Building Universal Preschool in Partnership with the Private Early Education and Care System: Essential Elements for Partnerships between Public and Private Early Care and Education Systems. A Policy Paper for Programs, Policymakers and Advocates.

Overview & Synopsis

As more state and federal initiatives develop around the care and education of preschool children, the challenge is to link the public education agenda to the larger early care and education field. This paper discusses the essential elements of a public/private preschool partnership and considers questions related to providing quality preschool education to preschoolers while being sensitive to the effect that such partnerships have on the availability and affordability of child care for younger children and to other issues. The National Child Care Association recommends that any analysis of a community's preschool must be guided by the following six principles: (1) parental choice as paramount in program planning, development, and implementation; (2) careful and deliberate community planning; (3) continued collaboration and partnerships with the private early care and education community while building programs on existing agency structure, funding streams, and quality measures; (4) program structures involving integration of at-risk children with their peers and including a full range of education, early care, and school-age care; (5) public/private partnerships equitably and adequately funded at the full cost of providing the service; and (6) development of programs that are accountable to policymakers, government agencies, families, and the early care and education community. The report asserts that the six principles are essential to developing programs that meet parent and community needs and calls for policymakers to ensure that these principles are part of national, state, and local planning so that children receive care and early education that enhances their success as productive adults. (KB)