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Blended-Funding Toolkit

Planning Tool
June 7, 2022
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This toolkit is designed to provide state advocates and policymakers with strategies, tools, resources and options to make policy choices that facilitate the blending and braiding of funding streams to improve access to and length of children’s participation in full-workday, full-year, high-quality early learning programs that benefit vulnerable young children and working families. Though this tool focuses on child care specifically, sections 2&3 could be of use as examples of mapping current funding streams and considering how blending and braiding should work.

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No Place to Grow: Rethinking Homelessness Through a Whole-Child, Whole-Family Lens 

Archived Webinar June 11, 2025

Imagine trying to raise your joyful, curious two-year-old in a walk-in closet. There’s no room for toys, no space to play, and every sound echoes too loudly. You’re constantly on edge—not because you’re hiding your child, but because you’re worried that the typical noise of a developing toddler might be too much for the homeowner. The fear of losing even this small, temporary space looms during everyday moments, from enjoying your child’s laughter to dealing with their tantrums. This is what homelessness can look like for families across the country—living in cramped, unstable conditions that threaten not just housing security, but a child’s developmental foundation.

When It’s Too Hot to Play, Sleep, or Learn: Supporting Children and Caregivers in a Warming World

Archived Webinar May 12, 2025

When we think about young children and temperature, we often think about cold conditions and the protections needed to stay warm and safe. But how often do we consider the opposite: extreme heat? As climate change drives temperatures higher, extreme heat is becoming a more frequent and dangerous part of everyday life, especially for young children and caregivers living in under-resourced communities.