Introduction
This technical report uses new, nationally representative data—The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—to describe the current landscape of center-based early care and education (ECE) programs in this country. The NSECE includes 4 surveys, and the survey used here, the NSECE Center-based Provider Survey, gathered data from directors or other instructional leaders of center-based early care and education programs (ECE) serving children birth through age 5 years, not yet in kindergarten. This report is based on data from 7,770 Center-based Provider questionnaires. The 129,000 center-based programs described here serve 6.98 million children birth through age five years not yet in kindergarten. ECE programs are described by such key characteristics as enrollment size, ages of children served, auspice, revenue sources, and sponsorship and hours of operation.