Dear Readers, We’re excited to announce that Early Learning Nation is relaunching and expanding as zero2eight, a new editorial vertical...
Wisconsin is Cutting State Funding for Child Care. Providers are Taking a Stand
Child care providers have long advocated for an equitable system and more support. In Wisconsin, they’re taking action.
On Monday, child care providers across the country participated in the fourth annual Day Without Child Care, closing their doors...
Heat, Floods, Storms Limit Outdoor Play for Young Children, Surveys Show
Parents and child care providers report spending less time outside with children and suffering health and economic harm from extreme weather.
Physical activity is crucial for young children’s well-being. Outdoor play not only supports children’s physical health and their social and...
RAPID Celebrates Five Years of Surveys
What makes RAPID surveys unique is the priority of disseminating results quickly in a format that is accessible and usable.
When the RAPID Survey Project began in April 2020, everyone involved thought it would be a short-lived, ad hoc undertaking...
Community Health Workers Can Play a Key Role in Keeping Families Healthy
A report calls for the integration of community health workers into early childhood well-child care.
The well-child visit is standard pediatric practice for the first three years of life. Every few months, parents or caregivers...
The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Is Long Overdue for Reform
With a budget debate looming, here are some of the proposed solutions on the table.
You’d be forgiven for having trouble keeping up with the alphabet soup of family-related tax credits. Most of the policy...
New Brief Recommends Extending Tax Breaks to Early Childhood Educators
The IRS currently excludes early educators from a federal tax deduction offered to K-12 teachers who spend their own money on school supplies.
Every year, in December and in May, Susan Morice prepares a special project for her preschool class. “I do it...
Preschool Enrollment, Spending Hit Record Highs, but Access and Quality Gaps Persist
The national preschool landscape remains uncertain, according to new research from the National Institute for Early Education Research.
Although the 2023-24 school year saw historic gains for early childhood education, the national landscape for preschool remains uncertain. The...
Analysis: Public School Pre-K Teachers Are Professionals, But Aren’t Treated That Way
From pay to professional development to coordination with colleagues in higher grades, schools have a long way to go, study finds
States are investing in expanding their pre-K programs. More than 1.5 million children were enrolled in a state-funded pre-K in...
‘There Goes My Son’s Help:’ Wave of Washington Head Starts Shut Down as Chaos Engulfs Federal Program
After months of layoffs, funding freezes and uncertainty, Trump's new budget proposal calls for eliminating the anti-poverty early childhood program.
Editor’s note: This story originally published on The 74 on April 18, 2025. After the story published, the Washington state...
Engaging Local Leaders Is Key to Helping Young Children and Their Families Thrive
A Q&A with Sheri Brady, vice president of strategy and program for the Children’s Defense Fund, about the current policy environment for children.
Since November, advocates and experts have sounded the alarm over what the Trump administration’s executive orders and directives could mean...
History Lessons Matter, Even in Preschool
Stillinger: Nothing is as compelling to a child as another child’s story, so my students learn about young people who helped create change.
When people hear that I work in a preschool, they can easily picture me pretending to drink tea, pinky up...
