Financing Child Care in the United States: An Illustrative Catalog of Current Strategies.

This catalog provides information on innovative financing strategies, primarily state and community strategies, being used successfully to fund child care in the United States. Five sections of the manual are devoted to profiles of programs using the following categories of strategies: (1) generating new public revenue for child care, including tax strategies, tax credits, deductions, and exemptions, and fees and lotteries; (2) allocating existing public general revenue for child care; (3) financing child care in the private sector, such as employer- and union-supported care and community child care initiatives; (4) financing child care through public-private partnerships; and (5) financing child care facilities, including using grants, bonds, and loans. The catalog's introduction describes characteristics of successful financing strategies for raising money for child care. Each profile describes a specific financing strategy, when it was initiated, the amount of funding it generates, how funds are distributed, what services are funded, and who is eligible for them. Additional locations using similar financing strategies are listed with contact information. Also in each profile are opinions and analysis of the pros and cons of each strategy plus lessons learned from the participants' perspective. Historical, political, and economic factor contributing to the success of an approach are included. Four appendices describe revenue-generation methods, outline tax strategies and governmental powers, and list key national organizations in child care and family support, and members of the National Children's Facilities Network. Contains 58 references. (KB)