The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation at the federal Administration for Children and Families published findings related to its Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships grants, awarded in 2015. These grants aimed to connect the child development and family support services of Early Head Start with the flexibility and responsiveness of broader child care providers. The report found that partnerships were often between nonprofit, community organizations who were able to build on existing relationships and leverage funds from other sources to meet their community’s needs. However, challenges around meeting Head Start Program Performance Standards, particularly around staff-child ratios and health and safety, caused about one-third of partnerships to end early. The study includes lessons on developing partnerships and supporting activities that improve the quality of service to infants, toddlers, and their families.
