This is an older report but I thought it was still relevant today, so I wanted to post it for other ECE researchers and regulatory scientists to review and use.

The Better Care for the Babies (BCTB) Project was initiated in April 1989 to help states improve the quality of infant and toddler child care, especially for low-income children whose parents are in the labor force and/or making the transition from welfare to work. The BCTB Project initiated ongoing, negotiated, goal-directed technical assistance with three state interagency teams in Florida, Illinois, and Utah; conducted a national technical assistance forum; and implemented national outreach through the preparation and dissemination of policy papers. The chapters of this case study describe the background and design of the project, the policy context and assumptions, the technical assistance approach and implementation, project actions and policy improvements related to child care quality made by the BCTB states, the project as perceived by key participating state administrators themselves, lessons learned, and recommendations. The recommendations focus on federal mandates that would include incentives, offering states goal-directed technical assistance, coordination of state policies and programs, and conveyance of information to state leaders concerning the influence of child care on child development.