California Infant/Toddler Early Learning and Care Needs Assessment: A Policy Brief

There are several challenges to assessing the quality and adequacy of early learning services for children in California. Among them are the facts that data are not available in one central location; early care and education researchers, practitioners, and policymakers use different definitions of the infant/toddler age cohort; and the research base on the quality and adequacy of early learning services for infants and toddlers in California is less extensive than that for preschool children.

The purpose of this policy brief is to improve the knowledge base on the utilization, quality, and access to early learning and care services for infants and toddlers in California. Unlike the RAND Preschool Study, this assessment is based on analyses of extant data aggregated by AIR, as well as other available research. This summary of what is known about services for infants and toddlers in California is designed to inform the CAEL QIS Committee’s work in developing a plan to improve early learning and care for children from birth to age five.