Early Childhood Education

Statewide, county First 5 commissions have invested in numerous strategies to improve the quality and accessibility of early care and education programs. This includes facilities development; supplementing reimbursement rates; funding services for children historically underserved, such as children in foster care; addressing particularly pressing needs, such as lack of infant and toddler care; providing technical assistance to facilitate the licensing process; funding home-based early literacy programs to reinforce children's experience in quality ECE settings; and, most importantly, building a system to connect ECE programs to other public and private services that meet the needs of children and families and recognize ECE programs as a critical component of an integrated, coordinated system of care.

The reports below describe these investments.