Accountability in Early Care and Education

This entry provides an overview of accountability in the current context of early care and education (ECE). It begins by defining accountability and explains why accountability is important. Next, the entry specifies who in ECE is accountable, what ECE providers are being held accountable for, how accountability is measured, and what recent policy developments are affecting ECE accountability. The entry concludes with a review of the implications of accountability for policy makers, administrators, teachers, parents, children, and the public at large.