Infant-Toddler Child Care Amidst Changing Policy Landscapes: Family Preferences, Preschool Expansion, and Provider Perspectives

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

Approximately 14.4 million children across the United States under 5 have all available parents in the workforce (First Five Years Fund, 2024). Likewise, widespread reports of America’s child care crisis creating substantial obstacles in day-to-day life and planning for families permeate the news and the early childhood education (ECE) field. Issues related to long waitlists, high costs, and child care deserts mount as the demand for quality child care continues to exceed the supply. Despite national attention, the ECE literature has not kept pace in examining infant and toddler child care. Little is known about program characteristics concerning families’ preferences, the implications of preschool expansion, and decision-making processes at child care programs. The present panel addresses these research questions by centering on center based ECE programs licensed to serve infants and toddlers amidst a changing policy landscape.

Paper 1 considers how the roll-out of preschool in public schools has impacted parental choice for preschool-age and infant-toddler care. Using representative data from the National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE 2012, 2019), the results consider how national preschool expansion has impacted parents’ decision-making regarding the care for children not yet in Kindergarten. Paper 2 furthers this work by using the NSECE data to answer questions regarding workforce professionalization and parents’ preferences at the national level. Paper 3 complements this work with a focus on child care closures in New Jersey since its expansion of state Preschool Expansion Aid funding to school districts. Using a survival analysis, they evaluate characteristics of programs and the school districts they reside in that are associated with an increased likelihood of closure using multiple state data sources. Understanding parents’ preferences for child care from infancy through Kindergarten enrollment and the risk and protective factors for child care closures provides key insights using quantitative analyses to further the understanding of the present infant-toddler ECE landscape.

Papers 3 and 4 highlight voices often missing from policy work: infant-toddler ECE providers. Both studies implemented semi-structured interviews with program directors: Paper 4 of providers participating in Nevada’s Infant Toddler Contracted Slots (ITCS) policy program and Paper 3 of prior directors of recently closed child care programs in New Jersey. Paper 4’s results identify three dimensions of decision making to determine selection for ITCS enrollment slots: Reasonable Effort, Affordability, and Support for Child Development.

Taken together, the panel considers infant-toddler child care in various contexts using a blend of methodological approaches with studies presenting both qualitative and quantitative research to contextualize challenges ECE providers encounter. The blend of data across two nationally representative datasets, a multitude of state data, and two state contexts: New Jersey and Nevada, provides a unique opportunity to contextualize the current understanding of the ECE field, and highlight different state policies and providers’ voices. To complement the research, the panel’s discussants contribute longstanding expertise in national and state public policy, and a rich understanding of infant-toddler policies and the broader ECE context.

Policy Area

• Family and Child Policy

Secondary Policy Area

• Education

Chair

• Irma Arteaga, University of Missouri-Columbia

Discussants

• Tutrang Nguyen, Mathematica

• Andrea Hetling, Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Organizer

• Jennifer K Duer, National Institute for Early Education Research

Individual Presentations

• Parental Choices of Early Care Settings and the Local Availability of Public School-Based Preschool - Presenting Author: Judy A Temple, University of Minnesota; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Sangyoo Lee, University of Nebraska Medical Center; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Irma Arteaga, University of Missouri-Columbia

• Expanding ECE Access for Infants and Toddlers: Provider Perspectives on Nevada’s Infant-Toddler Contracted Slots Program - Presenting Author: Alain Bengochea, University of Nevada - Las Vegas; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Gerilyn Slicker, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Examining Impacts of Preschool Expansion on Infant-Toddler Child Care Access - Presenting Author: Jennifer K Duer, National Institute for Early Education Research; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Allison H. Friedman-Krauss, National Institute for Early Education Research; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Milagros Nores, National Institute for Early Education Research

• Power to the Infant-Toddler Profession: Implications for Parents' Access to High-Quality Care and Education - Presenting Author: Laura Betancur, Urban Institute; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Erica Greenberg, Urban Institute