Education doesn’t begin at Pre-Kindergarten. The first years of a child’s life, starting at birth, are critically important to healthy development. If families who use child care are able to place their infants and toddlers in high-quality settings with a focus on child development, their children receive a solid foundation to succeed when they start school.
The good news is the District is taking steps to address this by engaging groups with child development expertise to help child care providers improve their services. The new Early Learning Quality Improvement Network will fund three community-based partners as “neighborhood hubs” to support 14 child care centers and up to 15 family child care homes serving infants and toddlers. Low-income families will be prioritized for enrollment in these programs.
A main goal is to help child care centers and homes meet federal standards that have proven to be effective in improving child development outcomes. The hubs will also deliver other services for low-income children and families, including mental health consultation, family engagement and support, health and nutrition, and early intervention for children with developmental delays.
DCFPI looks forward to watching the progress of these new hubs to ensure all DC families have access to quality child care slots.
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