Collaborating Across Sectors to Scale Early Learning Infrastructure
The development of early learning and care infrastructure is not a one-sector job. It requires public-private partnerships, collaboration with local governments, and community involvement. By pooling resources and expertise, stakeholders can achieve more significant, long-lasting impacts that benefit everyone—families, businesses, and the economy alike.
Tools & Resources
Zoning and Tax Assistance Guides: Summary Report, General Recommendations
The Economics of Child Care Supply (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis child care affordability factsheets.
Stories
What is social infrastructure, and how does it support economic growth in the United States?
Economic Effects from Preschool and Childcare Programs:
One State Rolled Out a Promising Child Care Model. Now Others Are Replicating It.
Child Care is Infrastructure: Evidence from Universal Pre-K
The First Five Things To Know About: Child Care Is Infrastructure
National Women’s Law Center Blog on Child Care & Early Learning
Partners/Champions
Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)
Early Childhood Investment Corporation
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
National Women’s Law Center (NWLC)
First Five Years Fund (FFYF)
Next Steps: What Development Can Do
Develop Public-Private Funding Models to Support Child Care Startups. Establish public-private partnerships that provide grants, low-interest loans, or tax incentives for child care providers to open or expand in low-income and rural areas. Draw from models like the Philadelphia Reinvestment Fund, which offers financing solutions for providers, or explore tri-share models where costs are shared among state, employer, and family.
Utilize Modeling Tools to Identify and Prioritize Investments
Use GIS mapping and demand modeling tools to identify areas with the highest child care needs. Use this data to prioritize funding and infrastructure investments, focusing on locations where accessibility gaps are greatest, such as rural or high-poverty neighborhoods.
Promote targeted child care programs that focus on economically disadvantaged communities, ensuring sustainable long-term economic benefits. Communities benefit greatly from child care programs tailored to support economically disadvantaged areas, as these initiatives provide a pathway to stable workforce engagement and upward mobility. Development professionals and local governments can collaborate to design funding programs and incentives that make high-quality child care more accessible in underserved neighborhoods.
Advocate for increased public investment in child care infrastructure to enhance labor force participation, particularly among women with young children.
Investment in child care infrastructure is a proven strategy for increasing workforce participation, especially among parents, including women with young children.
Explore Community-Driven Child Care Solutions, such as Cooperatives. Engage with community organizations, nonprofits, and parents to explore cooperative child care models, where families pool resources and operate as a collective. Cooperative models can address workforce shortages and reduce costs for low-income families, particularly in rural or isolated areas that lack child care infrastructure.
Support Workforce Development Programs to Train and Retain Child Care Educators. Advocate for scholarships, loan forgiveness, and wage subsidies for child care educators committed to working in underserved communities.
