Early Education Clips for Week of November 17 – 21
Here’s a sampling of early childhood education in the news this week:
TOP STORY
Child Care and Development Bill Signed Into Law President Obama signed the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program (CCDBG) Reauthorization into law at an Oval Office ceremony on Wednesday. Earlier in the week, the full Senate passed the CCDBG legislation, which was a strong example of bipartisan work to prioritize children and families. The last CCDBG reauthorization was signed nearly 20 years ago.
Read More:
Obama Signs Bill to Revamp Federal Child Care Aid – Associated Press/ABC News
A Look Inside the Revised Child Care Development Block Grant Bill – Education Week
Obama Signs Burr Child Care Bill – Raleigh News & Observer
Child Care Grant Program to Sail Through Senate – U.S. News & World Report
OTHER NATIONAL NEWS
If Politicians Really Love Children, They Must Invest in Early Childhood New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof calls on politicians in both parties to support investments in early childhood education. Kristof cites this summer’s FFYF poll finding major support for a substantial federal investment in early learning. He also quotes from the election memo released last week on behalf of FFYF by top GOP strategist Kevin Madden and former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina. Read More at the New York Times.
Early Childhood Teachers Still Earning Low, Stagnant Wages A new report from the Center on the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California, Berkeley examines the wages of child care teachers and staff. The study finds these providers have seen no real increase in earnings over the last 25 years, despite the rising costs of child care for families. Read More at the Washington Post.
Cities Taking the Lead in Providing Public Preschool Cities across the nation are taking steps to expand or create public preschool programs, outpacing states and the federal government. Read More at Education Week.
Report Uncovers Key Elements of Successful Head Start A new report from Economics Professor Christopher Walters at the University of California Berkeley details specific factors that make some Head Start programs more effective than others. These include full-day services, year-round services and home visiting. Read More at Ed Central.
FROM THE STATES
WASHINGTON: Seattle Begins to Build New Pre-K Program After voters approved a new publicly-funded pre-K pilot program for 3 and 4-year-olds, Mayor Ed Murray and the City Council have started work to implement the program, which will enroll its first students next fall. Read More.
LOUISIANA: All State School Districts Apply to Join Louisiana Early Childhood Network One hundred percent of Louisiana’s school districts have applied to participate in the state’s Early Childhood Care and Education Network. The Network sets common standards, teacher professional development opportunities and information for parents. Read More.
NORTH DAKOTA: State Senator to Introduce State Funded Pre-K Legislation North Dakota State Senator Tim Flakoll said this week that he will introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session to fund pre-K programs in the state. North Dakota is one of just ten states that does not offer publicly-funded preschool. Read More.
OHIO: Senator Brown, Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Officials Push for Home Visiting Programs U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown met with Cincinnati Chief of Police Jeffrey Blackwell and Delaware County Sheriff Russell Martin to urge a funding extension for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV). Without Congressional action, funding for the program is scheduled to expire in March 2015. Read More.
PENNSYLVANIA: Legislation to Improve Pittsburgh’s Child Care Programs Introduced The Women’s Caucus of the Pittsburgh City Council introduced legislation to provide $15,000 to conduct a quality assessment and make recommendations to improve the City’s early childhood education programs. Read More.