Findings from the Early Head Start-Child Care (EHS-CC) Partnerships Sustainability Study
OPRE Report 2023-262
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Key Findings
- Most (77 percent) EHS programs from the first round of EHS-CC Partnership grants had at least one Partnership with a child care provider sustained between 2016 and 2022. About half (54 percent) of EHS programs formed more than two new partnerships between 2016 and 2022, most often because of a need to maintain total slots after partnership(s) with other child care providers terminated.
- EHS program directors reported varied factors for the dissolution of Partnerships with specific child care providers. The most frequently reported (42 percent) major factor was difficulty complying with Head Start Program and Performance Standards beyond ratios and credential requirements. The most frequently reported (26 percent) minor factor was misunderstanding about roles and responsibilities.
- EHS program directors and child care provider respondents reported a number of factors that supported the sustainability of partnerships. The three most frequently reported major supports cited by EHS program directors were: (1) mutual respect with child care providers (81 percent); (2) open communication with child care providers (81 percent); and (3) a commitment among EHS program leadership to partner with child care providers (80 percent). The three most frequently reported major supports cited by child care provider respondents were: (1) stability in leadership at the child care provider (78 percent); (2) a commitment among child care leadership to partner with EHS (72 percent); and (3) a person at the center or family child care provider who actively and enthusiastically promoted partnering with EHS (69 percent).
- EHS program directors and child care provider respondents reported varied, though largely aligned factors that impeded the sustainability of partnerships. The three most frequently reported major barriers cited by EHS program directors were: (1) challenges recruiting qualified staff (67 percent); (2) insufficient funding (64 percent); and (3) challenges maintaining enrollment in partnership slots (64 percent). The three most frequently reported major barriers cited by child care provider respondents were: (1) challenges recruiting qualified staff (24 percent); (2) insufficient funding (24 percent); and challenges meeting child adult ratio and group size requirements (23 percent).
Partnerships between Early Head Start (EHS) programs and child care providers aim to increase access to high-quality, comprehensive services that meet the needs of infants and toddlers from families with low incomes. The Early Head Start—Child Care Partnerships (EHS-CC Partnerships) grants provided a dedicated funding stream to support some of these partnerships. In 2015, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) awarded 250 such grants to support partnerships between EHS programs and regulated child care providers, including centers and family child care providers.
The National Descriptive Study (NDS) of EHS-CC Partnerships of 2016, a national study of the partnering EHS programs and child care providers, reported information on the EHS programs, child care centers, and family child care providers participating in the Partnerships that were funded through the 2015 round of grants. This study, the EHS-CC Partnership Sustainability Study of 2022, is a follow-up to the NDS of 2016 intended to examine whether the Partnerships in the 2015 round of grants lasted, how they changed, and the factors related to their sustainability.
This report highlights findings from the EHS-CC Partnerships Sustainability Study including how Partnerships were faring as of 2022 and the factors that supported or impeded their sustainability. The information and the lessons learned may inform ongoing and future activities of partnerships in early care and education programs as well as training and technical assistance efforts.
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