Funding to help Spanish-speaking child care providers get licensed in Colorado set to end

In partnership with other local organizations and advocacy groups, Communities for Kids trains providers to offer Spanish-language childcare, as the state lacks sufficient access to culturally responsive, bilingual care. The training is free and has already licensed several individuals who now run their own Spanish-speaking childcare centers.

Mounting evidence points to an increasing disparity in the educational achievements of those children who attend and complete pre-school, and those who do not. The Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) program is a national home visiting initiative for low-income families that is working to bridge the gap. They provide learning curriculum, guidance, and parenting support for disadvantaged families in their homes, so that their children can be equally prepared to succeed in school.

As parents struggle to find quality, affordable child care, faith-based centers like Chicago's Little Muslims are stepping in to fill the gap for some families. The program, which is one of about 7,500 sponsored by churches or religious organizations across the country, serves students of any religion but is structured around Islamic needs and customs, including offering halal meat and marking Muslim holidays.

Batibot Early Learning Center is a progressive daycare center that offers “socialized tuition” based on what families earn, making it easier for lower-income children to access early childhood education. The center enrolls 25 children and prioritizes hands-on support and therapy for children with developmental delays.

New Britain’s Childcare Incubator Project helps home-based child care entrepreneurs launch their businesses through in-depth training, mentorship, and support, including a transitional phase where they start offering care within a shared facility and with the guidance of an on-site coordinator. Four businesses are currently in their transitional phase, and other cities around the state are now considering replicating the program.

In Detroit, a new collective is bringing together affordable childcare and co-working in one space. Families purchase memberships priced per household, instead of through the traditional per child model -- parents benefit from being in close proximity to their children while still having the space and time to complete work or school projects.

Although Silicon Valley is full of high-end preschool options, the surrounding low-income areas have been deemed child care deserts, with most families resorting to informal care options. Educare, a model that has spread to 14 states, is trying to change that. Serving as both a preschool and a community gathering center and funded largely by public preschool funds, Educare brings play-based preschool to local students so they can enter kindergarten on a level playing field with their wealthier peers.

Two years after his election, the mayor of New York created a universal preschool program. In Boston, progress has been much slower.

Through programs across the country, nurses, social workers, or trained mentors offer support to new or expectant parents, imparting skills to help them become better teachers for their children. Through regular home visits with the families, these programs are working to close an achievement gap between rich and poor children that starts as early as just nine months into a child's life.

Brilliant Footsteps International Academy implemented an integrated education model that combines Islamic studies, vocational training, including barbing, calligraphy and culinary arts and hands-on STEM learning. The school uses problem-based, student-led projects to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, while also focusing on gender inclusion in a region where girls are typically excluded.