ECPIHE Resource Roundup: Summer 2026

As the fall season is officially underway, we’re taking a moment to look back at some of the resources we shared that resonated most with our community over the summer. Throughout the past few months, we’ve shared tools, facts sheets, policy briefs, and research designed to support informed decision-making and strengthen understanding of the early childhood policy issues that matter most.

Whether you missed a few updates along the way or are looking to revisit a valuable resource, this roundup highlights some of our favorite content from the summer. We hope these resources provide useful perspectives, spark new ideas, and help advance the important work happening across the field of early childhood policy.

1. From Child Care Trust, Native Nations: Honoring Culture and Shaping Futures for Children and Families: A National Agenda for Tribal Early Childhood Development and Practice Prioritizing Tribal Leadership in Early Childhood Systems.

This report, written by Linda Smith, Hanna Junus and colleagues outlines a national agenda for tribal early childhood, based on an extensive consultative process with leaders of tribal nations across the United States. The report offers important policy-relevant insights into early childhood systems within sovereign tribal nations, along with the dynamics between tribal nations and state and federal governments that contour their early childhood approaches. Presenting a national agenda grounded in insights from tribal leaders, this report holds implications for early care and education systems in the United States as a whole.

2. From the New Deal Forum, Expanding Access to Child Care

Framing child care as economic infrastructure rather than a private family concern, this NewDEAL Forum brief distills five lessons for state and local policymakers from a panel of legislators and advocates at the organization’s 2025 leaders conference. Its central argument is that funding alone will not fix a structurally broken market: durable revenue streams must be paired with regulatory reform, better pay for educators, and data-driven targeting of investments. State examples anchor each recommendation, among them Connecticut’s $300 million early childhood endowment, New Mexico’s universal child care program financed by oil and gas revenues, Maine’s zoning reforms and tiered stipends for the workforce, and scholarship and business-support programs in Massachusetts and elsewhere.

3. From Child Care Aware of America, An Uneven Start: 2025 State Funding for Child Care & Early Learning.

This report analyzes state-level funding for child care and early learning across the United States, finding that investments vary widely and are often insufficient to meet the needs of children, families, and providers. It highlights that the U.S. child care system remains fragmented and underfunded, with states spending an average of about $1,300 per child (far below K–12 funding levels). The report emphasizes that inadequate and uneven funding limits access, affordability, and quality of early care and learning services, calling for increased, coordinated investment at federal, state, and local levels.

4. From Child Care Trust, The Child Care Gaps Assessment

Examining the potential need for child care against the legally operating supply, this interactive map provides an up-to-date analysis of child care gaps across the United States. Working closely with officials from each state, this analysis incorporates the most comprehensive child care supply data collected to date and the most recent U.S. Census estimates to serve as the first study to both quantify the supply and nation’s child care gap and do so in a way that factors in accessibility. The analysis is presented by State, County, Congressional Districts, State Senate Districts and Rural/Urban. The method incorporates cross State interactions for population movement. The findings presented offer a starting point from which the country can work to close child care gaps across the country.

5. From the National Association for the Education of Young Children, The 2026 National Workforce Survey Brief

Drawing on responses from thousands of early childhood educators nationwide, this survey brief documents the ongoing affordability challenges facing both child care providers and families. Findings indicate rising operating costs, educator burnout, staffing instability, and increasing financial strain on families seeking care. The report argues that sustainable public investment is necessary to stabilize programs, support educators, and maintain access for children and families.

Thank you for continuing to follow along with us and the resources we share. We are grateful for the opportunity to share resources that inform, educate, and support our community’s work.

If you found this roundup helpful, we encourage you to explore our full resource library[MOU1] , share these materials with colleagues and partners, and stay connected for future updates. We look forward to bringing you more timely resources and insights in the coming months.