Response to the 2026 ECE Benchmark Report on Developmental Science

By: Risha Swoverland-McLellan | Partner, DKEC | bloom! Executive Director
July 2026 | Download the Brief

The 2026 Early Childhood Education Benchmark Report highlights a sector under pressure: declining lead volume, rising parent expectations, and occupancy rates that threaten financial stability. Yet the report frames these challenges almost exclusively as issues of execution, speed, and conversion. From a developmental science perspective, this is only half the story.

Children’s learning, families’ decision-making, and educators’ effectiveness are shaped by relationships, developmental tasks, cultural context, and whole-child environments, not simply by operational efficiency. When owners, administrators, and teachers understand families and children through this lens, they create conditions that not only improve developmental outcomes but also increase enrollment, retention, and long-term loyalty.

Community-based early learning centers are uniquely positioned to meet these developmental and relational needs more effectively than public school preschools, which are often constrained by rigid structures, limited family-engagement models, and academically pressurized environments.

1. How Owners, Administrators, and Teachers View Families Matters for Enrollment and Retention

The report emphasizes speed-to-lead, tour conversion, and post-tour follow-up. But families do not make enrollment decisions based on efficiency alone.

• Families choose environments where they feel seen, respected, and culturally understood.

• Trust is the primary driver of early childhood enrollment decisions.

• Parents evaluate whether educators understand their child’s developmental needs, not just whether the center responds quickly.

When owners and administrators view families as partners rather than consumers, they shift from transactional enrollment practices to relational ones: learning and development are relational processes.

Developmental Lens Insight

Parents are not simply comparing programs; they are assessing whether a center understands:

• Their child’s temperament, developmental stage, and emerging capacities

• Their family’s cultural values, routines, and aspirations

• Their need for stability, communication, and emotional safety

Centers that demonstrate this understanding during tours, follow-up, and daily interactions convert and retain families at higher rates.

2. Understanding Children’s Developmental Needs and Tasks is a Competitive Advantage

The report notes that public pre-K expansion is a major competitive pressure. But public school preschools often struggle to meet the developmental needs of young children because they are embedded in K–12 systems designed for older learners.

Early childhood development is driven by:

• Secure relationships

• Predictable routines

• Exploration and play

• Cultural identity formation

• Emotion regulation and executive function development

• Individualized learning pathways

Community-based centers can meet these needs more effectively because they can:

A.       Prioritize relationships over compliance

Public school preschools often have:

·       Larger class sizes

·       More rigid schedules

·       Less time for family communication

Centers can offer:

·       Primary caregiving models

·       Looping

·       Daily face-to-face community

·       Stronger relational continuity

B.       Protect play-based, developmentally aligned learning

Public school preschools are increasingly academicized. Centers can maintain:

·       Open-ended play

·       Sensory-rich environments

·       Outdoor learning

·       Child-led inquiry

C.      Individualize learning and care

Centers can adapt to:

·       Developmental variability

·       Cultural practices

·       Family routines

·       Children with diverse needs

D.      Integrate family culture into the learning environment

Culture is not an add-on—it is a developmental resource.
Centers can:

·       Build culturally responsive classrooms

·       Honor home languages

·       Partner with families as co-educators

These practices directly influence enrollment and retention because families stay where their children thrive and where their identities are affirmed.

3. Why Attending to Developmental Needs and Cultural Context Improves Enrollment and Retention

The report shows that:

• Lead volume is down

• Occupancy is low

• Post-tour conversion is declining

But developmental science explains why families hesitate to enroll or stay:

A.       Families are seeking environments that feel emotionally safe

Parents are more cautious post-pandemic. They want:

·       Stable staffing

·       Warm relationships

·       Predictable communication

·       Evidence that teachers understand child development

B.       Families want programs aligned with their values

Cultural mismatch is a major driver of withdrawal.
When centers honor family culture, parents feel belonging—and belonging drives retention.

C.      Families stay when their children experience developmental progress

Parents notice:

·       Improved language

·       Better emotion regulation

·       Confidence

·       Curiosity

·       Social skills

Centers that can articulate developmental progress—not just curriculum—win loyalty.

D.      Families trust programs that understand developmental tasks

When teachers can explain:

·       Why toddlers bite

·       Why preschoolers test limits

·       Why routines matter

·       Why play is learning

Parents feel reassured and supported.
This reduces churn and increases word-of-mouth referrals.

4. How Centers Can Leverage Developmental Science to Outperform Public Pre-K

A. Make developmental expertise visible

·       Train staff in developmental principles

·       Communicate developmental reasoning to families

·       Use tours to highlight whole-child practices

        B. Build a relational enrollment model

Replace transactional follow-up with:

·       Personalized developmental conversations

·       Family histories and cultural interviews

·       Warm handoffs to teachers

         C. Showcase continuity of care

Parents value:

·       Low turnover

·       Consistent caregivers

·       Emotional safety

           D. Demonstrate cultural responsiveness

·       Home language integration

·       Family storytelling

·       Culturally grounded celebrations

·       Respect for family routines

E. Use developmental progress as a retention strategy

·       Share learning stories

·       Provide developmental portfolios

·       Hold family conferences focused on growth

Conclusion: Developmental Science is the Missing Strategy
                            in the Conversion Economy

The 2026 Benchmark Report is right: execution matters. But execution without developmental understanding is insufficient.

Centers that integrate the Science of Learning and Development into every stage of the family journey—from inquiry to enrollment to daily practice—create environments where:

• Children thrive

• Families feel seen

• Teachers feel competent

• Enrollment stabilizes

• Retention increases

In a competitive landscape shaped by public pre-K expansion and declining leads, developmental alignment is not just good practice—it is a strategic advantage.