State leaders joined the Early Learning Challenge Collaborative for a Hill briefing about leading states from the first round of the Early Learning Challenge and how a second round will enable more states to continue to build systems and services that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public investments in a time of limited resources. Watch the full briefing

Want to feel more confident talking about ongoing and upcoming federal early childhood developments? 

Join us on Thursday, December 15 at 2:00 pm Eastern for a conference call, Early Childhood Updates: Funding and Reauthorization Prospects. 

Join the National Women's Law Center for a webinar, Working on the Budget: Talking the Talk about Tax Revenues, on Monday, September 26 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern to get some simple tips on how to round out your advocacy. 

National experts explain how the recent debt deal will impact child care and early learning programs.

Watch the briefing here.

Harriet Meyer from the Ounce of Prevention Fund will be participating in a panel discussion about how to ensure quality in early childhood education. Learn more.
 

A panel of experts will assess the condition of state budgets and the portions for children and families; share first-hand experiences of how governors and budget officers choose priorities; discuss how states can align priorities, expenditures, and revenues; weigh the federal government's contributions to solving or aggravating state woes; and consider how lawmakers should think about budgetary trade-offs.

Watch business leaders speak out on the importance of investing in early childhood education. 

On March 10, 2011, the Data Quality Campaign, in partnership with the Early Childhood Data Collaborative, will release the inaugural state analysis of coordinated state early care and education data systems.

Coordinated state ECE data systems are critical to achieving greater program effectiveness, ensuring efficient resource allocation, and informing policy decisions. This state analysis will, for the first time, provide transparency about state ECE data systems and their ability to address critical policy issues like increasing school readiness and improving access to high-quality programs. The analysis is based on responses from 48 states and the District of Columbia. Initial findings suggest that states are not starting from scratch but have work to do to ensure ECE data efforts are coordinated.

Following the presentation of the findings, state and federal leaders will share their efforts to build coordinated state ECE data systems and discuss the implications of the state analysis for their work.

Featured panelists include:

    * Shannon Christian, Illinois Office of Governor Quinn

    * Jessie Cannon, Ohio Business Roundtable

    * Joan Lombardi, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

    * Mary Cassell, Office of Management and Budget

The Institute of Medicine is holding a workshop on issues regarding the early childhood care and education workforce. Click here to learn more about this Institute of Medicine workshop.