Five Core Principles to Guide Policy

1. Target Support Where It's Needed Most

Focus public investment on families who can't access quality programs on their own.

Smart policy focuses public assistance on families who can't access quality programs on their own. Higher-income parents already have choices — they may prefer to spend less, but they can afford quality when it matters. Lower-income parents can't.

The families least able to afford quality programs benefit most from targeted support. When parents lack access to quality ECE, the economic damage cascades: they reduce work hours or leave the workforce entirely, businesses lose productive employees, and welfare costs rise. Targeting support converts these parents into empowered consumers who strengthen the entire market through their purchasing power.

By focusing resources on those with the greatest need, states transform lives and strengthen their workforce without creating new government dependencies. This approach delivers measurable impact — reducing child poverty, increasing workforce participation, and strengthening family self-sufficiency. Universal entitlements waste taxpayer money on families who don't need help.

When public dollars focus on genuine need, every dollar works harder — expanding access, driving quality through competition, and building stronger state economies.

2. Put Families First

Empower parents — not top-down policies — to choose what’s best for their child.

Parents, not bureaucracies, should decide what's best for their children. Effective ECE policy trusts parents to make the right decisions when empowered with real choices and reliable information.

Yet too often, government programs substitute regulatory compliance for parent judgment, funding programs instead of families. When public dollars fund programs, government — not families — decides what quality looks like. When funds flow directly to families, parents make confident choices about their children's care.

A families-first approach respects that different families have different values and needs. It fosters a diverse marketplace where providers must compete to earn parents' trust. This drives quality improvement through competition, not bureaucratic checklists. Programs reflect community values and family needs, not one-size-fits-all mandates. Parents gain dignity through choice while children benefit from care that truly fits.

Markets thrive when consumers have power — and in ECE, those consumers should be parents.

3. Strengthen Markets, Don’t Replace Them

Expand access and quality by making markets work for all families who need quality care.

The ECE sector already operates as a diverse, competitive marketplace. Parents choose among private centers, home-based providers, faith-based programs, nonprofits, and public options. This diversity is a strength to preserve and expand — not a problem to solve through government takeover.

Markets fail when lower-income families lack purchasing power, not because markets themselves don't work. The solution isn't replacing private providers with government programs — it's fixing the market failure that excludes lower-income families.

When more parents can pay for quality programs, providers compete for their business, naturally expanding supply and improving quality. This market-based approach supports local economies by strengthening small businesses — many women-owned — that form the ECE sector's backbone.

When states strengthen markets instead of replacing them, small businesses thrive through parent choice rather than government contracts, competition drives innovation without costly mandates, and communities maintain diverse options that reflect their values.

4. Empower Communities to Lead

Support community-driven approaches from employers, nonprofits, and faith-based groups.

Communities understand their families' needs better than distant state capitols. Rural farming communities face different challenges than urban centers with shift workers. Military families need different supports than university towns. When states empower local solutions instead of imposing statewide mandates, ECE systems become more responsive, innovative, and effective.

Community leadership multiplies public investment through private partnership. Local employers contribute solutions that keep workers productive. Faith-based organizations provide trusted care reflecting family values. Nonprofit networks support small providers with business services and professional development. These partnerships create sustainable solutions rooted in community commitment, not government dependency.

States should remove barriers preventing community solutions while providing targeted support that amplifies local efforts. The goal: diverse, locally-driven systems that serve real families — not centralized bureaucracies that serve themselves.

5. Focus on Results, Not Just Spending

Invest in what works, track outcomes, and fund performance.

Too many states measure ECE success by dollars spent rather than families served or children prepared for kindergarten. They count staff credentials instead of child outcomes, track compliance instead of quality, and fund failure as readily as success. This wastes taxpayer dollars while failing families who need help most.

Real accountability means tracking concrete outcomes: Are more parents working? Are fewer families on welfare? Are children arriving at kindergarten ready to learn? Are small businesses growing? When funding follows performance, states can scale successful approaches while eliminating wasteful spending.

When dollars follow what works, families gain real choices, children benefit from stable, high-quality programs, and taxpayers see a stronger return on investment.