This series of essays by child care experts and administrators explores the issue of funding stream fragmentation and the opportunities and challenges that block grant proposals present. The authors suggest ways to integrate child care services, and the federal, state, and local levels; indentify gaps in child care funding; present a state case study on how to develop early childhood program infrastructure--and how to achieve seamless adminstration; offer examples of model programs that incorporate "two generation" programming to address the needs of parents and children; describe how to coordinate Head Start with welfare reform programs; and indentify key policy questions that should be asked about any block grant proposal.

Douglas J. Besharov is the Joseph J. and Violet Jacobs Scholar at AEI.