Excerpted from summary

In states across the nation, underfunding of early child care and education (ECE) is compromising the well-being of ECE teachers and the children in their care. In many states, policymakers simply do not have the information they need to understand the true cost—and the fundamental components required—to create a comprehensive, high-quality ECE system in their state. Proposals for ECE reform have focused primarily on improving access and affordability for families but have ignored the elephant in the room: early care and education is substantially “funded” through low teacher pay and inadequate supports for ECE teachers, who are primarily women, specifically women of color. In addition to being a serious injustice, lack of adequate financial and professional supports for ECE teachers compromises the consistency and quality of care children receive.

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