Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

As the lead agency for Georgia’s Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) is using the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) reauthorization to create a research agenda to help ensure that Georgia’s low-income families (eligible for subsidized child care) have access to high-quality early care and education services. DECAL is unique in that the state agency that oversees early learning also houses a research team that is taking the lead on the grant.

For this presentation, the state is highlighting two focal areas: 1) defining and measuring access to high quality care and 2) designing a pilot evaluation around Georgia’s new family support model for children and families receiving subsidy. In order to examine these focal areas, the state has identified administrative data for further analysis, created pilot evaluations of specific initiatives targeting Georgia’s family support model, and aligned each focal area to other evaluations. Preliminary results from the analysis and pilot evaluations will be discussed as well as policy implications for the findings.

In order to define and measure access to high quality child care, DECAL’s work is guided by two research questions: 1) do children and families who are eligible for subsidies have access to high-quality care and 2) does DECAL’s definition of access take into account high quality? To answer these research questions, DECAL is using administrative data related to access and Georgia’s Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System, results from the current Market Rate Survey, and additional survey/interview data to analyze how and where children receiving subsidy are receiving care, and if the programs where children are receiving care are high quality. The state is also examining specific quality measures that programs serving children and families eligible for subsidies are more likely to meet.

In terms of evaluating Georgia’s new family support model, a pilot implementation evaluation is being designed to identify the components of Georgia’s new family support model that are working well and those components that are proving challenging. This pilot will include an examination of current family supports in place as well as ways in which the new model is providing additional supports in the community. By examining the impact this model has on children and families receiving subsidy, DECAL will be better equipped to provide continued or altered supports to meet the needs of children and families across the state, especially those with complex needs.

By sharing the preliminary results of DEACL’s research questions, the presentation can provide an example of how to use administrative data to answer questions related to access and high-quality care. The experiences and lessons learned from the evaluation pilot will help Georgia and other states view an example of what can be done to provide supports for children and families receiving subsides. These examples as well as a discussion around policy and implications of the findings can help state leaders design and evaluate their own initiatives related to CCDBG reauthorization.