Stoney, Lousie, Anne Mitchell and Mildred E. Warner 2006. "Smarter Reform: Moving Beyond Single Program Solutions to an Early Care and Education System," Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society 37 (2): 101-115.
Proposals to improve early care and education (ECE) are often based on narrow conceptions of the value, benefits and appropriate structure of services. The result is an increasing number of initiatives that focus only on a single aspect of the system (e.g. preschool for poor children) and assume this limited intervention can produce large results. This paper argues that to realize ECEÕs potential to benefit children, families and the nationÕs economy, the focus of reform proposals must broaden. The paper highlights the need for public investment that recognizes our childrenÕs full worth and that reflects the value of family caregiving by supporting non-market as well as market care. The paper presents an alternative proposal that takes into account the complexity and special nature of ECE markets and that calls for a range of investment strategies and a commitment to a level of institutional support commensurate with a high-quality ECE system.
Subject: Child Care