The True Cost of Quality Early Care and Education in Orange County

Recognizing the challenges facing working parents, the Orange County United Way Success By 6® initiative is dedicated to improving the quality of early care and education for children birth to 5 years of age and increasing the availability of quality, affordable care and education, especially for low-income families in Orange County. Success By 6 commissioned this report in order to:
• Develop a baseline cost model of quality center-based early care and education programs in Orange County;
• Inform decision-making among Orange County officials, community leaders, business executives, child care and education providers, and community organizations about the actual cost of quality center-based early care and education; and
• Develop a long-term financial solution for meeting the true cost of quality early care and education services that is shared by families, employers, and communities.
In addition, Success By 6 has developed Orange County’s first Star-Quality Rating System to measure quality in early care and education centers and to encourage continuous quality improvement. The cost analysis provided in this report is key to Success By 6 in continuing to provide resources and funding for the Star-Quality Rating System project.