Fiscal Strategies to Promote Equitable Access to High-Quality Early Care and Education
This session was presented during the BUILD 2021 National Conference.
The current financing of the early care and education system does not work well for any one, and it is families and children of color and the ECE workforce that bear the brunt of this broken system. In this session, you will learn about strategies to address the broken financing system, including changing the way child care subsidy rates and quality incentives are set in order to better account for the true cost, with variations based on quality, strategies to prioritize underserved populations, including children and families of color, and ways to think beyond the subsidy system to impact the entire prenatal-to-five system. We will also discuss strategies for engaging stakeholders to align on a shared vision and set of principles for the prenatal-to-five system in order to drive the fiscal and governance change that is needed to create a sustainable, equitable, and comprehensive early care and education system.
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Leading an Early Childhood Team Through the Quality Improvement Process
Article October 7, 2026
Published in Young Children, this 2024 article provides an operational guide for aligning state QIS requirements with broader national standards, quality grants, and staff incentives.
Much-Needed Changes in Child Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems Should Promote Equity
Blog October 7, 2026
Blog authors Gina Adams and Danielle Ewen outline systemic flaws in traditional models. This 2024 blog details how traditional QRIS frameworks often inadequately support parents, underinvest in actual center improvement, and inadvertently exacerbate funding inequalities among diverse childcare providers.
Four Trends in Early Care and Education Quality Rating and Improvement Systems
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This 2024 brief evaluates Parent Aware (Minnesota's system) and synthesizes interviews across six states (Delaware, Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington). It identifies critical, modern pathways for administrators looking to overhaul and redesign state frameworks.