The purpose of the competitive task order (TO) awarded to Child Trends is to support the provision of expert consultation, assessment and analysis in child care and early education policy and research to the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE), in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), including activities related to: providing expert advice, assistance and consultation in support of the agency's research priorities and goals; conducting studies to inform policy and practice and the development of new research priorities; identifying and refining measures and instruments to improve the collection of data related to program policies and practices, and to program outcomes for families and children, identifying sources of data and conducting statistical analyses on national and other original data-sets to answer questions of relevance to the Agency on child care utilization, child care supply, and the effects of child care and other early childhood policies on parental and child outcome; and, providing technical assistance and expertise in the preparation of written materials and convening of expert early childhood stakeholders. This task order also covers planning and facilitation of meetings of experts on child care research issues of relevance to the administration for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and other early childhood programs in States, Territories, and Tribes.