Early Care and Education Programs During COVID-19: Persistent Inequities and Emerging Challenges

Funding for early childhood education (ECE) has been short of meeting the needs of citizens well before the pandemic. The limitations imposed by COVID-19 only exacerbated the situation. This study focuses on the complexity of financial procurement of funding for operations of ECE providers in the state of California. In so doing, it illustrates the severe consequences of perpetually underfunding the fragmented market-based mixed-delivery system of ECE in the state.