Strengthening the Knowledge and Competencies of Early Care and Education Professionals
Emerging science makes clear the importance and complexity of working with young children from infancy through the early elementary years. This report notes what knowledge and skills early care and education professionals need to meet this challenge, the problems the current system for financing professional education faces, and a solution to these problems.
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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
Fact Sheet October 7, 2026
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.
Strengthening Continuous Quality Improvement Practices in Early Care and Education through a Breakthrough Series Collaborative
Report October 7, 2026
One way to ensure quality is to promote early educators’ use of evidence-based practices. To that end, the Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) is an innovative, flexible continuous quality improvement (CQI) methodology that uses organizational-level coaching to help program administrators and educators apply evidence-based practices to support children’s well-being and adapt these practices to meet children and families’ needs in their unique ECE contexts. Sept. 2026