Conclusion

As more cities and counties expand their publicly funded early childhood systems, the prevalence of mixed delivery early education will only grow: The inclusion of private providers will be necessary to reach scale goals and also stands to benefit families and early educators alike. When designed with intention and careful attention to what it takes to create quality and equity, early childhood systems provide families with more robust options for their child’s education and sustain a more resilient ecosystem. There are many potential pitfalls, and there is no single roadmap for systems design. However, the lessons from other cities and counties can create a helpful guide for leaders to follow in developing their own mixed delivery model.

The ECE Implementation Working Group is a group of early childhood education leaders from cities and counties across the country. These leaders gather to share best practices from their experience working with families and local communities, and their work aligns with the New Practice Lab’s theory of change: that implementation lessons should inform policy design from the start. More information about the Working Group can be found here. You can reach out to us with questions about the group and its work at npl_work@newamerica.org.