As the destruction from Hurricane Milton is being assessed, many residents across the Southeast U.S. are still recovering from flooding and damage from Hurricane Helene, including already fragile child care providers. A relief fund has been started for family child care providers in North Carolina.

QUOTABLE & NOTABLE

“Decades of research have shown that children who are born into low-income households have less access to opportunities like high-quality child care and after-school activities. Now, a 26-year longitudinal study has quantified the severity of this opportunity gap for the first time, as well as the sizable impact this has on children as they grow into young adults....

“The research also suggests that while focusing efforts on expanding just one opportunity for children, like after-school clubs or early learning programs, may be helpful, it could be short-sighted. Instead, policymakers should consider solutions that tackle as many environments in a child’s life as possible. ‘What I hope we’re making clear,’ [study co-author Henrik D.] Zachrisson said, ‘is that the idea of a single solution to alleviating negative consequences of poverty is just nonsensical.’”

Who: Jackie Mader

Where:

“Opportunities — not poverty alone — predict later-life success for children” published in The Hechinger Report

FACT OF THE WEEK

According to a new report by the Century Foundation, child care prices in Ohio have risen by 25% since 2019. Researchers examined trends in five states receiving “outsized” political attention; in addition to the Buckeye State, these were New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Ohio’s price increases were the second highest. During the same period, child care employment levels fell by 26 percent. That prices are rising so dramatically at the same time there are dire workforce shortages reflects a lack of public investment in the sector — especially after the expiration of federal ARPA funds.

CRANE IN THE NEWS

Crane faculty affiliate Dr. Shoshanah Inwood recently spoke to The Ohio Newsroom public radio about the findings of a survey of caregivers who live in the Midwest. Inwood, who was involved in the survey, discussed the strain placed on caregivers, many of whom say their responsibilities have worsened their finances, as well as their mental and emotional well-being.

BEYOND THE BUCKEYE STATE

The federal Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation published a case study with insights from three states (Georgia, Louisiana, and Oregon) and the District of Columbia on technical assistance for child care providers — particularly when provided by licensing agencies. The authors urge that child care licensing agencies gather more data about the effectiveness of the technical assistance they provide, pointing out instances where providers may be reluctant to ask questions of the same officials who inspect/audit them and could issue compliance violations.

The Los Angeles Times describes a new California requirement for elementary teachers in the state’s recently expanded transitional kindergarten (TK) programs, who now must receive training in early childhood education and development. Research from 2016 showed that the majority of TK teachers (59%) used “didactic instruction” (e.g., imparting information to students) despite 4-year-olds needing independent thinking, play, and opportunities to develop social-emotional skills.

WHAT WE'RE READING

A piece in K-12 Dive describes how partnerships that improve collaboration and alignment between early childhood and elementary school can improve child outcomes.

A new brief by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio describes the role of protective factors (e.g., the presence of at least one adult who helps a child feel safe) in helping buffer the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

RESEARCH ROUNDUP

Early care and education deliver many benefits not only for the participating child but for their families, the workforce, and society as a whole. A vast body of research has studied and quantified benefits that range from improved child academic outcomes, to improved maternal labor force participation and tax revenues. A new working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research adds to this body of evidence, finding that participation in universal pre-K (UPK) had a sizable impact on parental earnings. Researchers examined UPK in New Haven, Connecticut, where children enrolled by lottery — creating a natural research opportunity to compare children attending the program with those who wanted to attend but could not. Families participating in the program received an additional 11 hours of child care coverage, allowing parents to work more hours and earn more wages. Among those in the UPK group, parental earnings increased by 21.7%, with gains persisting for at least six years after the end of their child’s time in pre-K. The study authors note that this return — of $5.51 in benefits for families for each $1 spent to provide UPK — is significant compared to other labor market policies. Heather Long, an economic columnist for The Washington Post, responded to the study by posting on social media that child care investments are “one of the most effective, pro-work policies in the U.S.”

This edition was written by Jamie O’Leary and Michael Meckler.

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