The seemingly incompatible needs for U.S. colleges and universities to expand access, increase completion, improve student learning and reduce costs have created new pressures as well as enormous opportunity for innovation in higher education. 

For years, policymakers have sought to turnaround the trajectory of low-performing schools. But most turnaround models focus on intervention rather than prevention, and many fail to address problems that emerge in the earliest grades. Ensuring that children have the right start in the PreK-3rd grade years is critical to seeding a culture of learning and fostering academic success beyond the primary years.

American families struggle to find quality, affordable child care and preschool close to home. More and more parents and educators are realizing that children have a better chance of success in school and life if they are enrolled in effective programs in their earliest years.

To help families succeed and low-income families thrive, quality child care is critical. Yet too many of America's children are in early care settings that lack well-prepared teachers, lack the infrastructure to do background checks, and lack the ability to offer safe child-to-adult ratios that give children the attention they need to learn and explore.  Parents worry about the quality of care their children receive, yet often can't afford better programs and feel powerless to do anything about it.