Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/unintended-consequences-the-impact-of-state-funded-preschool-on-infant-and-toddler-care/5024292/
What early childhood educators have been touting for many years has finally caught on—the notion that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the saying goes. Indeed, never before have we seen such an investment in early childhood education; not just at the federal level, but also at the state and local levels (W. Steven Barnett, 2017). Considering the research on investments in early childhood education and the link to increased graduation rates, increased literacy levels and decreased incarceration rates, (Heckman, 2016) the amplified investment is impressive to say the least.
But have these investments come at a price? Much of the nation’s infant and toddler care is achieved in family homes and child care centers (Children’s Defense Fund, n.d.) and because infant and toddler care is much more expensive to provide due to the required lower adult-to-child ratios (typically 3:1 or 4:1, though it varies by state), preschool care has long been subsidizing infant and toddler care. So what happens when there is a lack of business for those preschool slots in child cares? The unintended consequence may very well be an even greater shortage of infant and toddler care, which was already scarce ...