Publications

Our Research on the Greater DC region.

Research Report

Child Care Providers’ Reflections on Quality Improvement

As of 2017, 49 states and the District of Columbia were devoting public resources to implement quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) designed to support early care and education (ECE) quality and families’ selection of ECE programs.
Brief

The Pandemic’s Effects on Early Educators’ Employment and Well-Being

This brief describes how the COVID-19 pandemic affected DC early educators based on a 2021 survey of teaching staff (N = 417) in licensed child development centers and homes that participate in DC’s quality rating and improvement system,
Brief

Early Educators’ Virtual Training Experiences and Preferences during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This brief describes DC early educators’ participation in professional development planning and virtual training during the first year of the pandemic, as well as their preferred training topics and formats.
Brief

Early Educators’ Work Experiences and Job Satisfaction

This brief describes DC early educators’ pay, employee benefits, and work experiences based on a 2021 survey of teaching staff (N = 417) in licensed child development centers and homes that participate in DC’s quality rating and improveme
Brief

What Child Care Arrangements Do Parents Want during Nontraditional Hours? Insights from Parents in the District of Columbia

Nearly 11,000 children in the District of Columbia younger than age 6 have parents who work nontraditional hours, before 7:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. on weekdays or anytime on weekends.
Research Report

Child Care Systems Don’t Align with What Parents Working Nontraditional Hours Recommend

Almost 5 million (or about a third of) children younger than age 6 living in families with working parents have parents who work nontraditional hours, before 7:00 am or after 6:00 pm on weekdays or on weekends. New research from the Urban Institut
Brief

Executive Summary: What Child Care Arrangements Do Parents Want during Nontraditional Hours?

Almost 5 million (or about a third of) children younger than age 6 living in families with working parents have parents who work nontraditional hours, before 7:00 am or after 6:00 pm on weekdays or on weekends.
Research Report

District of Columbia Child Care Policy Research Partnership Study

This technical report describes the steps taken to design and administer a survey of early educators employed in child care programs participating in Capital Quality, the District of Columbia’s quality rating and improvement system (QRIS).
Research Report

Measuring the Supply of Quality Child Care across the District of Columbia

A key question in child care policy is whether quality improvement is in tension with maintaining a diverse supply of care that meets working families’ needs.
Testimony

Baby Bonds Provide an Opportunity to Close the Large Racial Wealth Gap

Steven Brown, a senior research associate and associate director of the Racial Equity Analytics Lab, and Signe-Mary, vice president of the Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population provided testimony before the Council of the District of Col
Research Report

Promoting Adolescent Sexual Health and Safety, a Community-Based Collaboration

Promoting Adolescent Sexual Health and Safety (PASS) is a unique, community-based effort in Washington, DC, to create and evaluate a program for teenagers that is focused on sexual health and tailored to their experiences and needs.
Brief

Parents with Nontraditional Work Schedules in the District of Columbia

Understanding the child care needs of parents working nontraditional hour (NTH) schedule has become a growing concern for policymakers trying to reduce barriers to accessible child care.
Research Report

Who Wins the Preschool Lottery? Applicants and Application Patterns in DC Public Prekindergarten

Since 2014, the District of Columbia has used an annual common application to place new students from prekindergarten for 3-year-olds (PK3) through 12th grade in DC Public Schools (DCPS) and DC public charter schools.
Research Report

Nontraditional-Hour Child Care in the District of Columbia

Finding high-quality child care that aligns with parents’ work schedules can be a significant barrier to successful employment and children’s healthy development.
Fact Sheet

Early Childhood Educator Compensation in the Washington Region: Highlights from a Research Report

This fact sheet highlights findings from an Urban Institute study examining the compensation of early childhood educators in the Washington, DC, metropolitan region.