RAPID Survey Project

First Five Years Fund has just released its 2024 State Fact Sheets containing the latest data for each of the 50 states and Washington, DC. In them you’ll find state-specific information on federal funding, availability, and more. Each fact sheet makes the case that investing in child care and early learning has a major impact on working parents, kids, and the economy.

Through this digital Provider Voices Storybook, we illustrate the joys, challenges, and insights that child care providers across the country have shared with the RAPID Survey Project over the past few years. Our open-ended survey questions offered providers opportunities to describe in their own words their experiences caring for children under age 6. We also sought to understand where providers themselves find support. Explore what providers say about their role in supporting children and what helps them to promote positive childhood development: https://lnkd.in/g4xjG2cU

"A new report from child care advocacy group Groundwork Ohio showed the scarcity of child care and the struggles parents had even when they could obtain child care, because the cost of that care can be prohibitive." Read about the Family Voices Project Report in Ohio Capital Journal: https://ow.ly/pTw350Sw4fR

Many Los Angeles County families with young children rely on public support programs such as Medi-Cal and CalFresh, and many are interested in additional support for child care. The data show that more work is needed to reach families with young children in LA with information about the availability of these support programs. https://lnkd.in/gpHQ4W3F

Parents of young children are experiencing difficulty meeting healthcare and housing needs. The frequency in which parents have raised this concern in their open-ended responses to RAPID surveys has increased over the past four years and increased substantially in 2022, a trend that corresponds with the end of family support policies and rising costs of living expenses. https://lnkd.in/gGMvKWiT

"A new report from child care advocacy group Groundwork Ohio showed the scarcity of child care and the struggles parents had even when they could obtain child care, because the cost of that care can be prohibitive." Read about the Family Voices Project Report in Ohio Capital Journal: https://ow.ly/pTw350Sw4fR

In this summary of the RAPID special report, What Caregivers Want Policymakers to Know, First Five Years Fund writes that parents and child care providers want elected officials to know that families are struggling, and the time to act is now. Improving the accessibility and affordability of high-quality child care can be achieved through increased government investment, and sustained policies aimed at improving families’ health and well-being would advance child development. It is critical that elected officials enact change to support families, early learners, and child care providers. https://lnkd.in/g4i8MK6e

RAPID partnered with Illinois Action for Children to hear directly from Illinois families with young children about their experiences, needed supports, and what’s going well. Illinois Action for Children will use this data to inform its policy and advocacy initiatives. The data show that parents with young children in Illinois, and particularly Latinx and Black families, are finding it hard to pay for basic needs. Parents with lower income are also most likely to report struggling with emotional distress, both in themselves and their children. Read more in this new fact sheet: https://lnkd.in/gyCpSsJV

A previous fact sheet on California families with young children provided insights on access to and engagement with Medi-Cal, CalFresh, and child care support programs. In this new fact sheet, we report on similar insights with data collected from families with young children in Los Angeles County, the most-populated county in California. Key findings include: - Medi-Cal requirements were unclear to half of Los Angeles families. - Most Los Angeles County families who receive CalFresh were aware of the decrease in benefits. - Many Los Angeles County families access child care assistance, but affordability remains a challenge. Explore the data and hear from parents: https://lnkd.in/gzyQ4b4W

Our partners at Groundwork Ohio published a report today on the data and key findings from our first RAPID survey of parents in Ohio this spring. One in three respondents reported difficulty in finding child care, and almost 60% of respondents felt that their current child care was not affordable. Read more: https://lnkd.in/geNAfTQQ