| CCDBG | Child Care and Development Block Grant |
| CCDF | Child Care and Development Fund |
| DC | District of Colombia |
| ECEC | Early childhood education and care |
| ECLS | Early Childhood Longitudinal Study |
| ELL | English-language learner |
| FMLA | Family and Medical Leave Act |
| LEA | Local education authority |
| KEA | Kindergarten entry assessment |
| IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act |
| IELS | International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study |
| ISCED | International Standard Classification of Education |
| GDP | Gross domestic product |
| GED | General Educational Development |
| K-12 | Kindergarten to 12th grade |
| NAC | National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs |
| NAEP | National Assessment of Educational Progress |
| NAEYC | National Association for the Education of Young Children |
| NCES | National Center for Education Statistics |
| NIEER | National Institute for Early Education Research |
| Pre-k | Pre-kindergarten |
| PIRLS | Progress in International Reading Literacy Study |
| PISA | Programme for International Student Assessment |
| ROR | Reach Out and Read |
| QRIS | Quality rating and improvement systems |
| SEL | Social-emotional learning |
| SES | Socio-economic status |
| TANF | Temporary Assistance for Needy Families |
| TIMSS | Trends in Mathematics and Science Study |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
Early Learning and Child Well-being in the United States
