News
California governor set to sign early learning bill
Posted on June 14, 2013
Category: Early Childhood Education / Day Care Centers
The governor of California is poised to sign off on the restoration of $55 million for early education purposes, according to a published report.State preschools and childcare programs in California are likely to benefit from the boon, EdSource reports."It's a start," Assemblymember Susan Bonilla told the news source, noting she has long supported numerous measures that aim to develop and enhance statewide early childhood education programs in California. "We're not doing as much as we hoped, but we are beginning to see dollars directed back into preschool and early child care."Two entities will receive that funding. The state preschool program will take on $30 million on top of the current budget allocation of $481 million. The general childcare fund will be awarded $25.8 million more.Because the governor has not solicited new forms of funding for those programs thus far this year, the adjustments represent a win, senior policy analyst Scott Moore with advocacy group Early Edge California told the publication."We've seen $1 billion in cuts to children and child care" during the past 60 months, the senior policy analyst told the news source. "Now we're looking at $55 million in restoration. We have a ways to go."Further developing the preschool program of the state also is yet to occur as a requirement of the California Department of Education. That is considered the first phase in preparation for soliciting federal funding should the U.S. Congress pass the early childhood education initiative proposed by President Barack Obama.The budget also entails changes via the administration as to how childcare voucher program CalWorks operates. Adjustments and adaptations would permit families to take on continuous benefits when income climbs prompt moving from one level of subsidies to another.One aspect that is likely to remain intact is a controversial fee for half-day state pre-school. The assemblywoman spearheaded a drive to augment the budget trailer bill to include language outlining the removal of that fee for families within lower-income brackets who are eligible for subsidized preschool yet earn more money than what is necessary for free care.Families with four people who earn between $26,000 and $37,900 pay anywhere from $1 to $8.88 for each three-hour school day, as per rules and regulations outlined on a sliding-scale basis."I do feel badly about that," the assemblywoman told the media outlet. "It was only $4 million (in revenue from the fee). When we made that change in committee we really were confident that fee would be dropped."That fee is troublesome for providers, Bonilla said. It prevents the matriculation of some children. Numerous providers delivered testimony about how strong is the impact during Bonilla's education budget subcommittee hearing this past March. But there is not any vivid data regarding the number of children who have departed from state preschool programs due to those fees.Further, some providers have indicated that they consider that fee to be a positive development as part of the process.For the most part, the assemblywoman noted that she holds out hope regarding increased funding because it represents a shift in priorities for the state legislature, as well as the state governor regarding additional funding for the purposes of supporting early childhood education. In that regard, moving forward with the matter clearly is poised to continue, she said.I honestly believe there just wasn't enough money to do more," she told the news source.The Associated Press reports Governor Jerry Brown is hopeful about correcting unequal aid allotted to various districts, which has been ongoing for several decades.The governor also is keen on leaving some of the decisions up to the schools.
Hillary Clinton cites support for early childhood education
Posted on June 14, 2013
Category: Early Childhood Education / Day Care Centers
Advocates for early childhood education may count among them whom is believed to be the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination during the next presidential election cycle, according to a published report.Introduced at the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative in Chicago this past Thursday, Hillary Clinton underscored how crucial it is to invest in programming for early learning, among additional causes, All Voices reports. The former First Lady of the U.S., Senator from New York and Secretary of State was presented to the viewing audience, who amounted to more than 1,000 people, by former president Bill Clinton, her husband and the founder of the foundation.Titled "American Dreams, America Realities: Achieving Economic and Social Mobility," the speech noted that the Chinese are committed to strengthening early childhood education, where 70 percent of the children will get three years of preschool education. Roughly 700 new nerve connections are being constructed every second in children's brains. That demonstrates what she cited as the modern brain research noting what happens during the first five years of a child's life.The Christian Science Monitor reports she said that the work she performs with the youngest people out there is "a core cause of my life."Former President Clinton cited how important the issue is, Chicago Tonight reports. Another supporter is JB Pritzker, a billionaire in Chicago, who said he is committing $20 million to a fund that will establish early childhood education programs in Utah. Considered a "Social Impact Bond," the program is akin to a loan that outlines repayment if it ends up being successful. It aims to help save money and boost access for children.Hillary Clinton said that for every $1 that the U.S. devotes to early childhood development, the nation saves $7 in the future.
Education secretary works to support Obama plan for early childhood education
Posted on June 13, 2013
Category: Early Childhood Education / Day Care Centers
The U.S.' top education official has his work cut out for him when it comes to fomenting strong circumstances in support of his boss' plan for early childhood education, according to a published report.Arne Duncan recently traveled to Georgia, whose Republican governor also supports strengthening early childhood education programming but not necessarily increasing taxes as method of paying for it, The Washington Post reports. Such is the case for the administration for President Barack Obama, a Democrat whose effort is trained on representatives and additional elected officials across the aisle.Duncan recently visited a preschool in the Georgia capital, where he encountered Governor Nathan Deal. Early childhood education programming in Georgia and Oklahoma were cited in particular by the president during the first State of the Union speech of his second term, which was early this past February.The education czar heaped praise on the governor, noting that the mother of the state's top official is a first-grade teacher and made reference to the strong state-funded preschool program. He also said he would like to bring along his partner who helped him read children's stories to 4-year-olds in Atlanta, who was the wife of the Georgia governor.The second term of the Obama administration sees Duncan hitting the road more than the majority of other members of the Cabinet, all part of efforts to endorse the program that he believes will enhance lives and strengthen the globe's largest economy.His effort is geared toward persuading members of Congress to throw their weight behind the president's $75 billion plan to fund early childhood education by applying federal taxes to tobacco. The strategy focuses on horning in on Republican governors with hopes they will persuade their brethren who serve both Houses of Congress on Capitol Hill to support the "Preschool for All" initiative. But he often runs into resistance in the form of Republican governors who are apprehensive about supporting new tax measures.The states he has visited thus far are Michigan, Georgia and Virginia and he has laid plans to drop into Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio and Minnesota. All of those states implement state money to fund preschool programming, which the education secretary considers to be one route to capitalize on."Governors get this because they have to deliver, they can't just talk," he told the news source en route to school in the Georgia capital. "Can you get Washington to be more functional? That's the challenge."
