States have developed myriad systems for managing funding and oversight of early education programs. A few states have established a separate cabinet-level department; some house pre-k governance in their department of education or human services; and others spread program funding and management responsibility across several departments and agencies.

• Independent Department
  Georgia, Massachusetts, and Washington have all established independent, cabinet-level departments to consolidate early education programs.
  
  Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning is the Georgia state agency that supervises childcare and educational services for children from birth to four years of age.
  
  Massachusetts created a board and Consolidated Department of Early Education and Care to administer the state's early childhood system, a move which lays the groundwork for voluntary, high-quality pre-k programs for all children in the state.
  
  In 2006, Washington created a cabinet-level Department of Early Learning to bring together the state’s child care, Head start and pre-kindergarten programs.  Governor Christine Gregoire also issued an executive order, creating Thrive by Five, a public-private partnership funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

• Office of School Readiness or Early Education
  The North Carolina Office of Early Learning is housed in the Department of Public Instruction.
  
  The Tennessee Office of Early Learning is housed in the Department of Education.
  
  The Arkansas Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education is housed in the Department of Human Services.
  
  In 2005 Maryland created a division of Early Childhood Development within the State Department of Education (SDE).  The new division combines several programs from the former Early Learning Branch in SDE and the Department of Human Resources (DHS), including pre-kindergarten, child care regulation, and child care quality improvement initiatives. In 2006, the state completed the process by also moving the child care subsidy administration over from DHS.
  
  In December 2006, Pennsylvania created the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL). Beginning in mid-2007, this new office will incorporate the Department of Education's early childhood programs, Head Start, school pre-k, full-day kindergarten and preschool Early Intervention program, as well as the child care, early intervention and family support programs currently associated with the Office of Child Development in the Department of Public Welfare. OECDL will remain on the organizational charts of the two agencies contributing programs to it.

• Multiple Departments and Agencies
  New Mexico distributes pre-k funding to schools through their Public Education Department and to community-based providers through their Children Youth and Families Department. Both departments receive an equal amount of funding for pre-k.
  
  Michigan has two state pre-k funding streams: one is state aid, distributed to schools based on a funding formula; the second is a smaller program that provides funds to community-based providers through competitive grants. Similarly, South Carolina has two funding streams for its 4K program.

How the state distributes resources from the state level to pre-k programs may affect both the accessibility and quality of services. In general, state pre-k funding flows either through the school funding formula, through direct contracts to providers, through local councils, or through direct-to-family subsidies.

• School Funding Formula
  Five states - Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Maine, Vermont, and West Virginia - as well as Washington, DC, permit local superintendents to allocate state education funding to support local pre-k programs. Most states require some local matching funds. Including pre-k in the school funding formula makes funding much more stable and secure, establishes early education as part of school reform, and allows for a system of diverse delivery if schools are permitted to contract with local private or nonprofit providers.

• Direct Contracts
  In most cases, states distribute funds directly to school districts or pre-k providers. Twenty states allow direct distributions to private programs and agencies as well as public providers. In 16 other states, direct funds are only available to public school districts, which can, in turn, subcontract with private providers. Most states distribute new funding through a competitive process that requires applicants to describe how their program will meet certain criteria established by the state.

• Local Councils
  In some states, local planning and advisory committees develop and submit to the state funding applications based upon the individual community's early education needs, goals, and capacity. Committee members typically include pre-k and/or Head Start providers, parents, public school representatives, and local elected and appointed officials.
  
  There is great variation in exactly how these councils are configured. In Connecticut, the mayor and the superintendent jointly convene the community advisory council. In Florida, the governor appoints the chairs of local early learning coalitions. The level of ongoing oversight and authority that these councils have over their local programs also varies from state to state.