Case Studies

Case Study: NonTraditional Hour (NTH) Child Care

In the spring of 2023, Advancing Communities for Equity completed a study of NonTraditional Hour (NTH) child care in Orleans Parish for partner Agenda for Children. The landscape analysis and stakeholder engagement process uncovered how a lack of access to quality care during evenings, early mornings, and on weekends negatively impacts child development, financial mobility for families, and staffing for employers. Early childhood teachers and providers were curious yet cautious about NTH care, given the current staffing crisis.

Fortunately, there are some innovations in state funding and technology that can help incentivize and facilitate NTH care for families. These include increased subsidies and apps that give families to use child care benefits and subsidies flexibly (we are big fans of Helpr). Learn more by reading our report and toolkit (for center directors), and look for a series of briefs for early educators, policy leaders, and employers. Feel free to contact us with questions at Emmy@aceforus.com.

Case Study: Advising: Ready by Five Program Evaluation in Kent County, Michigan

“How do we evaluate 39 millage-funded programs with an equity and inclusion lens, and plan for improvement?”

Kent County is one of the many communities in the US that are using local tax dollars (millage funding) to fund its early childhood programs, betting on the positive impact proactive support can provide a family. To fully understand the value-add of the 39 programs available to families, Kent County, and the funding administrator First Steps Kent, solicited an evaluation. In 2021, Basis Policy Research was identified to lead the process after an RFP process. All involved recognized the need for an evaluation team member to ensure that an equity and inclusion lens would be utilized throughout the process. Advancing Communities for Equity has played this role since 2021, working alongside the Basis and First Steps Kent, to consider how historically marginalized communities are engaged by programs, and the evaluation process itself. Close examination of outreach and navigation strategies, relationships with community based organizations, and the lived experiences of families has helped inform improved access for families.

Read a blog post about my learnings from the first year of this work.

Case Study: Strategy Development: Jefferson Ready Start Network, Louisiana

“Why are so few Latino families enrolled in early care opportunities in Jefferson Parish, and what can we do to change that?”

That’s the question that was posed to us, when Dr. Sarintha Stricklin, Executive Director of Jefferson Ready Start Network engaged Advancing Communities for Equity. With a bustling Latino population, and a PreK-12 system of over 15% Latino students, we recognized this complex problem was laden with systemic issues related to inclusion, representation, communication, and policy. Through a landscape analysis, family focus groups, and community engagement, we developed a report of our findings. Subsequently, we have hosted a series of stakeholder engagement meetings, cultivated community partnerships, and developed a two-generation program that provides employment and training to parents while their children enjoy high quality child care. In 6 months since the release of the report, the number of Latino children served in formal early learning centers has increased by 5%. We continue to support all early learning centers in Jefferson Parish in becoming culturally and linguistically responsive, to better serve Latino families.

Learn about related funding for the two-generation program here.

Case Study: NonTraditional Hour (NTH) Child Care

Case Study: Advising: Ready by Five Program Evaluation in Kent County, Michigan

Case Study: Strategy Development: Jefferson Ready Start Network, Louisiana

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