Based upon the view that Arizona's future workforce cannot meet competitive demands if children are not ready to learn at school entry, the Arizona School Readiness Task Force examined ways to improve child care and early education. This report presents the task force findings and recommendations to improve learning opportunities. The report identifies early childhood experiences as critical to shaping school success and identifies several barriers to elevating the quality of child care and preschool. The following recommendations to improve educational quality and overcome barriers are detailed: (1) improve quality by requiring teacher training, providing salary compensation for teachers completing specialized training, establishing a voluntary quality rating system for parents, and providing financial resources to centers and preschools to improve their ratings; (2) remove governance barriers by developing a statewide mechanism to improve coordination and delivery of child care and preschool, and by creating a cohesive, comprehensive multi-year plan to coordinate and improve child care and preschool and to enhance public and private investment; and (3) overcome financial barriers by providing financial support through diversified sources, encouraging employers to offer pretax payroll deductions for child care, providing information on publicly-funded child care subsidies, creating a public fund-matching program for employer child care/preschool contributions, and using additional funds to expand Arizona's financial systems to include preschool in the K-12 educational system. The report's four appendices describe strategies to improve child care quality in various states; describe child care licensure and early childhood programs; describe early childhood governance models in various states; and provide information on financing options. (Contains 19 endnotes.) (KB)