Defining and Measuring Access to High Quality Early Care and Education (ECE): A Guidebook for Policymakers and Researchers

Report February 1, 2018

The ECE Access Guidebook was developed to address the need for developing a common understanding and approach to measuring access. Ultimately, this Guidebook is intended to support states’ efforts to assess the reach and effectiveness of their policy initiatives aimed at expanding ECE access. The Guidebook provides information in four sections: Clarifying and Defining Access; Describing the Indicators of Access; Measuring the Indicators of Access; and Identifying ECE Access Datasets and Sources.

Advancing Racial Equity In Darlington County, South Carolina

Blog January 15, 2018

This blog, created with input from Darnell Byrd-McPherson, Executive Director, Darlington County First Steps and former BUILD Equity Leaders Action Network (ELAN) Fellow, describes efforts to promote equity in the areas of health, early learning, and family support in Darlington County.

Focus on Kindergarten

Slide Deck January 8, 2018

This PowerPoint is from BUILD’s webinar series Maximizing Federal Investments in Young Children. In accordance with the vision that we shouldn’t wait until children are in high school to fuse academic and social development, the focus of this particular webinar was on kindergarten.

Basic Facts

Archived Meeting Resources January 1, 2018

This fact sheet describes the demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics of children and their parents. It highlights important factors that appear to distinguish low-income and poor children from their less disadvantaged counterparts.

Family Friend and Neighbor Care in Forsyth County A Great Expectations Report

Report January 1, 2018

We are excited to present this report from Compass, containing the full data results from the surveys. We are working together to analyze this data further and determine how to best support families and caregivers in informal childcare arrangements. We look forward to sharing what we continue to learn and working with all of you to improve child care in Forsyth County.

Tips for Transforming Early Childhood Data into Insights for Advocacy and Engagement

Archived Meeting Resources January 1, 2018

The following tip sheet provides information for state policymakers to consider when developing or enhancing data tools that transform data into insights and compelling stories that can move stakeholders to act to improve the early childhood options available to young children. It identifies key stakeholder groups and their likely data needs, provides a summary of data insight tools and types of data, highlights important design considerations and provides examples of data insight tools already in practice.

Quality is the Common Language: How China and the United States Approach Systemic Early Learning Quality Improvement

Slide Deck January 1, 2018

This presentation covers the similarities and differences between China and US approaches to early learning, identifies areas of cross-cultural collaboration, and discusses a vision for QRIS as a global driver of quality child care and education.

ExceleRate Illinois Validation Study Report

Report December 31, 2017

This study sought to examine the validity and reliability of the ExceleRate Circles of Quality.

Validation of the Quality Ratings Used in Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS): A Synthesis of State Studies

Report December 1, 2017

The purpose of this report is to compile and analyze findings from 10 validation studies examining quality ratings of ECE programs participating in state QRIS.

High Quality Early Learning Systems Building: State Approaches and Examples

Report November 1, 2017

First 5 Association of California unites all 58 First 5 county commissions around a common agenda and works to bolster programs surrounding family strengthening, early identification, oral health, quality early learning, and system sustainability. First 5 commissioned this research and report to understand how states have built and expanded early learning systems and to facilitate policy conversations with a policy committee to apply this learning to California. This document offers information on state approaches to early learning systems building, a compendium of state-level policies for early learning quality and access, and an analysis of current trends.