The True Cost of Quality in Early Care and Education Programs

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What's the gap between the price that families pay for child care and the "true cost" of quality care?

Is there agreement among child care providers about elements of quality and what they cost?

If providers understood their budgets better and were clear about the funding they would need to reach the "true cost" of quality, would they be empowered to advocate more
successfully for increased funding?

Supposing parents understood the gap between the price they pay and the true cost — would they be willing to pay more?

These questions were the catalyst for the True Cost of Quality project launched in the spring of 2001 by the City of Seattle's Northwest Finance Circle. The mission of the Northwest Finance Circle, a community collaboration, was to improve and expand the financing of early childhood and afterschool programs by creating a new system of financing and by testing out innovative financing strategies. ...