Growth and Impact in Early Care and Learning

What does the early learning landscape look like in your state?

How does your state compare with other states on critical early indicators?

 

Policymakers who wish to have an impact on the care and learning that occurs in early childhood education programs in their states must consult multiple sources to find current information on key issues influencing early care and learning, like access, affordability, quality, and funding. With support from Blue Meridian Partners, The Hunt Institute developed a one-stop scale for policymakers to measure growth and impact on 20 key early indicators across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Building on The Hunt Institute’s founder, former four-term North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt’s advocacy for strong early learning policy initiatives, the goal of this scale is to provide current snapshots of states’ early care and learning landscapes for children under five years of age, to inform initiatives supporting young children, their families, and the economy.


State Snapshots

A female teacher taking care of and watching early childhood babies playing with a toy together.

High-quality, affordable, accessible early care and learning opportunities are essential for children, families, and the economy. The Hunt Institute conducted a scan of published data on key indicators from 2023 and consolidated the most compelling indicators under four main categories: Access, Affordability, Quality, and Funding. Workforce, a foundational category, is threaded through the analysis to illustrate its critical importance.

Click here to read the summary.

Scoring Guide

A female teacher clapping and playing with early childhood babies.

The scoring guide provides descriptions for each of the 20 indicators as well as comparisons, and shows how each indicator is gradated on the four-point scale. It includes links to sources for all indicators and comparisons.

Click here for the scoring guide.

 

 

 

 


 

Find Your 2024 State Snapshot

Click on your state below to view the snapshot.

Click here for policy considerations aligned to each scale category.

A visual key to support the state ranking tool, with four different categories from emerging, evolving, expanding, and excelling.