes in February. Have a wonderful holiday break!
The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center’s staff live in 14 states from coast to coast! We rarely get to gather in person. Recently, however, the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference and our own Paid Family Leave Policy Academy brought a dozen of us together in Nashville, and we had a blast reconnecting. Check out this picture from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum!