Early Childhood - Children's Defense Fund

Early Childhood

EARLY CHILDHOOD

% 5

THE PERCENT OF ELIGIBLE INFANTS AND TODDLERS IN EARLY HEAD START

T

he first five years of a child’s life are a time of great opportunity and risk as children’s brains develop more rapidly than at any other point. The foundation for their future success depends on the actions of parents and other caregivers. Children who grow up in supportive environments are more likely to develop selfconfidence, an increased desire to learn, and better impulse control as well as improve achievement in school and throughout their life.1 Unfortunately the odds are stacked against the 4.7 million children under 6 living in poverty who often face unsafe and stressful environments where their physical and emotional needs are not met.2 Young children need a full continuum of quality early childhood opportunities. High-quality early childhood development and learning opportunities from birth to age 5 have been proven to buffer the negative impacts of poverty and other stressors and yield positive returns. • S tudies show children who experience high-quality early childhood programs are more likely to graduate from high school, hold a job, and make more money and are less likely to commit a crime than peers who do not.3 • The Abbott Preschool program serving children in low-income communities in New Jersey was found to decrease grade retention and special education placement rates and increase achievement in literacy, math and science through fifth grade.4 Other studies of large preschool programs in Boston and Tulsa have shown similarly positive results.5 • N obel Prize Winner in Economics James Heckman estimates the lifelong return on investment from quality early childhood programs to be more than 13 percent a year for every dollar invested.6 While many existing early childhood programs are effective, they often fall short of serving and supporting all children in need. • Voluntary, evidence-based home visiting programs provide impressive short- and long-term gains for children and families who participate. However, in FY2015, the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) served only a small portion of at-risk parents and children across the country.7

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Children’s Defense Fund

• O ther quality preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-olds are also a key part of the continuum. Yet, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), during the 2015-2016 school year, only 32 percent of 4-year-olds and 5 percent of 3-year-olds were enrolled in a statefunded preschool program. Of the 43 states and the District of Columbia that invested in statefunded preschool, only two operated a program that met all 10 of NIEER’s evidence-based quality standards (see Table 17). While total state funding for preschool increased by 8 percent during the 2015-2016 school year, more work is needed to ensure that all children, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, have access to high quality preschool.9 n

As states continue to increase funding for quality preschool, it will be important for them to create positive school climates for all children while avoiding exclusionary discipline practices. During 2013-2014, Black children in public preschool programs were nearly four times as likely as their White peers to receive at least one out-of-school suspension.10

Early Childhood

• E arly Head Start and Head Start are federally-funded high-quality early childhood programs that provide comprehensive services including child care, mental health, nutritional and other developmental services and connect poor children and families with other community resources when needed. In 2016 Early Head Start served only 5 percent of eligible infants and toddlers and Head Start served only 54 percent of eligible 3- and 4-year-olds.8

• F ull-day kindergarten fosters continued learning and ensures children do not miss a half step as they start school. Although 80 percent of 5-year-olds in kindergarten are enrolled in a full-day program, access to full-day kindergarten is only guaranteed by statute in 13 states and the District of Columbia.11 Those who have only a half day miss out on higher-quality learning as full-day kindergarten gives teachers more opportunities to meet children’s needs comprehensively. Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study show students in full-day kindergarten programs have better academic outcomes than their peers in half-day programs.12 High-quality, affordable child care that meets children’s developmental needs is also essential for working families. However, the cost of high-quality child care is a barrier for many. • C enter-based child care for an infant cost more than public college tuition in 31 states and the District of Columbia in 2015 (see Table 18). In one study, child care costs exceeded rent for 81 percent of two-parent, two-child families surveyed.13 • The Child Care and Development Block Grant, which provides subsidies to help families with child care costs, currently serves just 16 percent of all federally-eligible children.14 • The number of children receiving publicly-funded child care subsidies has decreased by more than 370,000 since 2006 (see Table 19). Access to high-quality child care is not guaranteed even for families who do receive subsidies as care costs increase.15 • A well-trained, competitively-compensated workforce is necessary to ensure that child care provided is of high quality; however, in 2015 child care workers were paid less than parking lot attendants in 30 states (see Table 20).

The State of America’s Children® 2017

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Table 17: Enrollment of 4- and 3-Year-Olds in State-Funded Preschool Programs, 2015-2016 Number 4-Year-Olds

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming United States

11,296 319 3,763 12,314 178,821 15,704 9,222 843 6,944 169,025 80,825 375 – 41,397 1,585 24,750 7,903 14,232 19,860 5,177 27,003 5,681 38,771 858 1,517 1,563 – 8,227 1,357 – 31,800 9,254 118,560 26,851 – 10,846 39,593 4,626 16,820 594 23,536 – 17,419 194,861 – 4,096 18,356 7,702 13,615 48,859 – 1,276,719

Percent 3-Year-Olds

0 0 1,602 7,127 42,354 5,429 3,623 0 5,736 0 0 0 – 31,458 0 1,166 0 4,950 0 0 3,733 5,329 0 759 263 926 – 3,670 179 – 20,970 503 1,509 0 – 3,919 1,648 3,214 8,995 0 0 – 585 25,779 – 2,708 0 3,989 2,277 579 – 194,979

4-Year-Olds

18.9% 2.8 4.4 32.0 35.0 23.1 23.7 7.3 81.2 76.0 59.7 2.0 – 26.1 1.9 63.7 19.8 25.8 32.2 40.2 35.7 7.6 33.6 1.2 3.9 2.1 – 31.6 3.8 – 29.1 33.3 49.9 21.9 – 7.8 73.8 9.9 11.6 5.4 40.0 – 21.8 48.7 – 66.7 17.8 8.6 66.4 71.0 – 31.8%

3-Year-Olds

0.0% 0.0 1.9 18.4 8.5 8.1 9.5 0.0 70.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 – 19.9 0.0 3.0 0.0 9.0 0.0 0.0 5.0 7.3 0.0 1.1 0.7 1.2 – 14.1 0.5 – 19.6 1.9 0.6 0.0 – 2.8 3.1 7.0 6.3 0.0 0.0 – 0.7 6.6 – 43.8 0.0 4.4 11.0 0.8 – 4.9%

NIEER Quality Benchmarks Met (Out of 10)a

10 5 1 7 4.4b 5 4.8b 6 3 3 6 7 – 7 1 6.9b 7.1b 8 8b 9 7 6.6b 9 7 8 8 – 7 6 – 8.8b 8 7 9 – 5 6 7 6.1b 10 4.5b – 5 4 – 5 4 7 9 3b –

Early Childhood

Less than 32 percent of 4-year-olds and 5 percent of 3-year-olds were enrolled in a state-funded preschool program during 2015-2016 and quality varied widely from state to state.

aThe National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) defines a state preschool program as one serving 3- and 4-year-olds that is funded, controlled, and directed by the state. Its primary focus must be early childhood education and it must offer a group learning experience to children at least two days each week. It may serve children with disabilities but cannot be primarily designed to serve those children. State-funded preschool may be coordinated and integrated with the child care subsidy system in the state. State supplements for Head Start constitute state preschool if they substantially increase the number of children served and involve some state administrative responsibility. NIEER uses 10 benchmarks to measure the quality of state preschool programs: 1) comprehensive early learning and development standards that are horizontally and vertically aligned, supported, and culturally sensitive; 2) supports for curriculum implementation; 3) teachers with bachelor’s degrees and 4) specialization in early childhood; 5) assistant teachers with child development associate’s or equivalent degrees; 6) at least 15 hours/year of professional development, individualized plans and professional development plans, and coaching for lead and assistant teachers; 7) a maximum class size of 20; 8) child-staff ratios of no more than 10:1; 9) comprehensive vision, hearing, and health screenings; and 10) continuous quality improvement system. bThese states have more than one preschool program, and the score is an average of the programs operating in each state. Note: “–” means no program. Source: National Institute for Early Education Research. 2017. “State of Preschool 2016 Yearbook,” Tables 1 and 2. http://nieer.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/YB2016_ StateofPreschool2.pdf.


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Early Childhood

In 2015, center-based care for infants was more expensive than public college in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Table 18: Child Care Costs for Infants, 2015 Average Annual Cost for an Infant in Center-Based Care

Percent Difference between Cost of Infant Center-Based Care and Public Collegea

$5,644 11,700 9,993 6,074 13,343 14,950 14,079 10,396 22,658 8,719 7,597 13,584 7,385 13,176 8,929 10,015 11,482 7,800 5,754 9,677 14,726 17,082 10,178 14,826 5,045 9,100 9,383 9,043 10,317 12,399 11,548 7,802 14,144 9,254 8,431 8,985 6,572 11,964 11,978 12,882 6,483 6,143 8,378 9,207 9,183 11,513 12,220 13,110 8,580 11,750 9,110

-42.1% 74.5 -6.0 -22.9 44.0 53.4 26.0 -11.0 205.3 37.1 -10.1 33.5 8.3 1.1 -2.1 27.1 36.0 -18.5 -29.2 1.1 60.7 47.1 -15.1 36.9 -29.4 7.6 12.0 11.5 13.9 3.3 -13.2 21.8 85.0 32.8 9.7 -12.0 -11.8 27.7 -10.6 13.0 -45.1 -23.7 -9.6 -0.2 44.3 -23.2 3.4 27.4 20.1 33.4 86.3

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Cost of Center-Based Care for Infants as a Percent of: Income for a Poor Family

State Median Income for a Single-Parent Family

28.1% 46.4 49.7 30.2 66.4 74.4 70.1 51.7 112.8 43.4 37.8 58.8 36.8 65.6 44.4 49.9 57.2 38.8 28.6 48.2 73.3 85.0 50.7 73.8 25.1 45.3 46.7 45.0 51.4 61.7 57.5 38.8 70.4 46.1 42.0 44.7 32.7 59.6 59.6 64.1 32.3 30.6 41.7 45.8 45.7 57.3 60.8 65.3 42.7 58.5 45.3

30.5% 36.9 40.1 29.8 50.4 49.2 47.0 33.8 89.9 35.6 33.0 45.3 33.1 53.7 40.1 41.2 48.5 40.6 27.9 44.2 40.3 61.3 47.7 54.7 24.9 40.2 46.9 35.9 36.1 41.1 37.3 38.2 54.5 40.5 38.7 42.0 30.3 52.8 48.6 49.9 31.5 24.4 41.2 38.5 33.7 47.3 45.7 50.3 50.2 49.7 38.8

Median Annual Rent

67.1% 87.6 93.7 76.9 91.4 131.1 112.6 87.6 149.4 74.7 74.1 81.6 85.7 124.2 102.3 124.0 130.4 99.5 62.8 106.1 102.8 133.9 111.0 150.5 60.3 104.2 114.5 107.0 89.7 105.4 82.6 85.3 107.5 99.9 105.8 105.3 78.0 113.7 122.5 118.8 70.5 79.5 94.0 90.6 88.7 110.2 93.6 112.2 115.7 129.2 98.7

a A positive percent (higher than 0) means infant center-based care cost more than public college tuition. A negative percent (lower than 0) means infant center-based care cost less than public college tuition.

Source: Child Care Aware of America. 2017. “Parents and the High Cost of Child Care 2016.” http://www.usa.childcareaware.org/advocacy-public-policy/resources/reportsandresearch/costofcare/.

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Table 19: Average Monthly Number of Children and Families Served by the Child Care and Development Fund by Race/Ethnicity, FY2015 Percent of Children Who Are:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippia Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming United Statesb

Number of Families, FY2015

Number of Children, FY2015

Change in Children Served 2006-2015

Hispanic

Black

13,500 2,400 16,700 5,200 74,600 10,200 5,900 4,500 1,200 58,000 33,300 4,000 3,800 26,900 18,700 9,300 7,600 5,300 12,300 1,800 10,300 21,800 18,100 12,000 11,400 23,600 2,100 6,300 3,200 4,100 32,600 10,000 64,400 30,700 1,500 26,000 14,800 8,400 55,100 3,800 6,800 2,500 14,400 65,700 6,000 3,100 14,400 27,200 5,000 17,100 2,000

24,800 3,600 24,400 7,400 108,600 16,900 8,500 7,200 1,500 82,200 58,900 6,800 6,700 46,200 34,800 16,500 14,000 10,100 18,400 2,800 17,400 29,500 32,100 23,400 20,500 36,000 3,200 11,600 5,600 5,500 48,000 16,400 109,000 64,100 2,200 47,200 24,300 15,300 93,500 6,000 10,800 4,100 25,500 111,700 10,800 4,300 24,800 44,900 8,200 27,700 3,200

-3,200 -1,300 -5,800 1,800 -66,900 600 -1,600 -300 -2,200 -26,400 -5,700 -1,800 -3,200 -36,000 2,000 -2,900 -8,400 -18,800 -20,700 -2,600 -5,500 -2,600 -55,700 -3,900 -18,600 2,400 -1,600 -1,500 -400 -2,000 10,100 -5,200 -14,700 -15,800 -1,800 7,300 -700 -4,900 10,700 -1,100 -8,900 -800 -17,000 -14,500 -2,200 -2,500 -3,100 -8,300 -1,100 -1,800 -1,500

1% 10 39 8 58 22 42 13 15 26 4 8 20 22 10 14 16 5 3 3 4 33 5 6 1 4 5 15 30 8 40 77 32 5 5 6 13 25 15 15 3 4 2 44 15 2 4 29 2 12 14

19% 43 67 43 71 29 33 34 13 47 15 11 94 19 39 74 62 43 22 78 14 22 44 37 11 38 78 48 49 85 32 82 38 34 70 35 57 62 33 8 21 62 31 47 38 91 34 43 72 30 78

79% 10 17 47 20 8 33 64 85 48 81 1 3 49 51 18 27 30 73 8 81 17 51 47 88 51 2 27 39 4 46 5 46 62 10 54 28 10 49 5 52 6 69 26 5 4 64 16 11 33 5

0% 5 0 0 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 19 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 0

0% 10 5 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 13 2 1 0 0 7 1 2 14 0 6 2 0 0 0 21 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 3

839,600

1,387,100

-370,600

23%

41%

41%

1%

1%

White

Asian

Native American/ Alaska Native

Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander

MultiRacial

In Unregulated Care

0% 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 15 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

1% 21 10 2 2 4 8 1 0 4 3 34 1 3 9 7 6 0 4 2 3 2 2 7 1 1 4 7 2 2 2 3 5 1 6 6 8 2 3 1 4 11 0 2 0 4 0 0 14 6 0

42% 18 6 0 21 1 35 7 0 8 1 72 13 35 24 9 12 2 8 14 8 1 26 11 6 28 6 10 38 7 2 13 30 0 17 0 0 40 11 1 9 14 7 1 1 7 3 17 0 0 11

1%

4%

13%

Early Childhood

Although nearly 840,000 families and 1.4 million children were served each month by the Child Care and Development Fund in FY2015, more than 370,000 subsidies have been lost since 2006—the year before the recession began.

a

Based on only 10 months of data.

b

Counts for the U.S. exclude U.S. territories and protectorates. Percents include data from territories and protectorates.

Notes: Data are preliminary and subject to change. Racial categories (White, Black, Asian, Native American/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Multi-Racial) include children of Hispanic ethnicity. Percents for racial groups do not add up to 100 percent because of missing data. Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2016. “Preliminary FY 2015 CCDF Data Tables,” Tables 1, 4, 11, and 12. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/resource/preliminary-fy2015.


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Early Childhood

In 2015, the annual median wage for child care workers was less than that for parking lot attendants in 30 states. Table 20: Child Care Worker Salaries, 2015

Child Care Workers

Head Start Teachers

Preschool Teachers

Kindergarten Teachers

Parking Lot Attendants

Difference between Average Annual Median Wage for Child Care Workers and Parking Lot Attendants

$18,210 24,550 20,070 18,290 24,150 23,870 22,410 20,690 23,010 19,820 19,050 18,860 18,280 21,830 19,480 18,480 18,900 18,910 18,340 21,580 22,120 24,980 19,620 22,470 18,140 18,840 19,100 19,620 21,120 21,780 22,070 18,920 25,450 19,650 19,200 19,860 18,520 22,240 19,590 19,720 18,370 19,340 18,560 18,970 19,700 23,400 19,510 23,520 18,890 20,410 20,850

