California Families See Little Growth in Child Care Centers
Published

Summary

The rise in the number of working mothers has led to a greater need for childcare, and investments have been made to support early education. California's childcare programs have seen a surge in funding, including a tax credit program. The policy brief aims to explore if the increased funding has improved access to quality childcare centers and preschools for California families.
Findings from the Child Care Providers Focus Groups
Publication author
Published

Summary

This report presents findings from PACE's study on how California's childcare subsidy system and CalWORKs program impact licensed and license-exempt childcare providers. Five focus groups were conducted in 1999 and 2000, with topics organized by providers' services, philosophies of care, operational issues, and opinions about the subsidy system. The report provides insight into the experiences of childcare providers across California, but does not claim to be representative of the industry.
Lessons from San Francisco and Alameda Counties
Publication author
Published

Summary

The policy brief discusses the reasons behind California's increase in public investment in early care and education programs, including the rising demand for childcare, recognition of the potential benefits for child development and school readiness, and the implementation of welfare-to-work programs with results and insights from both San Francisco and Alameda Counties.
Mothers and Young Children Move Through Welfare Reform
Published

Summary

This report discusses the lack of knowledge about the impact of welfare-to-work programs on young children since 1996, and how policy leaders are debating ways to aid jobless mothers and enrich their children's lives. The project team followed 948 mothers and preschool-age children for two to four years after the women entered new welfare programs in California, Connecticut, and Florida.
Mothers and Young Children Move Through Welfare Reform: Executive Summary
Published

Summary

This report examines how welfare-to-work programs have affected the lives of young children since 1996, and how they've impacted the home and childcare settings in which they are raised. The study followed 948 mothers and preschool-age children in California, Connecticut, and Florida for two to four years, using interviews, assessments, and visits to homes and childcare settings. The report highlights the major findings from the study.
Year 1—Qualitative Implementation Study
Published

Summary

This report on San Francisco County’s CARES program (SF CARES) provides guidance for policymakers, program administrators, and childcare advocates planning similar initiatives. PACE collected feedback from program planners, stipend recipients, and other childcare community members on aspects of the planning and implementation process. SF CARES successfully distributed over 400 stipends in the program’s first year, but challenges remain in reaching a broader array of childcare providers and communicating program goals.
Year 1—Qualitative Implementation Study
Published

Summary

This report provides guidance on implementing childcare retention initiatives based on Alameda County’s Child Development Corps program. PACE conducted focus groups with stakeholders to gather feedback on the planning and implementation process. The program saw increased commitment from providers to their profession and seeking training opportunities, but challenges remain with fitting permit requirements to family providers and relevance of courses.
Findings from 1999–2000 and 2000–01
Published

Summary

This report evaluates California's Class Size Reduction (CSR) program up to the 2000-01 school year, updating previous findings on teacher qualifications, curriculum, student achievement, and special populations. The report also discusses how districts and schools have allocated resources in support of CSR.
Published

Summary

This article discusses the role of childcare in promoting the development and opportunities for low-income children, noting that federal and state funding for childcare has increased dramatically since welfare reform. Despite this, children from poor households are less likely to be enrolled in high-quality programs than children from affluent families. To achieve welfare reform's goal of breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty, welfare-to-work programs should increase access to high-quality childcare in low-income neighborhoods.
Published

Summary

This report discusses an initiative by the California Children and Families Commission to expand the availability and quality of early care and education programs. The project includes recruiting and training early care providers, improving professional preparation, and implementing strategies to retain trained providers. The report provides information on existing training programs available to early childhood professionals and students, including accredited/non-accredited opportunities at community colleges, state universities, private colleges, and child care resource and referral agencies.
Policy Success, Remaining Gaps
Published

Summary

This paper analyzes the quality of center-based programs in diverse lower-income communities in California. The majority of centers displayed high levels of quality, and community conditions such as poverty levels and ethnic composition did not consistently influence quality. Public subsidies positively affected center quality, while the presence of more programs in a community may slightly lower quality due to increased demand for enrollment.
Focusing on San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties
Published

Summary

This report analyzes California's early childhood education programs and finds that attending public preschool programs improves school readiness and academic performance, particularly for low-income children. The study also shows that the economic benefits of preschool programs far outweigh the costs, including increased earnings and decreased need for remedial education and social services. Recommendations include expanding access to high-quality preschool programs for low-income children in California to reduce economic inequality.
New Lessons for Los Angeles
Published

