Library

Reports: Childcare

Child Care is Unaffordable in Every State
National Women's Law Center, February 2025, 4 pp.
Discusses the cost of child care center, concluding that a family would need to make over $180,000 per year to reasonably afford the national cost of infant care. more info >

North Dakota Child Care Data by County
Child Care Aware of North Dakota, September 2024, 1 pp.
Presents data about child care in North Dakota, including projected needs, referral requests, child care capacity, and average costs. Statewide and county data is compiled and revised annually. more info >

Race for Results: Building a Pathway to Opportunity for All Children
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, January 2024, 51 pp.
This report uses the Race for Results Index, a collection of data presented by racial and ethnic groups and by state, to examine progress and disparities related to child and youth wellbeing. Indicators address early childhood, academic achievement, teen parenting, higher education, and family characteristics. more info >

State of America’s Children Report
Children's Defense Fund, January 2024
This report summarizes the status of America’s children in 11 areas: child population, child poverty, income and wealth inequality, housing and homelessness, child hunger and nutrition, child health, early childhood, education, child welfare, youth justice, and gun violence. more info >

State of Preschool Yearbook
National Institute for Early Education Research, November 2023, 427 pp.
Annual report profiling state-funded pre-kindergarten programs in the United States. Individual state profiles include a description of prekindergarten initiatives, followed by data about access, quality and spending. more info >

North Dakota Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five: 2023 Needs Assessment Final Report
North Dakota Health and Human Services, June 2023, 26 pp.
This needs assessment built on lessons learned from North Dakota’s continued efforts to strengthen its early childhood sector. Participants in a 2023 survey of North Dakota Head Start agency staff said their top priority was support for the expansion of and access to high-quality workforce and career development opportunities for staff. more info >

Big Ideas for Children
First Focus, December 2022, 191 pp.
Part of a series calling upon policy thinkers to provide fresh proposals designed to advance federal policy and improve the health, safety, and well-being of children. more info >

State Child Care Assistance Policies Reports
National Women's Law Center, June 2022
Annual national report that looks at trends in state child care assistance policies. more info >

Understanding Coping Strategies of Mothers with Low Income
Urban Institute, January 2022, 75 pp.
An exploratory study of the strategies that mothers with young children and few economic resources use to meet their caregiving and related needs. The report also examines the role of community-based organizations in supporting mothers and families and improving outcomes for children. more info >

Untapped Potential: Economic Impact of Childcare Breakdowns on U.S. States
Center for Education and Workforce, November 2021, 44 pp.
Examines the impact of childcare challenges on the state economies of Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Missouri, and Texas. The studies reveal that addressing childcare breakdowns would unlock significant economic potential for states, employers, and working parents. more info >

Reviewing the Research Base from 1985-2020: Infant and Toddler Child Care and At-Risk Children’s School Readiness
University of Virginia, July 2021, 64 pp.
This report reviews research on infant and toddler child care conducted since roughly 1985, looking particularly at studies highlighting the roles subsidized care, child care quality, and different programmatic inputs can play in supporting the school readiness of young children considered to be at-risk for poor developmental outcomes. more info >

COVID-19 Didn’t Create a Child Care Crisis, But Hastened and Inflamed It
Carsey School of Public Policy, August 2020, 6 pp.
This fact sheet highlights new and existing challenges related to child-care access and cost. more info >

The Poverty-Reducing Effects of the EITC and Other Safety Nets for Young Adult Parents
Carsey School of Public Policy, March 2020, 4 pp.
An estimated 2.5 million very young children live with a young adult parent (age 18 to 24), and more than four in five young adult parents,regardless of income, participate in at least one major safety net program. This brief examines the effects of these programs in reducing poverty, noting the effectiveness of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). more info >

The Effects Of Early Care And Education On Children’s Health
Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, April 2019, 6 pp.
Examines how early child care and education may lead to improvements in short-and long-term health-related outcomes for children. more info >

Does Child Care Capacity Meet the Needs of Working Parents in North Dakota?
North Dakota KIDS COUNT, December 2018, 2 pp.
Examines child care capacity and parental labor force participation in North Dakota. more info >

North Dakota Early Learning Standards
North Dakota Department of Human Services, August 2018, 123 pp.
A resource for parents and early childhood educators that provides guidelines on a continuum of learning and development skills for young children age birth to five. more info >

Local Workforce Development Boards and Child Care: Insights from Five Site
Urban Institute, August 2018, 40 pp.
This report explores how workforce development programs can help address child care barriers and meet the needs of parents seeking education and training. more info >

Child Care Choices of Low-Income, Immigrant Families with Young Children
Urban Institute, November 2017, 37 pp.
Using data from the National Survey of Early Care and Education, this brief reports differences in the child care settings foreign-born and US-born parents select for their young children, exploring factors might influence parents’ interest in and ability to access different child care. more info >

Helping Children and Parents Succeed Together: An Update on the Dunbar Learning Complex
Annie E. Casey Foundation, October 2017, 24 pp.
This report discusses the Dunbar Learning Complex, a two-generation model which aims to create opportunities for low-income families to succeed. Early assessments show positive results, especially in preparing young children for kindergarten and in making sure their health needs are met. more info >

Child Care Costs Exceed 10 Percent of Family Income for One in Four Families
Carsey School of Public Policy, November 2016, 6 pp.
This brief analyzes families’ child care expenses and identifies, among families children under age 6 who pay for child care, the share that are cost burdened by child care expenses. Findings are presented by number of children; age of youngest child; parental characteristics; family income measures; and U.S. region, metropolitan status, and state. more info >

The Long-term Impact of the Head Start Program
Brookings Institution, August 2016
Head Start, the large-scale federal preschool program, has been shown to improve post-preschool outcomes including high school completion and health outcomes. This analysis investigate the impact of Head Start on a new set of long-term outcomes, extending analyses further into adulthood and considering the effect of Head Start on participants’ children. more info >

Time to Act: Investing in the Health of Our Children and Communities
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 2014, 120 pp.
Explores ways to improve the health of Americans by focusing on experiences in early childhood, opportunities that communities provide for people to make health choices, and the mission and incentives of health professionals and health care institutions. more info >

Web sites

Child Care & Early Education Research Connections
Promotes high-quality research in child care and early education and the use of that research in policy making. Includes reports, data, a database of instruments, information on policies, and links to other resources. more info >

National Center for Children in Poverty
Research on preventing child poverty and improving the lives of low-income families. Includes poverty statistics and information on child care, welfare reform, and more. more info >

Social Programs That Work
This site summarizes the findings from well-designed randomized controlled trials. It includes programs in the areas of early childhood, education, substance abuse and treatment, mental health, crime and violence prevention, employment and welfare, and more. more info >