The child care & early education glossary defines terms used to describe aspects of child care and early education practice and policy; the research glossary defines terms used in conducting social science and policy research, for example those describing methods, measurements, statistical procedures, and other aspects of research.
Vouchers and Contracts
Refers to forms or mechanisms of payment that income eligible families can use to help pay for child care. Vouchers are issued to eligible families to pay for any legal child care they select that accepts state payments—including unregulated Informal Family Child Care, Family-based Child Care and Center-based Child Care. By contrast, contracts are pre-negotiated arrangements made between jurisdictions and child care centers and/or networks of family child care homes to provide subsidized care to blocks of eligible children that they enroll.