Policy Considerations to Ensure Accessible and Quality Child Care
Quality, safe child care is a pathway to economic stability, can play a role in promoting equity, and is essential to children’s health and development. However, the U.S. has faced a crisis for years regarding affordability and accessibility of quality child care, and the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated these issues.
In this brief, PolicyLab experts highlight policy changes that are needed to ensure a robust, quality child care system and, based in their work and expertise, outline pressing issues that warrant further attention, including the physical and environment safety of child care settings; the importance of child care navigation supports to families; supporting child care providers with behavioral intervention to help reduce suspensions and expulsions; and more. The authors also offer recommendations for federal and state policymakers to ensure long-term supports are in place for families and the child care sector.