“While public preschool programs can be excellent options, pursuing two separate funding buckets — one just for public preschool, the other for all child care — is a poor way to address parents’ diverse child care needs across the early childhood years… Importantly, the type of care setting matters far less than what is happening inside. We now know that care and learning are inextricably linked, a vital truth of child development that blows up any distinction between “early childhood education” and “child care.” The research base suggests that secure emotional attachment and its related gains in executive functioning (the ability to calm oneself down, concentrate on a task, work in a group, etc.) are what primarily drives later educational success — not whether you learn the alphabet at age three.”
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According to a poll from the Morning Consult/Politico, 58% of Americans support President Biden’s $1.8 trillion American Families Plan. Forbes has more on the plan.
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There is a lot of federal policy news to keep track of lately as it relates to early care and education and policies helping children and families, and we mean a lot.
It’s historic.
It’s groundbreaking
It’s much-needed.
And, long overdue.
In short, Pres. Biden’s proposals as well as Congressional support for some/many of them reflect what appears to be a shift in the Overton window about how American cares for its children. Here is some notable coverage on what's happening federally:
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OSU’s Early Head Start Partnership Program was recently awarded a $10 million federal expansion grant which allows them to build upon and expand vital services supporting the health, learning, and well-being of young children and families in central Ohio. The grant will allow the program to expand services to more than 100 additional children and to begin offering prenatal support to 25 soon-to-be mothers, thereby strengthening the prenatal to early childhood support spectrum. New early education providers will join the OSU-EHS provider network through this grant, and the program will expand the network of community partnerships that offer holistic support for families and children in nutrition and meal planning; dental, vision, and health services; mental health support; and workforce development.
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A lawsuit filed in New Mexico in 2018 alleging that eligibility for child care subsidies was reduced without following the proper process was recently settled by the state’s Early Childhood Education and Care Department. The settlement states that families can qualify for child care subsidy if they earn up to 200% more than the poverty line, or income less than $52,400 for a family of four.
This opinion piece suggests the Biden administration and Congress look to New Jersey’s state-funded pre-K program when considering the president’s call for universal preschool in the American Families Plan. New Jersey’s program, the Abbott Preschool Program, serves more than 50,000 3- and 4- year olds and has “proven effective in reducing pre-kindergarten learning gaps for children in high-poverty, racially isolated communities.”
Tennessee’s proposed $250 million fund for student mental health initially gained kudos for its breadth but new questions are emerging about the plan’s funding approach. The proposed endowment would potentially fund “clinical services in K-12 schools, trauma-informed training for educators, mental health awareness campaigns, and initiatives to quell bullying, violence, and suicide”. Regardless of the possible imperfect funding; mental health advocacy groups are enthusiastic about the proposal.
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Join Researchers Investigating Sociocultural Equity and Race (RISER) Network on Tuesday, May 11th from 1-2:30 pm for a webinar focusing on utilizing a strengths-based research approach to promote equity within the early care and education field. RISER researchers will offer ways to incorporate a strengths-based approach in research design. Register here.
On Wednesday, May 19th from 9:30-11:30 am, Crane program assistant DeVaughn Croxton will be co-leading “The State of Campus Childcare Post Pandemic and Alternative Means of Quality Care” at the National Student Parent Support Symposium. Crane faculty fellow Dr. Kelly Purtell will be participating on the panel following the presentation. Register here.
ODE’s Office of Early Learning and School Readiness Head Start Collaboration Project are hosting “Heading to Kindergarten Transition Summit” on Thursday, June 3rd from 1-4 pm. The event will showcase examples of effective kindergarten readiness practices, including strategies to support smooth transitions to kindergarten, and provide tools, supports and information to strengthen kindergarten readiness practices and collaboration between early childhood programs and school districts. Register here.
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The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has a new brief, “How States Can Improve Child Care Facilities & Physical Spaces Using Federal Relief Dollars”, urging states to make sure all child care providers have the proper resources to provide high-quality, safe environments for children in care. The brief shares recommendations for states to leverage federal relief funds to equitably meet the needs of children and families with low incomes. On the topic of child care facilities, this op-ed lists five reasons that child care facilities are “a perfect fit for bipartisan infrastructure investments.”
This op-ed published in the Hechinger Report offers a pragmatic, cost-saving idea for child care providers. The author argues that funding from the American Rescue Plan could/should go toward helping providers develop “back office” supports that would help centralize and share core business, administrative, and HR functions. Meanwhile, this article highlights how home-based providers in particular have been devastated by the pandemic. Home providers are especially relied upon in rural areas and for Black and Latino families, making support for them an even more urgent issue of equity.
This Los Angeles Times article raises a great point: the pandemic deserves credit for raising awareness of the importance of early childhood education. “In 14 months, we’ve watched a radical campaign promise from the leftmost flank of our political spectrum become a mainstream policy proposal framed as the centerpiece of the country’s pandemic recovery program. Even if it never happens — which it still probably won’t — the very idea that it could has important implications for the future.”
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This edition written by: Jamie Davies O'Leary, Associate Director of Policy and Caitlin Lennon, Communications & Policy Specialist |
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