$23,090 29,881 32,027 27,066 34,156 31,255 34,176 29,276 68,100 28,073 27,000 34,316 22,000 32,691 23,231 29,861 31,680 26,316 26,739 24,818 34,074 28,078 27,613 28,192 21,842 23,870 19,537 35,545 28,434 21,720 35,468 28,588 39,050 26,139 28,673 24,255 28,371 27,065 26,908 27,739 23,080 24,814 28,363 30,160 20,959 26,153 30,481 30,241 31,987 29,714 27,181

$26,570 36,410 23,560 28,170 31,720 27,260 31,620 25,450 39,940 24,240 28,190 33,690 21,930 28,670 24,530 24,040 24,570 37,640 39,970 29,620 27,980 31,580 27,740 32,130 24,970 25,070 25,900 31,840 24,640 27,510 35,160 26,670 31,100 25,970 35,410 23,690 32,030 27,680 25,970 32,900 24,620 28,710 23,840 30,990 23,030 29,390 32,490 27,810 30,640 23,890 26,130

$47,820 66,820 40,230 45,390 63,940 46,190 71,050 58,540 52,010 45,660 53,840 44,350 44,070 48,710 44,970 50,030 44,880 52,370 47,340 49,960 55,900 67,170 52,460 53,110 39,800 45,070 44,230 47,910 48,700 51,280 61,350 52,870 60,120 39,930 44,360 52,470 38,750 56,900 51,050 69,870 51,150 38,560 47,950 50,910 43,320 53,080 57,100 55,020 47,880 48,700 56,190

$18,900 22,820 21,800 19,500 22,020 21,710 22,340 20,320 19,660 18,890 19,400 20,270 19,010 22,090 18,490 20,510 19,380 19,010 18,870 25,500 19,060 a 22,980 19,530 21,620 18,670 18,500 20,150 18,810 22,380 25,060 21,150 21,750 20,900 21,440 20,310 19,190 20,040 20,760 20,890 21,470 22,130 21,940 19,510 20,630 21,400 21,920 20,360 23,180 20,120 20,120 23,960

-$690 1,730 -1,730 -1,210 2,130 2,160 70 370 3,350 930 -350 -1,410 -730 -260 990 -2,030 -480 -100 -530 -3,920 3,060 2,000 90 850 -530 340 -1,050 810 -1,260 -3,280 920 -2,830 4,550 -1,790 -1,110 670 -1,520 1,480 -1,300 -1,750 -3,760 -2,600 -950 -1,660 -1,700 1,480 -850 340 -1,230 290 -3,110

Average Salary for:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Median Wage for Child Care Workers as a Percent of: Preschool Teachers

Kindergarten Teachers

68.5% 67.4 85.2 64.9 76.1 87.6 70.9 81.3 57.6 81.8 67.6 56.0 83.4 76.1 79.4 76.9 76.9 50.2 45.9 72.9 79.1 79.1 70.7 69.9 72.6 75.1 73.7 61.6 85.7 79.2 62.8 70.9 81.8 75.7 54.2 83.8 57.8 80.3 75.4 59.9 74.6 67.4 77.9 61.2 85.5 79.6 60.0 84.6 61.7 85.4 79.8

a

Data for parking lot attendants in Massachusetts were not available for 2015 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2014 data are reflected instead.

ource: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Education. 2016. “High-Quality Early Learning Settings Depend on a High-Quality Workforce.” S https://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/earlylearning/files/ece-low-compensation-undermines-quality-report-2016.pdf.

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38.1% 36.7 49.9 40.3 37.8 51.7 31.5 35.3 44.2 43.4 35.4 42.5 41.5 44.8 43.3 36.9 42.1 36.1 38.7 43.2 39.6 37.2 37.4 42.3 45.6 41.8 43.2 41.0 43.4 42.5 36.0 35.8 42.3 49.2 43.3 37.9 47.8 39.1 38.4 28.2 35.9 50.2 38.7 37.3 45.5 44.1 34.2 42.7 39.5 41.9 37.1