Child Care Policy Research Partnerships

Child Care Policy Research Partnerships (CCPRP) awards support new research and evaluation activities developed and conducted through partnerships between Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agencies in states, territories, or tribes and research partner organizations with demonstrated research capacity. This opportunity will fund up to eight 5-year cooperative agreements to pursue research questions of current relevance to local, state, and national child care policy. This iteration of the CCPRP awards prioritizes projects implementing rigorous, policy-relevant evaluations of quality improvement initiatives in states, territories, or tribes implemented through CCDF “quality set-aside” funds that aim to increase families’ access to quality child care, especially access for children in underserved areas, infants and toddlers, children with disabilities, and children receiving care during nontraditional hours. These projects are expected to add to the knowledge about the efficacy of child care subsidy policies and quality improvement initiatives in increasing families’ access to quality child care. Sponsored projects will be expected to participate in a consortium that will meet and communicate regularly to identify opportunities for coordination, such as common data elements and research methods, and to develop collective expertise and resources for the field. The consortium’s collaboration will support research capacity and learning within individual projects and across recipients. For further information about prior awards made for CCPRP, see https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/child-care-policy-research-partnerships-1995-2023.