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Case Studies

BOOK REVIEW: Broke in America: Seeing, Understanding, and Ending U.S. Poverty

An Indictment of U.S. Policy and Clarion Call to Fix It

K.C. Compton·May 18, 2021·5 min read

Thanks to U.S. public policy going back decades, nearly 40 million people in this country live below the poverty line...

Both Despairing and Inspiring, New Report Highlights the Connection Between Protecting Early Childhood and the Planet

Kendra Hurley·December 16, 2021·5 min read

There’s a truism among child-mindful urban planners: Children are an indicator species for cities. “Just as the presence of salmon...

Bringing Unlicensed Care out of the Shadows

Mark Swartz·January 13, 2022·3 min read

Experts and officials often talk about “child care deserts” to describe regions without enough formal child care, but Maki Park...

Business Community is Key to Galvanizing Voter Support for Early Childhood Services in Kent County

Tom Kertscher·October 23, 2019·5 min read

Last November, voters in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second-largest city (population 200,000), made Kent County the first county in Michigan to approve a referendum that raises property taxes specifically for early childhood.

Gov Kate Brown of Oregon signs legislation for education funding into law

Can Bipartisan Statewide Support for Early Education Become a National Trend?

Tom Kertscher·June 20, 2019·4 min read

Legislation that includes what an early childhood advocacy group says is an “historic investment in early childhood” has been signed...

Caring Arizona: An Innovative Program Offers Targeted Support for Informal Caregivers

Mark Swartz·July 21, 2021·4 min read

Cokis is an immigrant mom and grandmother in Arizona. Her struggles with the trauma that she and one of her...

Child-Driven Child Literacy: Raising A Reader’s Latest Chapter

Mark Swartz·September 8, 2021·3 min read

The red tote bags hold adventure and history. They hold laughter and struggle. They hold inspiration and understanding. Recently, the...

A little boy and girl play with toy hammers and nails

Children First: What a “Values-Based Budget” Looks Like

Mark Swartz·September 13, 2019·3 min read

What would happen if we prioritized children’s potential? That’s the question implicitly asked and explicitly answered in the recent paper...

Collective Ownership: A Community Child Care Solution

Mark Swartz·November 18, 2021·3 min read

Takoma Park, Md., population 17,672, is often gently lampooned by the Washington Post for its progressive politics and community activism....

Connecting Early Learning to Successful Grade School Experience

The Editors·October 2, 2018·1 min read

Connecting early childhood education to a successful elementary school experience means focusing on more than just the transition. It also requires "alignment." What's that? Read on...