Cradle to Kindergarten: A New Plan to Combat Inequality

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Early care and education in the United States is in crisis. The period between birth and kindergarten is a crucial time for a child's development. Yet, vast disparities by race, ethnicity, and family income that begin early in children's lives contribute to starkly different long-term outcomes for adults. Compared to advanced economies, child care and preschool in the United States remain scarce, prohibitively expensive, and inadequate in quality for most middle-class and lower-income families. To what extent can high-quality early childhood programs afford all children the learning opportunities that their affluent peers enjoy and contribute to reducing inequality in the long term, and across generations? Cradle to Kindergarten offers a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy that diagnoses the obstacles to affordable, high-quality child care and early education and charts the path to opportunity for all children--back cover