Engaging Parent and Provider Voice to Examine Equitable Access to Early Childhood Programs and Services
This session was presented during the BUILD 2021 National Conference.
Access to early childhood programs and services goes beyond just measuring the supply, or “open seats” for services in a community. In two briefs, Defining and Measuring Access to High-Quality Early Care and Education: A Guidebook for Policymakers and Researchers and Conceptualizing and Measuring Access to Early Care and Education, Child Trends has introduced and described the Access Framework, a family-centered, multi-dimensional definition of access. From a family-centered perspective, access means that early childhood programs and services are: 1) affordable; 2) meet parents’ needs; 3) support children’s development; and 4) require a reasonable amount of effort to find. Over the past year, Child Trends has been working with a cohort of seven state and community grantees of the Pritzker’s Children’s Initiative to apply the four dimensions of the Access Framework to evaluate access to a variety of programs including: early care and education programs, coordinated intake and referral, home visiting, child welfare, and other programs and services for young children. This cohort is especially working toward developing programs and services that provide equitable access to families from all racial and ethnic backgrounds by applying the Access Framework to consider the access experiences of families from different racial and ethnic groups. In this session we will provide an overview of the four dimensions of the Access Framework, provide examples of how this framework is being used to guide an assessment of equitable access to child care in New Jersey and other states and communities across the nation. We will offer key questions you can use to assess equitable access for specified groups of children and families in your state or community.
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During this one-hour webinar, hosted in partnership with Vital Village Networks, you’ll witness the limitless wisdom and leadership that lives in our communities. Hear about best practices and lessons learned from prenatal-to-three (PN3) coalitions across the country that are working to shift and share power with parents and community partners. We’ll explore what it looks like to build trust and relationships while redesigning what it means to lead together for the health and wellbeing of our children.
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Report June 13, 2024
Family engagement at the state and local level is an essential component of high-quality, inclusive early childhood care and education (ECCE) programs and systems. Engaging families as partners during the early years allows parents and caregivers to establish strong connections that support their children’s development, well-being, and achievement long term.
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Report June 13, 2024
This resource outlines ideas for incorporating strategic financing efforts into your PDG B-5 application.