“You can have a wonderful curriculum and state-of-the-art facility... but if you don’t have a workforce that feels valued and compensated, Head Start is not going to be able to have the impact we’ve had over the years.” |
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who:
Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association
where:
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Infant formula crisis
Democrats in the Ohio legislature unveiled proposals to address the infant formula shortage in particular – and the cost of raising young children in general – by lifting the sales tax on diapers, establishing a tax credit to help pay for infant formula, enacting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and more. Federally, Congress is considering emergency legislation to address the shortage of formula; the First Five Years Fund explains it here.
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Federal child care investments
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains the new proposal unveiled by U.S Senators Patty Murray and Tim Kaine to invest in child care. CLASP estimates that the proposal would benefit over one million U.S. children.
Politico examines how/whether the midterm elections can help Democrats pass child care measures.
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Jamie spoke to the Dispatch this week about Ohio’s third-grade reading guarantee, a bill that would end the student retention requirement, and about whether the guarantee has had the intended result of improved reading achievement.
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Michigan plans to use $100 million set aside from federal funds to tackle structural issues facing the child care sector – such as teacher turnover and a shortage of facilities. Just over half the funds will renovate and build new facilities, while the rest will go to start up grants, teacher recruitment and retention initiatives, and funds to streamline the licensing process for new programs.
The transition to kindergarten has come to the forefront of conversation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with learning disruptions leading to academic losses as well as behavioral and school attendance issues. Ed Note shares what three states (Maine, Mississippi, and Utah) are doing to make improvements to their kindergarten transition policies and practices to support early learners and their families.
Inspired by a child care walkout staged in Connecticut in March, child care programs in 27 states closed their doors on May 9th to protest the underinvestment into the child care sector and chronic underpayment of child care workers. “The Day Without Childcare” protesters expressed frustration with lawmakers at all levels, disappointed by the lack of investment in the struggling sector. The article also highlights state advancements in child care, applauding Louisiana’s expansion of child care subsidies and payments to providers; Washington D.C.’s one-time payments of $10,000 to $14,000 to the city’s child care providers; and a New Mexico initiative to provide free child care to families earning up to 400% of the federal poverty line for one year.
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NYU’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools is hosting a webinar next Tuesday, May 31 (1-3pm) on quality in early childhood education. “Who gets to decide what quality ECE looks like?” will share multiple perspectives on quality and will feature panelists: Fabienne Doucet, Executive Director at NYU Metro Center; Ellicia Lanier, Founding Executive Director at Urban Sprouts Academy; Diana Limongi, Campaign Director, Early Learning at MomsRising; and Soyoung Park, Faculty in Early Childhood Special Education, at Bank Street College.
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The infant formula shortage affects over 60,000 infants in Ohio alone, according to an estimate from the Dispatch. The article describes why Ohio needs a federal waiver to give mothers more choice in using WIC benefits for various types and amounts of formula. For those wanting a quick and easy way to offer guidance to infant caregivers, this fact sheet put together by Center for Community Solutions, Children’s Defense Fund-Ohio, and Groundwork Ohio is a good starting point. Finally, to understand how and why we’re in a formula shortage, here are two good explainers published in The Conversation.
Hechinger Report discusses state-by-state differences in eligibility for public aid, and how this affects families and young children living in poverty.
On the topic of children and poverty in the U.S., this piece in The Conversation describes how poverty exacerbates challenges facing families and complicate the likelihood of maltreatment. The authors argue that “a series of federal measures aiming to solve the system’s deep problems has failed to do so” and “more progress... will require a more robust safety net and the authorities taking a more constructive approach to supporting parents of children deemed to be experiencing neglect or abuse.”
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This edition written by: Jamie O'Leary and Caitlin Lennon |
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