State Legislative Trends and Policies

• State Public Policy Developments Update: Fall 2007
• Elevating the Field: Using NAEYC Early Childhood Accreditation to Support and Reach Higher Quality in Early Childhood Programs

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems

NAEYC Resources on Quality Rating and Improvement Systems

• NAEYC position on Quality Rating Systems
• Quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS) have gained prominence as they focus on continuous quality improvement in early childhood education. QRIS use state regulation and licensing as a foundation and build a progressive set of benchmarks toward higher program quality. Click here for descriptive summaries of each of the three major national early childhood and school-age program accreditation systems.
  
• NAEYC Quality Rating and Improvement Systems Toolkit
• Fact Sheet on Quality Rating Improvement Systems and NAEYC Accreditation
• States Policies on NAEYC Accreditation, Quality Rating and Improvement Systems and Tiered Reimbursement Programs
• National Child Care Information Center Resources

PreKindergarten

• State Prekindergarten Programs
  State Pre-k Facts
• National Institute for Early Education Research The State of Preschool: 2006 State Preschool Yearbook
  Seeds of Success: State Pre-kindergarten Initiatives 1998-1999
  National Institute for Early Education Research The State of Preschool: 2003 State Preschool Yearbook
• Pre-K Policy Framework
  The National Prekindergarten Center (NPC) at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute
• Accreditation and Pre-K
  States or Cities that Require Early Care and Education Program Accreditation

Comprehensive System and Coordination

• Early Child Care and Education: State Governance Structure
• Building an Early Learning System: The ABC's of Planning and Governance Structures
• Emerging Entities to Govern and Manage Early Care & Education at the Community and State Levels
• Emerging State Structures: Organizations That Promote Collaboration
• Smart Start
• Build Initiative
• State Head Start Collaborative Offices

Licensing

• NAEYC Position Statement on Licensing and Public Regulation of Early Childhood Programs
• National Association of Regulatory Agencies (NARA)

Babies and Toddlers

• Better Baby Care Campaign

Kindergarten

• Still Unacceptable Trends in Kindergarten Entry and Placement
• NAEYC Position Statement on School Readiness
• Education Commission of the States Kindergarten Database

State Policy Archive

Links to other national organizations representing state policymakers

• National Conference of State Legislatures
• National Governors' Association
• Education Commission of the States