As states work to provide public funds for early care and education programs, they need data on the current system to better provide a system that supports parents' need to work, promotes healthy child development, and ensures the educational quality of all early education and care programs. This report provides Massachusetts' policy makers with a picture of how public funds to support early education and care are currently distributed. The report includes data on state and federal programs, and describes initiatives to standardize data collection across programs. Also summarized are findings from recent brain development research; the effects of high-quality programs are discussed. The report concludes with recommendations for expanding services and creating a better infrastructure for early education and care. Six appendices include definitions, a summary of state and federal agencies funding early care and education services, descriptions of the Boston EQUIP and the Community Profiles Projects, and lists of participating communities and estimated need data per town. (Contains 34 references.) (KB)