to increase the availability of voluntary programs, services, and activities that support early childhood development, increase parent effectiveness, and promote the learning readiness of young children so that young children enter school ready to learn;

to support parents, child care providers, and caregivers who want to incorporate early learning activities into the daily lives of young children;

to remove barriers to the provision of an accessible system of early childhood learning programs in communities throughout the United States;

to increase the availability and affordability of professional development activities and compensation for caregivers and child care providers; and

to facilitate the development of community-based systems of collaborative service delivery models characterized by resource sharing, linkages between appropriate supports, and local planning for services.