Research on the variety of early care and education arrangements, which fall within four primary sectors: public and private child care, State-funded prekindergarten, Federally funded Head Start, and early childhood special education.
Topics include public, private, full-, and part-time care settings that primarily serve the needs of working families and those in school or work preparation activities. They may serve all age ranges or specific ages (e.g., infant, toddler, preschool, school age).
Programs that serve children from birth who have diagnosed special health, developmental, or learning needs. Programs may be in natural or inclusive settings or self-contained classrooms.
Federally funded, locally administered programs for economically disadvantaged children. Head Start and Early Head Start are model programs for comprehensive services with a strong family support element.
Resources on the publicly funded, universal, or targeted at-risk services for preschool children, typically administered by the State department of education. Services target four-year-old or three- and four-year-old children.