Infants, toddlers, and young children need positive early learning experiences to foster their intellectual, social and emotional development and to lay the foundation for later school and lifetime success. As the trend toward dual working-parent households continues, families will increasingly rely on out-of-home child care as a resource to support and nurture their young children. It is critical, therefore, that all early care and education arrangements, including family- and center-based child care and preschool, are not only affordable and accessible, but that they provide the high-quality, individualized, and enriching environments that young children need in order to be prepared for kindergarten.
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