Kindergarten Readiness Playbook Appendix and Bibliography
Kindergarten Readiness Playbook: Chapter 10
Overview
A strong start sets children up for future success. Kindergarten readiness is linked to later outcomes, like third-grade reading, high school graduation, college attendance and earnings. Communities can improve early outcomes through high-quality early learning, engaged caregivers, access to health care and safe, inclusive schools.
Appendix
Design principles
Based on interviews with network members and conversations with StriveTogether staff, the following design principles were used to guide the writing of this playbook.
- Expand depth and breadth: Expand on existing frameworking by including indicators from multiple domains.
- Universal navigation: The playbook will be a tool for all audiences, Cradle to Career Network members, their communities and any organization working to improve cradle-to-career outcomes. Organize the playbook in an accessible way, using flags/tags and including detailed research in the appendix.
- Honor local context: Organizations work closely with their communities to identify and pursue solutions that they believe will work. We will create the playbook as a way to enhance the hyper-local process communities use. This means referencing the community-centered planning processes, which starts by consulting the community and letting community voices lead the planning process. The playbook will likely be part of the second or third step, but not necessarily the first.
- Speak the language: Align to StriveTogether language but no jargon.
- Make the playbook language easy to understand.
- Create consistent language by resolving similar concepts using different terminology. By aligning other frameworks behind the E-W framework, we can “crosswalk” and translate concepts into a common language.
- Clear sourcing: Cite all sources so that readers can dig deeper in areas of interest.
- Highlight and center various source frameworks within the playbook, not just in the appendix.
- Provide an annotated bibliography.
Spreadsheet
Essential questions, indicators, practices and policies have been added to a spreadsheet to make it easier for communities to sort by priority area. The spreadsheet is available here.
A fractured system of services: Understanding federal funding for early childhood education and care
Multiple agencies in every state administer the array of public programs supporting young children and families as they get ready for kindergarten. Each agency, and often each program, has different eligibility requirements, access procedures, services, funding restrictions, etc. The disparate nature of these supports make it harder for families to get the support they need and are entitled to receive. Many states, however, recognize these challenges and are working to improve efficiency and effectiveness by streamlining and/or combining services (Sara Watson, StriveTogether).
At the federal level, several longstanding federal funding programs exist, but span multiple agencies and, similar to states, take different approaches. Funding available at the state level generally compliments federal funding programs for early childhood education and care. Below, we outline the main federal funding streams to bring awareness to these enabling, but fractured, means of support (NCSL, Katz 2024).
Funding streams for early childhood education and care:
Child care and development fund: Designed to support states, territories and tribes to create child care subsidies. This combines mandatory and discretionary funding for states
(NCSL, Katz 2024).
Child care entitlements to the states: Two-part funding that goes directly to states to support families receiving, transitioning from or at risk of needing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) support (NCSL, Katz 2024).
Child care and development block grants: Provides flexible funding to states for child care subsidies for families with limited incomes, working families with children under 13. Eligible families who receive a subsidy may choose any child care provider that meets state health and safety requirements (Alliance for Early Success).
Head Start, Early Head Start and Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships: The federal Head Start program offers education, nutrition, health and other support services to children and families experiencing poverty (NCSL, Katz 2024). Head Start preschool programs are for children ages 3 through school age and Early Head Start programs are for children ages 0-2 and pregnant women. Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships are competitive grants that allow Early Head Start grantees to partner with local child care providers who serve children in low-income households (NCSL, Katz 2024). All Head Start grants flow directly to local public and private organizations running early childhood programs which can be center-based, home-based or another locally-designed delivery method (NCSL, Katz 2024).
Preschool development grants: A competitive grant program designed to help states and territories improve coordination and collaboration between existing early childhood systems through a mixed-delivery model (NCSL, Katz 2024).
Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA): IDEA allocates federal funds to states and school districts to help cover the expenses of early intervention, education and related services for children and youth with disabilities. It also sets guidelines for identifying children with disabilities and delivering suitable services and educational support based on their age. Additionally, IDEA mandates that states must use these funds to add to, rather than replace, existing financial support for students with disabilities NCSL, Katz 2024).
Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS): CCAMPIS is a competitive grant program that assists colleges and universities in offering affordable child care for student parents with low incomes, either on or near campus, while they pursue undergraduate or graduate degrees. To qualify for the grant, institutions must meet specific criteria, such as utilizing their own resources and applying a sliding fee scale for child care services. Student parents benefiting from CCAMPIS subsidies can also access other federal child care programs they are eligible for (NCSL, Katz 2024).
Several federal funding sources can be used to support early childhood education and care, though they are not exclusively designated for that purpose. To learn more, you can visit the National Conference of State Legislatures. (National Conference of State Legislatures)
Bibliography
To view the complete bibliography for the Kindergarten Readiness Outcomes Playbook, download the full playbook at the link below. The bibliography begins on page 96.
Playbook ChaptersKindergarten Readiness Playbook
Download the full playbook