The federal government needs data on Head Start funding strategies and the state-level policy contexts in which programs make funding decisions. 

Amid the movement in early care and education (ECE) to improve quality and better meet the needs of families, children, and the workforce, many ECE program leaders use multiple funding sources to meet the full cost of delivering high-quality programming. Further, leaders at the systems level (e.g., states, counties, large cities, etc.) implement and sometimes coordinate ECE financing policies and funding sources in ways that impact how programs make funding decisions. How funds are coordinated by system leaders or combined by programs may have critical implications for program quality, workforce strength, and equity in access and outcomes for young children and their families. However, decision makers have limited evidence about the national prevalence of ECE funding approaches, the system-level policies that encourage or inhibit combining funding, or local- and state-level coordination strategies. Of particular interest is how Head Start—the federal government’s largest ECE program—uses their federal funding alongside state and local sources to provide high-quality, comprehensive services.

NORC conducted an environmental scan, literature review, key informant interviews, and fielded the first national surveys of ECE financing.

NORC partnered with Start Early, the Children’s Equity Project at Arizona State University, and independent consultant Margery Wallen to design and implement the first national study of Head Start program financing and the state and local policies that influence ECE program decisions. In particular, we want to better understand Head Start programs’ decision making around the use of multiple funding sources and the local and state contexts and conditions that influence those decisions. 

NORC administered two surveys targeted at Head Start program directors and state ECE administrators. To inform the development of those surveys, we completed a number of early activities, including a review of the existing knowledge base, an environmental scan of policies and regulations around the use of multiple ECE funding sources at the state level, key informant interviews, and consultations with technical experts.