POLICY TRANSFORMATION

Policy Transformation

Driving policies that create positive change.

Child Care Associates is a strong voice for the most vulnerable children and families in our community. We’re constantly developing and promoting policies and solutions that help improve the quality of early education locally and throughout Texas. These include:

  • Advising policy institutes and advocacy organizations.

    We’ve collaborated with Ounce of Prevention, National League of Cities, National Head Start Association, Texas Care for Children, Center for Public Policy Priorities, Children at Risk, Texas Educational Grant Makers Advocacy Consortium, and more.

  • Identifying and developing best practices.

    We’re strong believers in rigorous, evidence-based education that can be locally implemented for outstanding results. For example, CCA is raising the educational leadership skills of early education campus directors by building upon the Early Ed Essentials framework with Ounce of Prevention, local funders, and university evaluators.

  • Redesigning programs for better results.

    We continually look for ways to improve existing systems to benefit young children in need. Through our partnering work on foster care redesign, the waiting period for the placement of foster children in childcare was shortened from 6-8 weeks to no more than five days. In addition, we fast-track foster and homeless children to enter Head Start and Early Head Start programs without ever being placed on a waiting list.

  • Joining together for a larger impact.

    Our President and CEO, Kara Waddell, served as founding chair and permanent leading member of the local Early Learning Alliance (ELA), an alliance of nearly 50 organizations and agencies in North Texas that provides a united front to move the needle on outcomes for children at scale. CCA also brings together early childhood researchers and practitioners to share collective wisdom, identify gaps for families, and drive key policy and system changes.

Policy Transformation

Driving policies that create positive change.

Child Care Associates is a strong voice for the most vulnerable children and families in our community. We’re constantly developing and promoting policies and solutions that help improve the quality of early education locally and throughout Texas. These include:

  • Advising policy institutes and advocacy organizations.

    We’ve collaborated with Ounce of Prevention, National League of Cities, National Head Start Association, Texas Care for Children, Center for Public Policy Priorities, Children at Risk, Texas Educational Grant Makers Advocacy Consortium, and more.

  • Identifying and developing best practices.

    We’re strong believers in rigorous, evidence-based education that can be locally implemented for outstanding results. For example, CCA is raising the educational leadership skills of early education campus directors by building upon the Early Ed Essentials framework with Ounce of Prevention, local funders, and university evaluators.

  • Redesigning programs for better results.

    We continually look for ways to improve existing systems to benefit young children in need. Through our partnering work on foster care redesign, the waiting period for the placement of foster children in childcare was shortened from 6-8 weeks to no more than five days. In addition, we fast-track foster and homeless children to enter Head Start and Early Head Start programs without ever being placed on a waiting list.

  • Joining together for a larger impact.

    Our President and CEO, Kara Waddell, served as founding chair and permanent leading member of the local Early Learning Alliance (ELA), an alliance of nearly 50 organizations and agencies in North Texas that provides a united front to move the needle on outcomes for children at scale. CCA also brings together early childhood researchers and practitioners to share collective wisdom, identify gaps for families, and drive key policy and system changes.

Libby Doggett, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning at the US Department of Education; Betsy Price, Mayor of Fort Worth; Kara Waddell, President-CEO, Child Care Associates