Podcast: Improving the Quality of Early Child Care

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 1.7 million American children receive federal child care subsidies. But poverty-level wages for child care workers, varied state standards across the country and a lack of accountability for many programs mean parents and policymakers are left in the dark about where those funds go and how well children are being cared for.

For this week’s podcast, we interviewed Grace Reef, chief of policy and evaluation at Child Care Aware of America (formerly the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies). She gave us a snapshot of the diversity of quality in child care within and among states across the country; explained her organization’s efforts to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant; and detailed how Congress, states and the White House can make changes that will enhance the safety and quality of early child care settings.

Earlier this month, Lisa Guernsey, director of the Early Education Initiative here at the New America Foundation, participated in an event with NAF’s Workforce and Family Program examining the problem of uneven quality in child care settings. The discussion, “Putting Quality First,” brought together federal, state and local leaders in child care policy. You can watch a video of the event here.

Early Ed Watch podcast – May 29, 2012

Podcast: Improving the Quality of Early Child Care

With our guest Grace Reef, chief of policy and evaluation at Child Care Aware of America