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Equipping leaders to design equitable, effective early childhood financing systems
Each year, decisions across multiple funding streams shape early childhood systems in our communities. CELFE’s new Early Care & Education Funding Design Institute will build leaders’ capacities to see the full system and equips them to design and sustain more fair and effective funding srategies with children and families at the center.
Early care and education funding is often fragmented, and leaders may only see part of the system. This can make it difficult to align resources, set effective rates and design policies that advance quality and equity. Strengthening leaders’ ability to understand the full funding landscape and how its parts work together is essential to building more coherent and effective financing strategies.
States are also navigating an important moment. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities across the early care and education system, while federal relief dollars demonstrated what is possible when funding is designed differently. As states refine their approaches in today’s landscape, there is an opportunity to develop funding strategies that center children and families while supporting long-term systems change.