Introduction
Research Questions
- What is the expansion potential and operating capacity at center-based providers at the national level?
- How is expansion potential distributed across providers?
- How does expansion potential at the classroom-level compare to that at the center-level?
- How does expansion potential vary across center and community settings, such as revenue and funding sources, community poverty density, or urbanicity?
- How do centers’ operating capacity compare to their licensed capacity?
Supply capacity is a critical construct for understanding how much care is available to families in the community. The supply capacity of a provider is the number of children the provider is able to serve at a given moment in time, and is the sum of the provider’s current enrollment and vacancies.
State licensing lists provide a source of data for analyzing the supply of center-based CCEE, but they are limited in several ways. First, they may not include all CCEE programs offering center-based care. Second, the lists may not include granular breakdowns of capacity by age categories, and by themselves do not offer information about provider characteristics or those of the communities in which they are located. Third, as we explain in this brief, state licensing lists provide data on licensed capacity, but licensed capacity may differ from a center’s operating capacity.
Purpose
This methodological brief describes how enrollment and vacancies at center-based CCEE programs can be estimated using data from the 2019 NSECE. This brief also documents differences between centers’ operating capacity, defined as the sum of a given center’s enrollment and vacancies, and their licensed capacity (the number of children a center is legally licensed to serve) reported in state licensing lists.
Key Findings and Highlights
- In 2019, at the national-level, center-based providers have limited expansion potential. On average, centers are operating with a capacity utilization of about 90%.
- In 2019, expansion potential is unevenly distributed across providers. Although the majority of providers have no expansion potential, some providers reported substantial expansion potential.
- In 2019, expansion potential at the classroom-level is even more limited than that at the center-level.
- In 2019, limited expansion potential is observed across multiple center and community settings, regardless of revenue and funding sources, community poverty density, or urban density.
- Based on an analysis of a sample of centers, we find that in 2019, the average center has an operating capacity that is lower than its licensed capacity.
Methods
This brief draws from data collected in the 2019 NSECE Center-based Provider Survey. In the NSECE, a center-based provider is defined as the set of all CCEE services to children birth through five years, not yet in kindergarten, provided by an organization at a single location. Center-based providers were identified from a national provider sampling frame built from state or national administrative lists such as state licensing lists, Head Start program records, or lists of public pre-K programs obtained from each state. These providers included regulated, licensed, and other private providers as well. Respondents to this nationally-representative survey were directors or other instructional leaders of center-based CCEE providers to children age five and under, not yet in kindergarten. For this brief, 2019 tabulations’ data are for approximately 6,900 centers.
Citation
W Wong, A R Datta. Measuring Capacity at Center-based ECE Programs, OPRE Report 2023-255, Washington DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/national-survey-early-care-and-education-2019-2017-2022