Americans—of all political, geographic, and demographic backgrounds—know that making early childhood education high quality boosts the well-being of children and making it affordable helps parents get and keep a job. However, we currently have an underfunded child care system in which the vast majority of children do not receive the support for which they are eligible and low compensation undermines quality.
Our nation can and must do better to create opportunities that help all children and families thrive. NAEYC’s State Fact Sheets highlight key data points and priorities to help you talk with policymakers about what’s happening in early childhood education and for early childhood educators.
Each State Fact Sheet contains data gathered from federal and national sources, as well as NAEYC’s early learning program and higher education accreditation systems, to answer some of the following questions and more:
- What is the annual cost of child care?
- Where are children receiving their early learning experiences?
- What supports are available for the early childhood workforce?
- How much are early childhood educators compensated?
- What kind of federal investments supports access to child care and early learning?
Download your state fact sheet, share it on social media and within your networks, and join us as we work together to deliver on the promise of high-quality early learning for our children, our families, and our country.
All permissions requests to use this work must be in writing and addressed to Daniel Hains at [email protected].
Fact Sheets
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Our State’s Families Need Quality, Affordable Child Care and Early Learning
- (1) Number of children ages 0-5
- (2) Percentage of children with all available parents in the workforce - *National average
- (3) Average percentage of family income spent on child care (Married couples)
- (4) Percentage of child care programs reporting staffing shortages that limit the number of slots available for families
- (5) Percentage of child care programs reporting they had to increase tuition to keep their doors open
- (6) Percentage of people living in a child care desert (Pre-pandemic data)
Investing in Quality Child Care and Early Learning Helps Meet Families’ Needs and Boost the Economy
- (1) Number of children with a potential need for child care
- (2) Licensed capacity in centers and family child care homes
- (3) Number of licensed child care centers 2022, 2024
- (4) Number of licensed family child care homes 2022, 2024
- (5) Long term impact of child care gaps on the state’s economy
- (6) Number of children in state funded PreK programs
- (7) Number of children served in NAEYC accredited early learning programs (NAEYC)
- (8) Number of NAEYC accredited early learning programs (NAEYC)
Our State’s Early Childhood Educators Need Support and Compensation
- (1) Number of educators working with children birth through 5
- (2) Percentage of educators that rely on public benefits to make ends meet
- (3) Percentage of educators that depend on Medicaid for health insurance
- (4) Estimated child care worker salary
- (5) Estimated elementary school teacher salary
- (6) Percentage of educators indicating they are more burned out than previous year
- (7) Percentage of immigrant early educators that make up the state’s ECE workforce
- (8) Scholarships to support early childhood educators in accessing professional development, and earning credentials and degrees
Federal Investments Support Access to Child Care and Early Learning and Increase the Well-Being of Children, Families, and Educators in Our State
- (1) Number of children receiving child care assistance per month, on average
- (2) Percentage of eligible children receiving child care assistance per month, on average
- (3) Average number of children accessing CACFP for nutrition while they attend early learning programs
- (4-5) Number of children accessing special education services through IDEA Preschool Special Education (Part B 619) and Early Intervention (Part C)
- (6) Number of children served by Head Start and Early Head Start programs
- (7) Receiving a Preschool Development Grant to improve ECE system
Resources on Policy Solutions to Address the Child Care Crisis and Advance the Early Childhood Education Field
- NAEYC Federal Policy Agenda
- Compensation Means More Than Wages: Increasing Early Childhood Educators’ Access to Benefits
- The Costs of Deregulating Child Care: Decreased Supply, Increased Turnover, and Compromised Safety
- The Cost of Cuts: What Families and Educators Will Lose in the Wake of the Budget Battle
- Medicaid is a Critical Support for the Early Childhood Education Workforce