Review findings, analyses, assessments, and reports about the benefits of successful collaborations between Head Start and Early Head Start programs, and child care providers. Early Head Start (EHS) and child care programs have to navigate child care and EHS policies and regulations to understand their implications and ensure successful partnerships. However, those two sets of rules don't always align easily. Use these resources to help partnerships understand, respect, and deal with the similarities and differences between EHS and child care policies and regulations.
Tools and Resources
Top Ten Ways CCDF Can Support Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships
Early Head Start and the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) both serve low-income families and their children; however, there are some differences in policy, operations, and funding requirements. EHS-CC Partnerships will benefit from strategies to bridge these differences. Explore ways to encourage stability and to identify opportunities to support partnerships and providers.
Research and Reports About Collaborations Between Head Start and Child Care
Explore findings, analyses, assessments, and reports about the benefits of successful collaborations between Head Start and Early Head Start programs, and child care providers.
Child Care/Head Start Partnership Study: Final Report
Take a look at a rigorous investigation of the impact of one type of partnership—formal arrangements between child care providers and Head Start programs. This 2009 research builds on existing research findings that partnerships between child care and Head Start are associated with improved benefits at the program level. This study examines whether partnerships yield benefits for family child care providers, examines quality at the classroom level, and explores the relationship between partnership and children’s school readiness.
Using Contracts and Grants to Build the Supply of High-Quality Child Care: State Strategies and Practices
Explore this paper to find information on state and territory efforts to use contracts and grants with providers. Take a look at an overview of states and territories whose 2016–18 CCDF Plans indicate that they are currently using contracts and grants.
Using Results to Improve the Lives of Children and Families: A Guide for Public-Private Child Care Partnerships
Partnerships take many forms and have diverse plans for helping young children. Use this guide to help partnerships see their plan results and confirm that the plan is on the right track to achieve those results. Find strategies such as increasing public awareness of the importance of high-quality care, spending money on more or better child care services, and advocating for changes in the way government, employers and others support high-quality care.
Questions for State-Level Leaders to Consider: Stimulating Quality and Heightening Standards for Infants and Toddler Services
Use this tool to help state leaders assess policies and practices that can help build a system that will advance the quality of infant and toddler early care and education services in their state. Such state-level initiatives will facilitate the development of local-level service delivery systems.
Coordinated Monitoring Systems for Early Care and Education
Early care and education providers are subject to monitoring by multiple agencies and organizations. This brief provides an overview of monitoring and the major early care and education monitoring systems. Also, discover possible goals for a coordinated monitoring system and some approaches to address these goals.
Sustainability Planning Framework
Partnerships are unique and complex and operate in dynamic environments, so there is not one simple formula to sustain their efforts. Explore an overarching framework that can help partners determine potential strategies to sustain their work together over time.
Data Explorer and State Profiles
Use this tool to search for data on various early care and education topics, including demographic information, program participation and funding, CCDF subsidy program administration, program quality improvement activities, and professional development and workforce initiatives.
National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations
Use this tool to find and search for state and territory licensing regulations and agency contact information. Licensing and Child Care and Development Fund administrators can use this database to explore how other states and territories have developed clear, measurable and achievable regulations to better inform child care providers and safeguard children's health, development, and well-being.
National Program Standards Crosswalk Tool
This tool is prepopulated with national early childhood program standards (e.g., Head Start, accreditation, Caring for Our Children). State policy makers can use it to help develop and align program standards for licensing, quality rating and improvement systems, and pre-kindergarten programs. They can also search and compare the content of several sets of national standards.
CCDF Technical Assistance (TA) Resources
Explore these resources from the Office of Child Care. Find important information states and territories can use regarding reauthorization, the CCDF Final Rule, and other important CCDF topics.
Read more:
Resource Type: Article
National Centers: Program Management and Fiscal Operations
Program Type: Child Care Programs
Last Updated: December 20, 2023