Decades of research have shown that children who attend high-quality early care and education programs arrive at kindergarten better prepared to learn than those who do not. In recent years, there has been a surge of support for publicly-funded early childhood programs, including child care subsidies based on income and universal pre-K. The benefits of such programs are particularly significant for low-income children and children of color. Enrolling these groups may be critical to reducing disparities in school readiness. However, due to a range of structural and systemic factors, low-income children and children of color are also more likely to lack access to high-quality programs. Such disparities have been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a wide swath of early childhood programs struggling to survive because of lack of revenue and the significant costs associated with increased health and safety protocols. This brief identifies two central issues to address in order to promote more equitable access: making information on existing high-quality programs more accessible and improving quality by investing in curricula and professional development. Implementing these evidence-based strategies--coupled with direct financial support to programs in danger of closing due to the pandemic--will help build stronger early care and education systems that support the development of the youngest citizens. [Sharon Huang, Michelle Maier, and JoAnn Hsueh contributed to this brief.]