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This case study highlights the historical context behind the Pay Equity Fund, the vision and goals of the fund, early implementation successes and challenges, and future goals based on interviews with key informants, parents and guardians, center directors, and home-based providers. The goal of the Pay Equity Fund is to improve staff recruitment, retention, and morale and mental health, as well as program quality improvement and child outcomes. These findings can inform jurisdictions across the country as they design and implement compensation improvements for the child care workforce.
The Urban Institute engaged in a yearlong project to document how states access and strategically use federal funds to support early childhood systems and compensation. Five states including GA, IL, NM, TX, WA and other leaders joined in a convening to discuss their experiences. States shared challenges and the innovative strategies they are employing that include tailoring strategies to state context to address fragmentation; using philanthropic or private TA organizations to build state leaders' knowledge of how to access funds; and using cost models to advance child care compensation.
This report from the Urban Institute explores the use of CCDF child care subsidy payment rates and practices to try to expand the supply of specific types of child care that are in shorter supply (e.g., infants and toddlers, children with special needs, those needing non-traditional hour care, in communities of color). The report is the result of a literature review, expert interviews, shared preliminary findings with child care providers and provider organizations, and small group interviews with child care leads. The report finds that while CCDF funds and raising payment rates are necessary, this will not be sufficient, given that only a fraction of eligible children receive subsidies.
The Urban Institute created this fact sheet to provide a summary of previous research on changing subsidy policies and procedures. It spells out seven ways states can make child care more accessible and equitable for families and more efficient for agencies. This resource supports equity.
The Urban Institute conducted research in CT, OK, and D.C. to understand which families work nontraditional hour care (NTH). The study found that NTH work schedules are more common for families who already face challenges because of structural racism and systemic inequities including those who are Black and Latinx, low-income, lower levels of education, and one-parent families. There is need to address access issues given that only a small fraction of centers provide NTH care and only one-third of family child care providers. In addition, public funds aren't often available for NTH care.