The National School Lunch Program's (NSLP) original goal was to help students in need, but policy changes in the past decade have made students from middle-income and upper-income families eligible for federally funded school meals. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), an expansion of the NSLP enacted in 2010, effectively created a federal…

This literature review aims to understand who is and is not being served by Head Start among families experiencing adversity; the range of recruitment, selection, enrollment, and retention (RSER) strategies that programs use with families experiencing adversity; the factors that shape the use of RSER strategies; and the effectiveness of specific…

Background: Early care and education (ECE) quality has been a topic of discussion for several decades (Burchinal, 2018; Mashburn et al., 2008; NICHD ECCRN, 2002). The structure-process-child outcomes theory proposes that structural features (e.g., teacher education, class size) of quality predict process quality (e.g., teacher-child interactions),…

High rates of teacher turnover in child care settings have negative implications for young children's learning experiences and for efforts to improve child care quality. Prior research has explored the prevalence and predictors of turnover at the individual teacher level, but less is known about turnover at the center level -- specifically, how…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the year 2016 describes New Jersey's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies New Jersey will implement to address those challenges. The cross agency RTT-ELC team has continued to implement the eleven projects that the federal partners have…

Minnesota's vision for its Race to the Top -- Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) work was based in years of research showing the impact of high quality early childhood programs on children's school readiness and success in life. Minnesota's State plan was to increase access to high quality early learning development programs for children across…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the year 2016 describes Vermont's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies Vermont will implement to address those challenges. 2016 marked a year of substantial progress for Vermont's Early Learning Challenge (ELC) grant, particularly at the…

This report details the story of North Carolina's Race to the Top--Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) Grant for the period of 2012-2016. It provides detailed reflections on the state's accomplishments over the grant period and shares the enhanced vision for the RTT-ELC in North Carolina. Specific details are provided about what has changed in the…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) final performance report for the year 2016 describes Rhode Island's vision for RTT-ELC, what has changed in Rhode Island and in early learning programs as a result of RTT-ELC, and the lessons learned in implementing a comprehensive reform agenda. The RTT-ELC grant offered Rhode Island the…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) final performance report for the year 2016 describes Delaware's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies Delaware will implement to address those challenges. Delaware made significant progress throughout the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge in four identified…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the year 2016 describes Colorado's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies Colorado will implement to address those challenges. Guided by the vision of the Early Childhood Colorado Framework (their vision, goals, and priorities for a…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) final performance report for the year 2016 describes California's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies California will implement to address those challenges. California's Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) implements a unique approach that builds…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the reporting period of 01-01-2016 to 12-31-2016 provides a summary of New Mexico's accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies that New Mexico will implement to address those challenges. New Mexico has made significant progress on the Race to…

This Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) annual performance report for the reporting period of 01-01-2016 to 12-31-2016 in Pennsylvania provides a detailed summary of accomplishments, lessons learned, challenges, and strategies that the state of Pennsylvania will implement to address those challenges. Some accomplishments…

This report details the story of the Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) Grant in Washington for the period of 2012-2016. It provides detailed reflections on the state's accomplishments over the grant period, shares the enhanced vision for the RTT-ELC in Washington, and provides specific details about what has changed in the state…