At-A-Glance Financing
AT-A-GLANCE
Financing Infant & Toddler Child Care
In order to achieve high quality infant and toddler child care, funding needs to come from private and public sources, including parents, employers, civic groups, government, and foundations. Federal, State, and community leaders are challenged to find, allocate, and effectively use funds for early childhood services. They face competing interests and priorities for limited resources. In order to make effective decisions, leaders need to know how funds are currently allocated and whether those allocations support high-quality care across ages and settings. There are key considerations for policy-makers when examining efforts to finance quality infant/toddler child care services. They include:
- Integration of funding for 0-3 services into other early childhood initiatives,
- Strategic and effective use of infant and toddler earmark funds and other investments to meet the developmental needs of infants and toddlers,
- Information for parents about the available supports (tax deductions, credits, subsidies) to help pay for the cost of care by the parent and other caregivers, and
- Development of public/private partnerships to improve services for infants/toddlers and their families.
Integration of Funding for 0-3 Services into Other Early Childhood Initiatives
Policy-makers are considering ways funds from Federal and State early childhood programs and initiatives can fund quality services for infants and toddlers. States are using:
Children's Trust Funds
Contact Information:
Children's Trust Fund
The Michigan Family Independence Agency
P.O. Box 30037, Lansing, MI 48909
Telephone: (517) 373-4320
Georgia Standards of Care Initiative
Contact Information:
Sharen Hausmann, Smart Start Georgia
Phone: (877) STARTGA
E-mail
Web Site: www.smartstartga.org