Summary

California is experiencing a shortage of quality childcare options for families, despite increased funding from the government and parents. Local policymakers in Los Angeles County are conducting research to determine where childcare supply falls short of demand and how to allocate resources to address the issue. Two recent studies provide options for policymakers to consider.
New Education Policies
Publication author
Published

Summary

Senior slump is a phenomenon unique to American high schools, where students view senior year as a time for nonacademic pursuits. This report suggests curtailing senior slump to add valuable months to students' education at a critical point in their intellectual development. Policy directives are presented to help American high schools reclaim the senior year.
Local Innovations Help Working Families
Publication author
Published

Summary

Many low-income families struggle to afford childcare, even with financial supports. Less than one-fourth of eligible families sign up for subsidies in many communities, leading to disparities in access. The What Works series examines effective programs and policy strategies to increase participation in childcare subsidy programs. The report draws from the Growing Up in Poverty Project, which found highly variable rates of eligible parents using childcare subsidies across CA, CT, and FL. Possible reasons for low utilization and present novel strategies to increase participation are discussed.
Spinning Out the Implications of the 'New' School Finance
Publication authors
Published

Summary

The "new" school finance approach investigates how resources are used within schools and classrooms to enhance educational outcomes, rather than focusing solely on spending patterns. The report reviews literature on resource use in education and suggests that additional funding is not sufficient to improve outcomes. Research should analyze how resources are used within classrooms and schools. Policymakers should develop complementary reforms and enact categorical funding. The report warns that education expenditures keep expanding with little to show for them.
Publication author
Published

Summary

This paper examines the relationship between policy formation in the United States and educational policy researchers. The experience of one independent 'think tank', namely PACE, located within universities, illustrates how research might inform policy and how it might not be victim to the problems, well rehearsed in the literature, of poor dissemination. Fruitful links between policy research and policy formation require close attention to the sources, channels, and format of dissemination, to the nature of the message, and to the characteristics of the policymakers.
New Education Policy Center's Goal Is to Be Information Resource for Policymakers and Michigan Educators
Publication authors
Published

Summary

Michigan State University's College of Education has established the nonpartisan Education Policy Center to provide lawmakers and educational leaders with accurate, research-based information to improve the state's educational system. With the support of the university's resources, the center aims to play an important role in deepening the policy debate and bringing about improvements in the system. The center was established due to a lack of systematic communication between researchers and policymakers in Michigan.
Executive Summary
Publication author
Published

Summary

The California State Plan for Vocational and Technical Education 2000-2004 was developed with PACE's help, linking vocational education to other aspects of California's education system. The plan aimed to improve academic learning through strong vocational programs and better linkages between the world of schooling and the world of work. The summary covers the plan's context, guiding principles, vocational education, accountability, evaluation, and Tech-Prep Education.
How Mothers Balance Work Requirements and Parenting
Published

Summary

This paper examines how mothers select childcare to meet welfare-to-work requirements. Interviews with seven mothers from different ethnic groups show that trust in childcare providers to keep their children safe is the most important criterion. Structural constraints on their choices are also analyzed. The findings suggest that policymakers should focus on trust and legitimacy of childcare providers in addition to supply and educational quality.
Publication author
Published

Summary

Governments are expanding the availability of portable child-care vouchers to boost working parents' purchasing power, rather than simply building more child-care facilities. Despite this, parents in poor communities still have limited choices due to cost and supply. Many eligible parents are not using subsidies, resulting in high out-of-pocket expenses for child care. Low-income working mothers make tough choices, working more hours or relying on informal providers, resulting in several transitions for children throughout the week, which experts suggest is not good for young children.
Published

Summary

A study conducted for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services aimed to determine the supply and demand of licensed childcare in the county, with a focus on low-income communities and special types of care. The survey analyzed data at three levels: county-wide, service planning areas, and supervisorial districts. Results showed disparities in childcare supply across the county, with shortages in special types of care and little information on where childcare is needed.
Mothers Balance Work and Child Care Under Welfare Reform—Executive Summary
Published

Summary

A four-year study aimed to learn how welfare reform affects children's upbringing and development, showing early warning signals such as low-quality childcare and social isolation among women. The report provides a baseline picture for 948 families across three states and suggests an unfinished agenda for cash assistance and family support programs to lift children out of poverty.
Are the Reform Pieces Fitting Together?
Published

Summary

"Crucial Issues in California Education 2000" is a PACE publication that offers an analytical overview of California education through in-depth research projects contributed by experts statewide. It provides the latest data analysis and overall strategic recommendations on a wide variety of issues, from childcare to universities, making it a unique source for policy analysis. The volume is the largest in the history of the series, bringing together numerous reports on components of California education in one source.