For more than 80 years, the federal government has invested in childcare and early childhood education programs to support parents and children and help them to succeed. Over time, as society has changed, so has the amount of funding and the names of the funding programs. As our society continues to change, so will the need for funding children and families across the United States.

“From a historic point of view, the United States is in the midst of a second child care revolution, as more and more children under the age of six are cared for by someone other than their parents” (Kilburn & Hao, 1996, p. 46). Historians have known for at least two centuries that the well-being of all children depends on the quality of care received in the early years. Some people believe that as a system we have failed to act boldly on that knowledge within the government arena, and money to support all children is inequitable.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, a two-tiered system of early childhood education programs evolved in the United States. One tier had roots in social welfare systems while the other was rooted in the education system providing preschool education for middle-and upper-class children (Cahan, 1989). During the last century, the federal government vastly expanded its role in early childhood education (Yarrow, 2009). In this chapter, we will focus on government involvement in terms of funding.

The History of Government Funding for Childcare in the United States

As previously mentioned, in 1933 the first federal investment in childcare was made in response to the Great Depression. The Emergency Nursery School program provided childcare for the children of people working government paid jobs, and by 1935 the Aid to Dependent Children program was included in part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal.

During this time, many childcare centers were open seven days a week for 12 months a year and even provided infirmaries for sick children and hot meals for families to take home after work. This all sounds wonderful, but remember that it took two wars and demands on the workforce for the government to make such meaningful resources available for working families (Kiesling, 2019).

After World War II, expansion of public kindergarten began, and the government funded programs for low-income children through Head Start funding and federal childcare subsidies (Economic Opportunity Amendments of 1965). The goal for the funding was to prepare children living in low-income households for elementary school.  In 1994 Early Head Start was created to support pregnant women, infants, and toddlers through age three (Human Services Amendments of 1994). Now, Head Start offers a range of comprehensive services to strengthen families.

In 1974 federal dollars helped to create the Social Services Block Grant (Housing and Community Development Act of 1974), to support parents in the workforce by supporting childcare service. In 1990 this program was extended to families with incomes that did not qualify under previous income guidelines. President Bill Clinton signed into law the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which brought welfare freeform to working families under a program called the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

Over the past two decades, we have learned more about children’s brain development and also have research on what makes quality early learning experiences. The results of this science reflects the government response. Congress is increasing funding for already existing programs. Head Start has had an increase from 6.8 to 10.6 billion dollars to serve 1.3 million children and 769,000 families each month (Bipartisan Policy Center, 2019).

The role that an individual state plays in childcare comes from state involvement in both federally funded and state-initiated programs. For example, not all states match federal funds allocated to some federally funded programs, and states can determine the eligibility criteria for participation in federally funded programs.

Every state regulates childcare in some form, and all states license childcare centers. In Washington state, the Department of Children, Youth and Families is responsible for licensing and monitoring of licenses for childcare and family childcare centers.

Washington State Involvement in Setting Standards

In Washington state, the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) is the agency that supports adult educators who care for and teach young children. The mission of the DCYF is to provide a “comprehensive framework and delivering of services for [professional development] that includes adult learning and workforce development to ensure improved outcomes for children, youth and the adults who provide education and services” (n.d.-b, para. 2).

The agency supports state-approved training through professional development known as STARS recorded in a registry program entitled MERIT. The guiding framework for providing training is found in a document called the Core Competencies. More about this system can be found in Chapter 11.

The state recognizes that children’s outcomes can improve when children attend quality early learning programs and when teachers’ skills and education levels are supported. To that end, Washington state offers an ECE Career Planning Portal to assist students as they plan their career in early learning. Most community colleges in the state of Washington offer the State Stackable Certificates, of which this class ECED 105 Intro to Early Childhood Education is a part, within the initial ECE certificate. Financial assistance for students is provided at most community colleges through the Early Achievers Grant program, which can often fund tuition, books, and other costs for students working in the field at an Early Achievers rated childcare site. In addition, financial assistance can be given to students pursuing a bachelor’s degree through Child Care Aware of Washington’s Scholarships for Child Care Providers. Also, DCYF works with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to support professionals working with school-age children.

Attributions

1. Figure 1.10: War workers’ nursery. Knowing her five-year-old will be well cared for… by Ann Rosener in the Public Domain; The contents of the Library of Congress Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives are in the public domain and are free to use and reuse.