Walsh, de Blasio take different paths on preschool promise

Project PLAY, the third of Arkansas’ three-tiered mental health consultation system, has reduced high expulsion and suspension rates for children in child care settings. The program provides consultants who go into classrooms for several months of weekly visits to observe children and then work with staff and parents to address behavioral and mental health issues. The consultations can lead to earlier diagnoses of sensory disorders and increase the confidence and empowerment of child care providers. Lower expulsion rates have a long-term impact on children’s social, emotional, and educational development.

Part 1 of 3 - A progressive funding model has been a boon to schools in Berlin’s poorer neighborhoods, which receive a baseline of staff and resources that would make them the envy of many of their counterparts in Pennsylvania. But schools in poorer neighborhoods face a myriad of struggles that additional resources haven’t been able to quell, due to the deep socioeconomic disparities between the home neighborhoods of wealthy and poor students. This "social wall" lies exactly along the lines of the once physical Berlin wall.

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.

New Mexico's universal childcare program draws from an endowment fund and other public funds to offset the cost of running childcare centers and make care more accessible for families, with 48,000 children now receiving care at no cost. But the program's price tag is expected to continue to grow and a significant number of families still haven't gotten access to the free slots.

After a popular Alaskan tourist destination received a $1 million donation from a cruise operator, the town put the funding into expanding local child care options and was able to increase the number of licensed local child care spots by 150 percent. But there are still unmet needs in the community, and it may be difficult to maintain the level of availability without future public funding.

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.

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.

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood’s bilingual support team helps guide Spanish-speaking residents through the process of applying for a child care license, providing resources and training materials in applicants’ native language. The team is currently working with 69 professionals who are already licensed as well as 25 Spanish speakers in the midst of the application process.

Educators working full-time in Bright Horizons private child care centers get free tuition for an early child care education bachelor's degree, provided that they work for the company for at least 18 months following the completion of their courses. While the model has offered an incredible and unprecedented path for some, Quartz's Annabelle Timsit questions whether this corporate solution is the right answer to the widespread public education problem of underpaid preschool teachers and raises common concerns about discrepancies in the quality of degree programs.