Decision 2024 Your Voices, Your Future: Childcare, The state of early care and education in Indiana

Abstract

High-quality early care and education for children ages 0‒5 is proven to have a meaningful impact on a child’s success in school and beyond. Ninety percent of brain development occurs by age 5. Infants and children learn from every interaction and activity. Everyone shares a collective responsibility to make sure interactions in childcare settings nurture, respond to needs, and optimize brain development and early learning. However, systemic barriers related to access, affordability, and program quality prevent children and their families from fully benefiting from early care and education opportunities when needed, ultimately limiting the multigenerational impact of a sturdy learning foundation. The central question facing stakeholders responsible for the growth, maintenance, or regulation of early childhood education programs is how to ensure access to high-quality early care and learning opportunities for all children. This brief discusses actions that can be taken to address systemic barriers related to access, affordability, and program quality which might keep Hoosier children from reaching their full potential.