Building Better Programs

OPRE – Prices Charged in Early Care and Education: Initial Findings from the NSECE

The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) is a set of four integrated, nationally representative surveys conducted in 2012 of:

  1. Households with children under age 13
  2. Home-based providers of early care and education (ECE)
  3. Center-based providers of ECE and
  4. The center-based provider workforce.

The four surveys are used to understand the supply of and demand for ECE in the United States. This report focuses on prices charged for ECE by center- and home-based providers, as well as on the incidence of care that is free to all parents. In addition to providing a national overview, the report examines how prices and availability of free care vary by community characteristics such as poverty and urbanicity. Authors conclude with suggestions for further research.

Prices Charged in Early Care and Education – Initial Findings from the NSECE
Additional reports and analyses of the NSECE are available here