@EdWorkingPaper{ai26-1573,
title = "Distinguishing Burdens from Benefits in Early Care and Education Policy",
author = "Anamarie A. Whitaker, Jade M. Jenkins, Rachel Fischer, Martha Buell",
number = "1573",
year = "2026",
month = "September",
URL = "http://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai26-1573",
abstract = {Contemporary policy conversations discuss burdens imposed by regulations, describing when they render government functions ineffective and inefficient. But one can mislabel the core purposes and benefits of a policy’s existence as burdens. Applying the administrative burden framework to early care and education (ECE) policy, we describe what ECE providers face while navigating disparate state and federal systems and funding sources, making determinations on which policy to enact and how, when misaligned. These impose opportunity costs that can affect children and families, potentially reducing the benefits provided by the policies. Our framework delineates burdens from benefits afforded by ECE policies, including enforcement of safety, quality, and learning standards. It is layering, redundancy, and opacity in ECE policies that can lead to burden and pose clear tradeoffs for safety and quality, but not ECE regulations writ large. We discuss ways to examine policy design, burden reduction, and ultimately child and family outcomes.},
}