Research has shown that the first five years play an enormous role in a child’s ongoing development and future success. Since most kids are in a child care or preschool setting while their parents are at work, it’s critical that we invest in a high-quality early education system that provides the experiences kids need for healthy development.
This analysis is looking at the trends in YoungStar over two years, from January 2015 to January 2017. Our primary focus includes two questions: (1) Are more subsidized children receiving higher quality child care over time? (2) Are more child care programs reaching higher quality ratings under YoungStar? Trends for Children: More...
A June 2017 national poll found that 79% of voters—including 80% of Trump votes and 79% of Clinton voters—want Congress and the administration to work together to improve the quality of child care and preschool, and make it more affordable for parents. “ Investing in quality early childhood education from birth through age five has...
A very thorough research report examining Wisconsin’s YoungStar program was published in June 2017, completed by Wisconsin Policy Research Institute and written by Rob Grunewald, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Grunewald also co-authored the 2012 report just as YoungStar was getting launched, “The Economic...
Kids Forward Executive Director Ken Taylor delivered the following remarks at our rebranding launch event, A New Name, A New Look, A Renewed Mission, on July 11, 2017. "One of the keys to our organization’s longevity is that we have been willing and able to look forward and change with the times. Our name change is an indication of our...
A new study: Rating YoungStar – How Wisconsin’s child care quality rating and improvement measures up by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI) carefully analyzes the last few years of YoungStar, with many recommendations for improvement. Some key findings: • There are too few 4- and 5-Star high-quality providers in the poorest...
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