Changes — and subsequent confusion and concern — largely defined the early childhood education sector in 2025. Multiple social programs including Head Start and hunger assistance programs were in flux. Rising costs of living were coupled with the rising costs of child care. And many EdSurge readers were left searching for answers, as seen in our most-read stories of the year.
There was also plenty of innovation in the field, from transforming empty school buildings, adding apprenticeship programs and introducing play into teaching math. There will be more of that undoubtedly in 2026 and EdSurge aims to bring you more answers as questions continue to arise about the future of early learning and child care.
Here are the most popular early childhood education stories, in descending order. You can see our most-read stories covering the K-12 sector here.
10. More Than Half of Child Care Providers Have Gone Hungry, New Report Finds
By Lauren Coffey
Child care providers struggling is nothing new, and many left the field postpandemic due to its low pay and long, unstable hours. But the struggle to survive came to a head last year, as the cost of living continued to rise and multiple social programs — namely SNAP, formerly known as food stamps — were temporarily paused. A report from the RAPID Survey Project at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood found that basic needs may be greater than ever, with 58 percent of child care providers stating they experienced hunger in 2025.
9. Could Play Boost Students’ Math Performance?
By Daniel Mollenkamp
Early education often conjures images of games, bright colors and plenty of play time. But often those associations stop when it comes to math class. EdSurge spoke with experts across the nation looking to marry the two. But similar to the curriculum at ever-popular Montessori schools, “play” is not a free-for-all. When it comes to math instruction, there is a fine line between board and dice games and lessons about larger concepts.
8. What Will Kids Lose If PBS Gets Cut?
By Lauren Coffey
Calls to cut funding for PBS began in the spring of 2025, culminating in multiple slashed grants that more than likely spelled the end for many local public broadcasting affiliates. The cut goes beyond easily accessing beloved shows like “Daniel the Tiger” and “Arthur.” Many experts voiced concerns that the loss of programming, which puts educational guidelines at the forefront, could hit rural and lower-income families particularly hard.
7. As Apprenticeships Expand in Early Childhood, These States Are Training the Field’s Future Leaders
By Emily Tate Sullivan
The leap between early childhood educator and director of an early child care center is often so intimidating that many educators do not attempt to move up, despite it often providing better pay and hours. Registered apprenticeship programs began booming to fix that gap, offering a pathway to train educators for leadership roles. Notably, Kentucky, Massachusetts and New Hampshire offer programs specifically made for emerging leaders in the early education field — and the impact is already being seen.
6. What Will Districts Do With All Those Empty School Buildings? Some Look to Fill Them With Younger Kids
By Emily Tate Sullivan
Enrollment continues to decline in traditional public schools, due in part to the rise of popularity in virtual schools and charter schools buoyed by voucher programs. The outcome: a lot of large, empty school buildings. But some districts, like in Oklahoma City and Tucson, are overhauling them to house early learning programs instead. What follows is a way to address the rising need for child care and a way to lure in early childhood educators, thanks to district benefits.
5. Head Start’s Future Is Uncertain. Rural Americans Aren’t Ready for What Happens Next.
By Claire Woodcock
As the Head Start program turned 60 in 2025, questions swirled about its future. The program, which has long helped families living at or below the poverty level access affordable child care and services, saw half of its regional offices close this year. For most of the year, the fate of its funding was unknown. While Head Start funding was later approved, there was no increase from previous years — bringing concern from many. There is a particular worry about the consequences for rural communities, where 1 in 3 child care programs is backed by Head Start.
4. Study: Kids Suffer as Nearly Half of U.S. Families Struggle to Meet Basic Needs
By Marianna McMurdock
Similarly to our No. 8 story of the year focusing on child care providers, families themselves also struggled this year to make ends meet. A report showed 4 in 10 families are experiencing material hardship, which goes beyond short-term stress: It can hurt children’s learning long-term. Parents’ stress can seep to their children, causing depression and anxiety. It can also cause an overreliance on screen time. The result: children can have a learning gap of up to a year compared to those not experiencing hardship.
3. Why the Dire State of the Early Learning Workforce Is ‘Alarming and Not Surprising’
By Emily Tate Sullivan
Rising costs, staff shortages and low morale brought the early childhood educator crisis to a head in 2025. According to a report by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, high rents and an uptick in property and liability insurance rates has caused stagnant or low revenue for providers, prompting many programs to shutter. Those working in the early childhood world are not surprised by these findings, but do believe more funding and action — versus inaction — is needed.
2. Idaho Moves to Deregulate Child Care in First-of-Its-Kind Legislation
By Emily Tate Sullivan
Idaho made major waves at the start of the year when it attempted to become the first in the nation to eliminate state-mandated child-to-teacher ratios, in a move it believed would help the severe shortage of child care openings. Many experts were quick to defend the ratios as essential to helping with the health of children and the quality of child care. The amended bill ultimately tweaked the ratio proposals, loosening, versus ridding, the requirements.
1. Why Don’t Early Childhood Programs Have Access to Substitute Teachers?
By Emily Tate Sullivan
As winter swings on, bringing with it inevitable sickness, the K-12 system can rely on its large infrastructure of substitute teachers, but the early childhood sector has no such programming. Beyond cold and flu season, this makes it difficult for the already-burned-out teachers in early learning to take a sick day or vacation. However, there are some efforts under way, with many turning toward future full-time educators to fill the gap.
You may see some of my bylines above, and you’ll be seeing more of those in 2026 as I cover more early childhood education for EdSurge. If you have any tips, or just want to say hello, feel free to shoot me a note at [email protected].
