Nearly 15 million children under age 6 live in households in which all parents work, leaving these children in need of high-quality child care. The physical infrastructure of these spaces has been long neglected, and parents are forced to place their children in substandard settings. It is critical to recognize that high-quality environments lead to better outcomes for young children and that the nation’s children cannot wait for greater investments in early learning infrastructure that supports their development.
How many child care facilities require renovations to meet basic health and safety standards? What types of renovations are necessary to ensure these facilities are developmentally appropriate for young children? And where are opportunities to build new child care facilities? A nationally representative assessment of child care facilities could determine the scope of the problem. In the meantime, the nation’s children cannot wait. They need healthy, safe, and developmentally appropriate facilities that can help them thrive.
The Bipartisan Policy Center has released a report that highlights key problem areas and how we can begin to push for high quality facilities and healthy, early learning environments.
Click here to learn more.
