On kidsdata.org, indicators of early childhood care and education include:

• The percentage of children ages 0-5 whose parents read with them, by weekly frequency
• Single-year estimates of the percentage of children ages 3-5 enrolled in preschool or kindergarten, by county and county group, and, for the U.S. and California, by age and by race/ethnicity; also available are five-year estimates for cities, school districts, and counties with at least 10,000 residents and legislative districts

Kidsdata.org also provides the following measures of licensed child care in California:*

• The median and mean annual cost of child care for infants and preschoolers in child care centers and family child care homes
• The percentage of children in working families for whom child care spaces are available
• The number of child care spaces in licensed facilities and the percentage of full-time and part-time spaces available
• The number of licensed child care facilities and the percentage of facilities offering evening, weekend or overnight care
• The percentage of child care requests by age group and the percentage of requests for evening, weekend or overnight care

Experiences during early childhood lay the foundation for future health and well being, and the quality of children's early care and education (ECE) can have significant, lasting effects (1, 2). High-quality ECE programs deliver consistent, developmentally sound, and emotionally supportive care and education (1, 3). This type of care before age 5 is associated with improved cognitive, social-emotional, behavioral, and physical health, as well as increased school readiness, academic achievement, and earnings in adulthood (1, 2). Positive outcomes are particularly pronounced for children from low-income families, children of color, and those at risk for academic challenges, such as children in immigrant families and those with a first language other than English (1, 3, 4). A critically important ECE need for many families is child care; reliable child care can help families move out of poverty and achieve financial stability by enabling parents to work or pursue education and job training (2, 3).

However, finding affordable, high-quality ECE is a major challenge for many families, especially in California, and access differs based on geography, race/ethnicity, and income (2, 3, 4). In 2020, California was ranked the least affordable state for center-based infant care in the nation (2). For example, costs for center-based infant care in California made up an estimated 17% of the median annual income for married couples and 54% for single parents in 2020 (2).

An estimated 51% of California children ages 3-5 were enrolled in preschool or kindergarten in 2021, down from more than 60% between 2007 and 2019. U.S. figures followed a similar trend over this period. Statewide and nationally, percentages have fallen for each age and race/ethnicity group with data—e.g., the percentage of California four-year-olds enrolled in pre-primary programs dropped by almost a third between 2019 and 2021, from 63% to 45%.

California's 35,686 licensed child care centers and family child care homes provided 956,364 child care spaces in 2021. Overall, the number of licensed facilities and spaces have been on the decline since 2008. According to 2021 estimates, there was one licensed child care space available for every four California children ages 0-12 with working parents; in some counties, availability was lower than one space for every seven children.

In 2021, median annual costs for full-time licensed infant care at the county level ranged from $13,600 to $22,900 in child care centers and from $10,100 to $19,700 in family child care homes. Across counties, care for preschoolers ages 2-5 was less expensive, but also showed wide variation, from $8,300 to $19,600 annually in child care centers and from $9,100 to $18,000 in family child care homes.

Early childhood is a critical period of biological, cognitive, and social-emotional development (1). The quality of children's environments and experiences during these years has lasting effects (1). High-quality early care and education (ECE), in particular, can have positive, long-term impacts on children ranging from improved cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning to better health, educational attainment, and earnings later in life (1, 2). Without access to high-quality early learning opportunities, children can fall behind their peers, creating disparities in achievement that can widen with age (1, 3). Leaders increasingly see investments in ECE as a way to reduce educational and health inequities by income and race/ethnicity (1, 4, 5). And research shows these investments pay off; for example, it is estimated that every $1 invested in high-quality preschool yields a return of up to $17 in social benefits (4). ECE also plays a critical role in family financial stability, as many parents need child care in order to work or go to school (4).

However, a significant number of families have difficulty accessing quality ECE, especially in California, due to a lack of program availability and affordability (3, 4). California was ranked the least affordable state for center-based infant care in the nation in 2020, and just 14% of the state's eligible infants and toddlers have access to subsidized child care (2, 3). Although the state has made some progress, California's ECE system remains underfunded and will need additional efforts and investments in order to build a comprehensive, high-quality system that is accessible and affordable to all, while ensuring a skilled and adequately compensated workforce (3, 4).

Policy and program options that could improve ECE include:

• Increasing state funding for ECE, tying funding to program quality and prioritizing care for infants, toddlers, and children with the greatest needs; in particular, substantially expanding child care subsidies and spaces for income-eligible infants and toddlers (3, 4)
• Creating adequate capacity for high-quality, universal preschool for all children ages 3-4, ensuring access for the most vulnerable children; also, ensuring that these programs meet established quality benchmarks, such as student-teacher ratios and professional standards (3, 4)
• Reducing system fragmentation by working toward a streamlined, inclusive state ECE governance body to provide overall leadership, improve program coordination and accountability, and integrate data and funding streams (4)
• Continuing to strengthen California's ECE quality improvement and standards systems, and making sure that all publicly-funded programs participate in a continuous improvement process and have access to coaching or other program support (4)
• Strengthening the state's ECE workforce infrastructure to elevate the profession, provide clear pathways for career advancement, improve reimbursement rates to increase wages, and ensure that all providers receive coordinated, standardized, high-quality professional training and support (3, 4)
• Ensuring that all California children receive a developmental screening and have access to quality early intervention services or other support services as needed; also, improving alignment and transitions between systems for infants and toddlers, preschoolers, and K-12 students, especially for students with special needs (3, 4)