Method note. The protocol's 23 dimensions are consolidated to 14 for this pass (deviation #5): the omitted dimensions (time-to-first-child, ramp rate, admin burden, build-vs-buy, employer-constituency effect, fault-line trigger, recession resilience, evidence base) fold into the retained ones or lack pass-level evidence; they are scored narratively in the rationale file where evidence exists. Scores 1–5.
CORRECTED 2026-08-04 (Verification Protocol, Phase 1). This note previously read: "Every cell in the CSV carries an evidence tag resolvable in the rationale file." That was false.
scores.csvcontains 168 cells (12 architectures × 14 dimensions). The rationale file's "Key cell citations" section tags 9 of them. The remainder are uncited analyst judgement against these anchored scales.This matters more than a normal correction, because the series method (M6) requires that "every cell cites a workstream finding," and this filing's scorecard is what produces its central architecture recommendation. The honest description is: anchored scales authored as stated, applied by a single analyst, with ~5% of cells carrying an explicit evidence tag. The scales are real and the scoring may well be defensible — but it is not evidenced at the cell level, and the record claimed it was. See verification-log.md.
| Dimension | 1 means | 3 means | 5 means |
|---|---|---|---|
| relief_workforce | No compensation/pipeline funding at all | Partial or indirect wage support | Funds compensation at parity + pipeline, DC-PEF-style |
| relief_supply | Builds no capacity; pure transfer | Holds existing capacity (stabilization-style) | Builds new capacity incl. rural/nontraditional |
| coverage_02 | Reaches almost no 0–2s | Reaches subsidized/poor 0–2s only | Universal 0–2 offer incl. home-based settings |
| coverage_34 | No 3–4 provision | Partial (income- or state-limited) | Universal 3–4 |
| coverage_512 | Ignores school-age | Before/after in some districts | Universal wraparound + summer |
| procedural | Needs 60 votes AND fails Byrd if reconciled | Reconcilable with major strips | Clean reconciliation fit or no legislation needed |
| federalism | Coverage collapses in holdout states | Strong incentives, no fallback | Holdout-proof (direct-federal or fallback) |
| durability | Annual appropriations, no constituency | Broad constituency OR dedicated revenue | Both + institutional entanglement |
| passthrough_risk (5=low) | Pure demand-side into inelastic supply | Mixed instruments | Supply-side operating grants / direct provision |
| participation_risk (5=low) | Depends on incumbents accepting below-cost rates | Cost-based rates negotiated | Doesn't depend on incumbent participation |
| preference_fit | Center-only for all ages | Mixed delivery, weak home-based support | Funds the arrangement families actually choose per band |
| integrity_risk (5=low) | Netherlands-shaped: mass demand-side clawback exposure | Standard grant oversight | Direct provision / small-N grantee audit surface |
| distributional | Benefits concentrate on high-income/served markets | Proportional | Concentrates on near-poor burden peak, deserts, nontraditional hours |
| evaluability | No evaluable variation | Observational only | Staged/lottery rollout built in |