That might seem like an innocuous statement, but states are struggling to define those pathways in equally rigorous ways. Moreover, a lack of reliable data on who actually serves in the military means that it鈥檚 being left out as a successful post-high school outcome. 

Let鈥檚 start with the college track because it鈥檚 the largest and easiest to define. About two-thirds of high school graduates go into some form of postsecondary education. That number is down slightly in recent years, but states have built sophisticated data systems to track public school students from K-12 into higher education. If students go to a private school or leave the state, a nonprofit called the National Student Clearinghouse has data on 99% of postsecondary students nationwide. That data allows any state or school district in the country to find out, for a nominal fee, how many of their students enroll and persist through higher education.

In contrast, it鈥檚 harder to define a successful outcome on the career side. More than half the states are now counting whether high school students earn 鈥渋ndustry recognized credentials.鈥� This is admirable work, but states are struggling to balance encouraging students to follow a wide variety of pathways on one hand, while also ensuring that all of those options are equally rigorous. State lists of allowable credentials routinely run into the hundreds, and a 2020 found that the most common credential students earn was 鈥淢icrosoft Office Specialist.鈥� That report concluded, 鈥渕any of the credentials earned by K-12 students carry little currency with employers, and therefore offer questionable career value to students.鈥� 

This lack of rigor shows up in depressingly small income gains. For example, by Matt Giani at the University of Texas found that students who earned a credential had somewhat higher employment rates, but the median earnings of recent high school graduates with a credential was barely over $10,000 a year. A out of Florida found that, five years after high school graduation, those who had completed a certificate earned about $600 more than those without one. 

Contrast the situation on the career side with military service. Military service is not only a noble career, it鈥檚 also a strong pathway into the middle class. And yet, states don鈥檛 have a good way to get accurate counts of which students serve in the military. 

Upon the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, 10 states said they were planning to use military service as one of their indicators of student success. Unfortunately, without a good way to collect that data, they were forced to remove military service as a success indicator, treat it as an optional measure for some schools, or fall back on self-reported data, effectively putting the burden of proof of military service on individual schools and districts. 

To address this problem, a number of state education chiefs are working behind the scenes to ask the Department of Defense (DoD) for help in solving this data challenge. (Disclosure: I鈥檝e been helping the states craft that request.) 

This is not just a wonky data issue, because the military stands to gain from a secure but accurate data-sharing process as well. If military service counted as a successful pathway for students, that might indirectly help the armed services meet their recruitment goals. 

To be sure, this is delicate ground. If states begin working with the DoD to solve this data challenge, there are questions about data security and concerns about not promoting the military above other potential pathways. And students need to be protected from receiving unwanted recruiting pitches. At the same time, this issue needs to be resolved in order to recognize military service as a successful outcome for students who do choose to serve. 

This isn鈥檛 the first such effort to track military service. Many states have tried to get this type of data in the past, only to be stymied by technical or bureaucratic obstacles. But there鈥檚 widespread interest in solving this problem and putting military service on par with other post-high school pathways.

While public schools have struggles, families can navigate a district with elementary, middle, and high schools. But, early child care education doesn鈥檛 have the same infrastructure. We鈥檝e been overlooking a national program for child care that could solve this issue 鈥� the child care system for military families. This model could serve as a valuable blueprint for establishing a more comprehensive and accessible child care infrastructure for all American families.

More than of families in this country live in child care deserts, a census tract with more than three times as many children as licensed child care slots. Furthermore, roughly children will likely lose spots resulting from the end of pandemic relief federal funds for child care, which expired September 30, 2023. Without child care, children miss out on early education, and parents find it hard to work and support their families. This also affects businesses, as our current child care system isn’t strong enough to meet the needs of working families. 

Prior to the , military families struggled to access reliable child care, and child care providers lacked resources to offer high-quality consistent care. After the act passed, wages increased for early educators working in military child care programs, standards increased for child care and military families could reliably access affordable care. The resulting system was mixed delivery, meaning families could access child care in a variety of settings, including larger centers and home-based child care programs. In 2020, about , compared with 9 percent of civilian centers nationwide.

This model can serve as a blueprint for increasing accessibility to child care for more families. It begins with dedicated, sustained public investment in child care across multiple settings so children and families have access to child care that meets their needs. Tessie Ragan, a veteran and owner of Perfect Start Learning in California, participates in the military child care program because of the opportunity it affords to provide high-quality early learning opportunities to a diverse group of children & families.

Data shows that access to high-quality early childhood care has significant lifelong benefits. One showed that children from low-income backgrounds who received 24 months of early childhood education before age 5 had higher graduation rates and earned higher salaries by 26 percent compared to peers without access. 

However, the number of regulated home-based child care programs (also called family child care) has been in steep decline. From December 2019 to March 2021, family child care (FCC) programs closed in 36 states, representing a 10 percent loss in licensed FCC programs. This is on top of the more than 97,000 (25%) licensed family child care homes closed in the United States between 2005 and 2017.

According to a 2023 survey of NAFCC members, 32 percent of respondents stated their income does not allow them to cover expenses like rent, utilities, and supplies. Educators who care for children from their homes and operate as small businesses often make far below minimum wage. Family care providers must cover these expenses without federal subsidies, often forcing many of them to to cover costs and provide for their own families.

As we have learned from the military child care system, well-funded early-learning programs include dollars so that early educators like Ragan can cover the costs of competitive wages for staff, rent, insurance, materials, and professional development. 

Every parent wants what鈥檚 best for their kids and high-quality child care should be broadly available. A well-funded early care and education system enhances workforce participation, particularly . As parents have more opportunities to work and advance in their careers, their families and the overall economy benefit.

By leaning into the federal child care education model and advocating for increased funding we can build a robust child care system that supports families and empowers early care and education providers ensuring a brighter future for all our children.