Introduction
Federal, state or territory, and local policies can help improve the child care and early education (CCEE) landscape for children and families, targeting common issues like CCEE quality, access, and licensure. Implementing a policy can be complex, so it is important to evaluate CCEE policies to figure out whether they are having the expected positive effects and to make sure there are no unintended consequences of the policy.
Evaluation results can guide decisions about whether a policy should be kept, modified, or ended. Over time, this process of policy evaluation and refinement can improve the CCEE system and support better outcomes for children, families, and providers.
Purpose
There are many ways to evaluate CCEE policies, depending on what questions are most important, what data are available, and what is already known about the policies. The purpose of this highlight is to help CCEE leaders understand the different types of policy evaluations and to provide state examples of how each can be used to learn more about a CCEE policy.
Key Findings and Highlights
This resource describes three main types of policy evaluations that states and territories should consider: implementation evaluations, outcomes evaluations, and impact evaluations.
- Implementation evaluations look at the process of putting a policy into action in the community and examine barriers and facilitators that may affect implementation.
- Outcomes evaluations describe whether the expected outcomes or effects happened after implementing the policy.
- Impact evaluations measure whether the policy caused one or more of the expected outcomes or effects.
For each evaluation type, we highlight one or two examples of evaluations that have informed particular state CCEE policies.
We provide guidance for selecting a type of policy evaluation, considering the pros and cons of each one. We also offer ideas for how to get started with a CCEE policy evaluation.
Quick Fact
Alternative Text: This graphic shows three ways to evaluate CCEE policies. The first, Implementation Evaluation, gathers information about how a policy is working and answers questions like: “Who knows about the policy? What’s working well? What’s challenging?” The second, Outcomes Evaluation, explores the relationship between the policy and effects and answers questions like: “What changes happen after the policy is implemented?” The third, Impact Evaluation, measures whether the policy caused changes to occur and answers questions like: “Does the policy cause certain outcomes?”
Citation
Davis Schoch, A. (2025). Evaluating Child Care and Early Education Policies. OPRE Report #2025-008. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Glossary
- Administrative Data:
- refers to information programs collect about individual children, families, and staff to deliver program services and meet program, funding, or legal requirements.
- Correlation:
- the degree to which two variables are associated. Variables are positively correlated if they both tend to increase at the same time.” For example, there is a positive correlation between temperature and ice cream sales.
- Randomized Controlled Trial:
- study design in which participants are randomly assigned to groups, one group gets an intervention and the other does not, and then their outcomes are compared. RCTs are often considered the ‘gold standard’ for evaluation because the random groupings mean that any differences in outcome are based on the intervention, not pre-existing differences between groups.