1. Realize a Seamless Early and Elementary Learning Continuum

To set the foundation for lifelong learning, children need access to aligned and high-quality early and elementary education. Policymakers should try to avoid creating additional silos and instead stimulate robust connections and more emphasis on learning and engagement across the continuum.

Create equitable learning opportunities for all children. The federal government and states should ensure that there are sufficient resources to make high-quality early and elementary education with a well-compensated, diverse workforce universally available. It also means embracing diversity and inclusion as strengths and working to eliminate structural inequities that limit the potential of children and families.

Invest in the construction, renovation, and expansion of facilities. The nation is experiencing a steady decline in the number of child care centers and family child care providers, leading to a lack of access in many areas of the country. Facilities that do exist may be inadequate and unsafe. When the Inspector General’s Office of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services conducted unannounced site visits, it found hazardous conditions in 96 percent of child care facilities. Additional funding for construction of new facilities and maintenance and safety improvements of existing child care facilities and elementary schools are necessary both to increase the supply of early care and education and ensure the health and safety of children and staff. Rural areas should be prioritized by states and the federal government for new facility construction as these areas are especially vulnerable to a lack of child care options, with nearly two-thirds of rural residents living in areas where there are at least three children for every licensed child care slot. Urban public schools should be prioritized for renovation, to prevent the harmful effects of asbestos and lead present in many old buildings from irreparably impairing the health of children and staff.

Prioritize funding for children who need it most. Universal pre-K proposals should provide all three- and four-year-olds with access to high-quality, affordable education through a mixed-delivery system of child care centers, Head Start, public schools, and family child care. Federal policymakers should prioritize investment to make high-quality pre-K free for children from families with low and moderate incomes, while state pre-K dollars should expand on federal funding to provide quality universal programs. Families should be free to choose the setting that best meets their child care needs, whether in a center, family child care home, or with a family member, friend, or neighbor. All educators should earn a family-sustaining wage and receive benefits. Child care should be free for families with low incomes, with other families paying on a sliding scale based on income. States and communities should also invest in children cared for by family, friends, and neighbors by supporting community activities like those found at libraries, in community playgroups, and in programming at local museums.

Encourage more pairing of siloed early learning providers. Breaking down the barriers that have historically existed between early learning providers and between early education and the formal elementary school system will take time. Uptake of the federal government’s Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships grant program is a sign that providers of early learning and child care are eager to share lessons to improve quality. Programs in public libraries and other community programs should coordinate with family child care providers and informal providers. States should invest in family child care through networks and organizations, such as Connecticut-based All Our Kin, that invest in the sustainability and stability of family child care businesses while focusing on quality improvement. Early learning providers and elementary school leaders should consider it part of their job to reach out to each other and establish regular communication and cooperation. Such communication, which can be incentivized by states and the federal government, would help foster alignment and coherence in curriculum and instructional practices as students progress into elementary school.

Ensure a seamless transition between early education and elementary school. When early learning experiences are connected from birth through third grade through actions such as joint professional development and aligned instructional practices, children and families can more seamlessly transition between early care and education programs into elementary school. Smoothing transitions requires careful planning, effective policies and practices, and funding. The transition between pre-K and kindergarten is a particularly important one. States should use Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) funds to encourage transition activities and consider establishing a grant program to spur districts to plan more strategically for transitions. States should also monitor that LEAs are developing memoranda of agreement (MOAs) with Head Start programs as is required under ESSA. When financially possible, schools and districts should hire a coordinator to find and connect with families with children under the age of five, help them access needed services, and begin to build trusting relationships with school staff. Districts can establish cross-grade, cross-school learning communities that include early learning providers and elementary school teachers in order to break down the barriers that have existed between these two different sectors and discuss alignment of instruction and curricula. When children are enrolled at an elementary school for pre-K, their families should have the option to continue at the same school for kindergarten and the elementary grades that follow. States and school districts should look to Oregon and Connecticut for promising examples of work being done to ease the transition to kindergarten. The transition from elementary to middle school is another important transition point that would benefit from aligned curricula and instructional practices.

Include multiple domains of learning in all systems related to early and elementary education. Domains of learning should include, at least: language development (English language arts and dual language learners’ home language), math, science, social studies, social-emotional development, approaches to learning, and creative expression. These domains should be integrated in activities throughout the day. For example, children building with blocks are practicing math when counting the blocks and learning pre-writing skills when writing down their design ideas prior to building. While multiple domains are common in birth-to-five programs, they are less emphasized in the K–3 grades where language arts and, to a lesser extent, math are frequently the dominant focus. States and school districts should make this shift so that a comprehensive approach extends at least through third grade, if not beyond.

• New America resources:
  • Connecting the Steps: State Strategies to Ease the Transition to Kindergarten (policy paper)
  • Using Local, State, and Federal Dollars to Improve Pre-K to K Transitions (policy paper)
  • Moving into Kindergarten: How Schools and Districts are Connecting the Steps for Children and Families (policy paper)
  • No Child Deserves to Attend a Crumbling School (article)
  • First 10 Schools and Communities: Helping All Young Children Grow and Thrive (blog post)
  • Policy Recommendations: Universal Pre-K
• Other resources:
  • The National Association for the Education of Young Children, NAEYC Position Statement: Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education
  • Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, Four Ways Schools Can Support the Whole Child
  • Education Development Center, All Children Learn and Thrive: Building First 10 Schools and Communities
  • Child Care Aware of America, Checking in on the Child Care Landscape: 2019 State Fact Sheets
  • National Public Radio, Pre-K: Decades Worth of Studies, One Strong Message
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Providers: Compliance with State Health and Safety Requirements
  • Connecticut State Department of Education and the Office of Early Childhood, Transition to Kindergarten: The Why, What, and How of this Important Milestone for Connecticut Students