Child Care and Early Learning in Arizona
A Landscape Analysis of Challenges and Opportunities
Regardless of where a child receives care—a licensed center, a certified home, or with a family, friend, or neighbor—their brains are developing rapidly from birth to five, so it is critical that the space be safe, inclusive, and support learning. Stabilization grants have enabled facilities to stay open, pay the mortgage/rent, keep utilities on, purchase required personal protective equipment, pay off debt incurred since March 2020, and increase staff salaries and benefits temporarily. Yet, we still face challenges where parents cannot afford quality care, and providers continue to see the cost of quality care and staffing increase. Opportunities exist for Arizona to leverage this last year of pandemic funding to deepen partnerships and collaborations leading to more accessible data for parents and providers to make informed decisions as well as invest in the infrastructure of child care that will sustain beyond the grant dollars.
Read more in the Child Care and Early Learning Landscape Analysis.
Executive Summary
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Full Report
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About the Report
The Arizona Child Care Landscape Analysis was commissioned by Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Phoenix (LISC Phoenix) and funded by a Strong Start for Kids grant from Vanguard. While the early care and education (ECE) is a new area to LISC Phoenix, understanding data, engaging with community, developing a plan, and implementing that plan are not new. LISC Phoenix has been part of the Phoenix metro ecosystem since 1992 collaborating with place-based organizations, corporations, foundations, and public partners to create innovative approaches that address systemic challenges in housing, economic development, and financial stability. This report details the findings of data collected from August 2021 through July 2022 and includes data related to supply and demand of ECE; key themes of challenges and opportunities from engaged stakeholders, parents, and providers; and actionable recommendations to address the overarching goal of improving quality and access in the early learning system.
Guided by LISC National’s expertise in ECE and early education financing and facilities development, LISC Phoenix completed a regional landscape analysis informed by existing data, key informant interviews, focus groups, and surveys. The goal of the landscape summary was to identify gaps and opportunities for LISC Phoenix and partners to invest in ECE. The geographic areas this report focused on include the First Things First Regional Council areas of East Maricopa, Phoenix South, Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community, and Southeast Maricopa. These geographies were selected because they overlap with LISC Phoenix’s existing service areas and were an established way to begin understanding regional challenges and needs. A substantial amount of data was collected throughout this project. The items included in this report are those viewed as the most relevant opportunities for Arizona to address the identified needs.