Children’s access to high quality programs in the United States is influenced by the state in which they live.  For this discussion, you will visit the Children’s Defense Fund website and access the Children in the States Factsheet for your state and another state of your choosing.  Review the fact sheet for your state and another state of your choosing.  Find data for the following:

• Number of children served by Head Start
• Average annual cost of child care for a 4-year-old in a center
• Percent of 3-year-olds enrolled in state pre-k, Head Start, or special education programs
• Percent of 4-year-olds enrolled in state pre-k, Head Start, or special education programs
• Number of poor children (and percent poor)

You will then create a graphic representation (e.g. chart, table, graph, etc.) that clearly shows the differences in these statistics between your state and the other state you chose.  You are encouraged to use “chart”, “table”, or “smart art” features in Word to create your graphic.  You may also use Excel.  An example is included here:

  

After uploading your graphic into the discussion, address the following:

• Analyze your findings and determine if the children in your state are receiving appropriate childcare services relative to the children in the other state. Justify your analysis by providing a comparison between the funding, percentage of students served, and percentage of identified poor children regarding the data for the two states.

• Provide two to three specific recommendations for families to access quality childcare in your community. Also, locate two organizations that can aid families in identifying quality care.
• The state I live in is Illinois. You may pick another state to use for the second one.