The Child Care Capital Investment Fund The quality and availability of child care facilities has been constrained by the scarcity of capital available for development and renovation. The Child Care Capital Investment Fund (CCCIF) was created to increase access to capital through a combination of grants, loans, and technical assistance to child care providers. To date, this partnership has funded the creation of 312 new places for children and youth, supported the improvement of spaces in which an additional 1,024 children and youth spend their afternoons, and advised 63 providers of child care and/or school-age care on how to access traditional capital sources or to enhance the sustainability of their operations. Barr's relationship with CCCIF is representative of a broader set of intermediary relationships in which we collaborate with subject matter or technical experts to address pressing needs. Our funding supports both CCCIF's technical assistance programs as well as expands its capital base. Shared values on the importance of learning, knowledge, and networks are central to our partnership with CCCIF.

Any focus on educational opportunities for Boston’s children must begin early. Research demonstrates that critical cognitive development occurs during the first few years of life, laying the foundation for future learning. Moreover, early exposure to books and language has a positive impact on future educational achievement.

While all children can benefit from quality early education, lower-income children can typically benefit the most. Research has shown that children from low-income families often begin first grade as much as two years behind their more affluent peers.

Quality programs have been shown to close the achievement gap as well as to build emotional intelligence. And children exposed to early education are less likely to drop out of school or to demonstrate other at-risk behavior.

Primary Approaches

We are presently focusing our efforts on:

Enhancing the quality of early education programs.
In the 1980s longitudinal studies of the impact of child care practices on the life outcomes of young people proved conclusively that quality mattered. As a result, in Boston, day care was transformed into early childhood education. Today, Boston is home to many innovative early and family literacy programs targeted at new parents and caregivers. We are working to enhance the level of pre-school cognitive development and language skills through direct funding and the facilitation of shared learning across programs.

Creating public awareness and public advocates.

Many low-income parents want early education opportunities for their children, but can neither afford nor access them. Many other parents—in particular new immigrants—are unaware of the benefits and availability of pre-school programs. Consequently, to address supply, we support advocacy for universal early education with low-income subsidies, and to influence demand, we support outreach and education efforts.

Ensuring quality facilities.
The absence of suitable and affordable space for early education programs is well documented. Most programs are forced to locate in space not originally designed for children. Since salaries constitute 70-80% of program budgets, there is little left over for renovation, new construction, or equipment. Because traditional capital resources are frequently difficult to access, we fund quality facilities through capital investments.

Desired Outcomes

While Boston has seen strong progress in early education over the last few decades, there is still important progress to be made. We seek to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Increased access to affordable early education programs
• Increased pool of early care givers with early literacy training
• Continued improvements in the quality of programs
• Enhanced capital access for early education providers.

Measures

Effective systemic change takes time- even with the alignment of parents with public and private sector leadership.  While we are mindful of expecting measures to tell the whole story regarding progress, we will pay attention to the following:

• Demand for and supply of quality facilities.
• Number of centers with nationally-recognized accreditation
• Percentage of low-income children starting first grade without an achievement gap
• Third grade literacy rates
• Public policy changes that support more universal care
• Quantity and quality of technology initiatives in the classroom

An Invitation

While our activities are based on research and knowledge of the field, they remain our best bets. We’re eager to learn from your insights, experience, and creative ideas. We invite you to use our suggestion form if you have an idea you believe will further the strategy outlined in this section.