Lessons from Educare’s Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships

First created in 2013, Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CCP) build on the existing strengths of both Early Head Start and child care in order to provide high-quality, comprehensive early learning opportunities for young children. 

Through these partnerships, child care providers are able to work with Early Head Start grantees and gain access to an array of Early Head Start funding and resources including curriculum materials, health and nutrition resources, and professional development. These additional resources expand the reach of Head Start quality programming while preserving the flexibilities of child care providers that fit their unique contexts for the communities they serve. 

Over the last month, the Educare Learning Network has released an eight-part series featuring stories from their organizations’ Early Head Start – Child Care Partnerships. Today, they hosted an online event to discuss the series. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, which has hit the child care sector particularly hard, the series highlights the power of Partnerships to continue to support family care homes and child care centers, even those who faced temporary closures because of COVID-19. This support enabled providers to continue to deliver vital education, health, and nutrition services to young children and families, as well as sustain their own small businesses. This series shows the potential for both immediate and long-term opportunities to sustain and improve high-quality early learning opportunities through a variety of models, including Partnerships. 

Educare’s series provides insights from eight programs that have Partnerships: Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Miami, Tulsa, Central Maine, Denver, Milwaukee, and the District of Columbia. As a conclusion to the series, the Educare Learning Network offers policy recommendations that can help inform a conversation about rebuilding the child care system. 

Read the complete series here.