Activating Leaders to Advance Early Learning: Local Leadership Cadre

High-quality early childhood education (ECE) programs are vital to a thriving state, its economic development and its residents’ prosperity. Despite the growing importance of the early learning sector, ECE initiatives remain fragmented and individual providers often operate in isolation, lacking the community of public policy advocates, professional service providers and other supports that surround K-12 education, health care and other industries that have similar influence on a state’s broader aims. States that have developed an effective early learning ecosystem are marked by diverse stakeholders instigating and driving progress at the program, local and state levels.