As they build the state's new early education and care program, Massachusetts officials should go on a shopping trip, browsing through other states to see the best practices -- and avoidable flaws -- of similar programs.

In Syracuse, N.Y., children in the district's universal prekindergarten program receive a book every month to build their own libraries. Syracuse's program builds cognitive, emotional, and physical skills using a system that takes advantage of schools, Head Start programs, community organizations, and family care operated in providers' homes, giving parents a wide choice of settings.

Syracuse programs also get crucial support from teams that include a psychologist, a nurse, and a social worker. Including such behavioral consultants can cut preschool expulsion rates in half, according to new research from the Yale Child Study Center.

The cautionary tale in New York is that legislative intent can be eroded by anemic funding. The state serves 58,000 children a year, spending $200 million, much less than the $500 million a year called for by the establishing 1997 law.

Money flows more freely in Georgia, where the 12-year-old prekindergarten program gets all its funding from the state lottery. Last year, Georgia spent $271 million in lottery funds, serving 70,000 4-year-olds. Preschool curriculums are aligned with state education standards. Officials develop quality by assessing programs and declining to renew annual contracts with the providers who don't meet state standards.

A take-home lesson from Georgia is to start with high standards for teacher credentials, because it's tough to raise them after the fact. Georgia requires teachers to have a two-year college degree. But some research shows that teachers with four-year degrees provide a richer classroom environment.

In Los Angeles County, the effort to build high-quality universal preschool includes recruiting 11,000 licensed family care providers to join forces with the county, since they serve 111,000 children. The county is running an experiment by creating five agencies to help family providers enhance children's learning, expand capacity, manage paperwork, develop staff, and assess quality.

A new report from the Center for Law and Social Policy in Washington raises other questions Massachusetts must answer, such as who hires teachers, how to assure quality in different settings, and how to help working families who need more hours of care a day than universal preschool may offer.

By carefully scanning other states, Massachusetts could build a first class universal system of early education and care.