2014 National Legislative Conference

Early Childhood Education: Federal Policy Update Jessica Seitz

Education Policy Analyst National PTA

Stella Edwards

Chair PTA Legislative Committee

Adele Robinson

Deputy Executive Director National Association for the Education of Young Children

Agenda

1. PTA’s Commitment to Early Education 2. Key Federal Early Childhood Care and Education Programs 3. Federal Early Childhood Education Updates

a. In the White House: President’s Early Learning Initiative b. On the Hill: Strong Start for America’s Children Act c. FY2014 and FY2015 Early Childhood Funding

4. PTA Takes Action: 2014 Early Childhood Education Priorities 5. Q&A

PTA’s Commitment to Early Education

PTA supports federal and state incentives for high-quality child care and preschool programs for children ages 0 to 5. These programs should be:

• Affordable • Accessible • Developmentally appropriate • Coordinated at all levels (federal, state, local) • Characterized by high standards for teaching, training, health, and safety

PTA strongly encourages the inclusion of a robust family engagement component in all early education programs.

Early Childhood Education Benefits

We cannot afford to postpone investing in children until they become adults, nor can we wait until they reach school age – a time when it may be too late to intervene.

Learning is a dynamic process and is most effective when it begins at a young age and continues through adulthood.

--James Heckman, Ph.D, Nobel Laureate Economics, University of Chicago

Current Federal Early Education Programs

Department of Education

• Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) • Early Learning Challenge Fund (with HHS)

Department of Health and Human Services

• Head Start/Early Head Start • Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) • Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV)

• • • Current Federal Early Education Programs

Elementary and Secondary Education Act Description:

Title I funds can be used, at the local educational agency’s discretion, for early childhood programs in addition to traditional K-12 programs

Population:

Less than 5% of ESEA funds spent on children younger than kindergarten

Current Status:

ESEA reauthorization pending

Current Federal Early Education Programs

Head Start

• •

Description:

Established in 1965, 80% federal/20% local match serving the poorest children and families with comprehensive standards and services

Education Parent Involvement Health Social Services Population:

Serves 3-4 year old low-income children • Serves less than half of eligible children annually

• • Current Federal Early Education Programs

Early Head Start

Description:

Established in 1994 as an expansion of Head Start; provides comprehensive child development and family support services

Population

: Serves low-income infants and toddlers from birth to three years and pregnant women • Serves less than 5% of eligible infants, toddlers, and pregnant women annually

• • • Current Federal Early Education Programs

Head Start-Early Head Start (Continued)

Status:

HS-EHS last reauthorized in 2007 Roughly 57,000 children were cut from HS EHS due to sequestration,

89% were preschoolers

age 3-5 Many programs

reduced

the number of program days/hours, causing provider termination/salary reduction

• • Current Federal Early Education Programs

Child Care and Development Block Grant

Description:

Established in 1990, CCDBG is the primary source of federal funding for child care and afterschool subsidies and quality improvements; promotes family economic self sufficiency and school readiness through affordable, high-quality child care and afterschool programs

Population:

Low-income working families and families with parents currently in school

• • • Current Federal Early Education Programs

CCDBG (continued)

Currently CCDBG provides assistance to

one out of six eligible children

In 2012, CCDBG served

260,000 fewer children

than in 2006

Status:

Has not been reauthorized since 1996; reauthorization pending in both houses (Passed Senate committee; pending in House committee)

• • Current Federal Early Education Programs

Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood

•

Home Visiting Program

Description:

Established in 2010 under the Affordable Care Act; provides voluntary home visiting programs to improve health and development outcomes for at-risk children by addressing issues including maternal and child health, parenting practices, safe home environments, and access to services

Population:

Expectant parents and families with new babies and young children

Status:

Funding and authorization expire FY2014— October 1, 2014

PTA Takes Action

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Federal Policy Updates

• •

In the White House: President’s Early

•

Learning Initiative

Announced in 2013 State of the Union; reaffirmed in 2014 Called on Congress to expand access to high-quality preschool to every child in America Proposed a series of new investments to establish a continuum of high-quality early learning birth to age 5

On the Hill: Strong Start for America’s Children Act

What’s in the bill?

Three Key Components:

1. Preschool - Development grants and larger Preschool for All 2. Early Head Start/child care partnerships 3. MIECHV

• •

Preschool for All

Establishes a federal-state partnership to provide access to

high-quality prekindergarten programs

for all low-income and moderate-income children.

Also provides Preschool Development Grants

HIGH QUALITY PREKINDERGARTEN

Highly-qualified teachers who are paid comparably to K-12 Developmentally appropriate

teaching/curricula

Small class sizes; low child:staff ratio Offers full-day

Evidence-based comprehensive child services:

• Parent and family engagement • Nutritious meals • Health screening and referrals

• • • •

Early Learning Quality Partnerships

Addresses problem of lowest quality of child care is typically infant/toddler care Early Head Start eligibility and standards Together work to improve quality of the child care provider for children birth through age 3; child care providers receive additional funds to meet and sustain higher quality of child care Priority for child care partners receiving CCDBG subsidies, coordinating with other funding streams and coordinating transitions to preschool and school

• •

MIECHV

Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs:

Encourages increased funding for evidence-based, voluntary home visitation programs Program expires on September 30 – must reauthorize and fund to continue on October 1, 2014

FY2014 and FY2015 Early Education Funding

PTA TAKES ACTION

2014 Early Childhood Education Priorities

PTA Urges Congress to Invest in Early Childhood Education

Increase access to high-quality pre-kindergarten for all students to prepare them for successful kindergarten entry.

Expand family engagement initiatives that begin at birth, both in the home and in other early learning environments, to ensure coordinated family engagement throughout childhood.

PTA Believes that Every Child Deserves a #S

TRONG

S

TART

Is your Senator a cosponsor?

29 Senators from 20 States* Alaska Connecticut Delaware Hawaii Illinois Iowa Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Montana New Mexico

Begich Murphy Coons Hirono Schatz Durbin

Harkin (SPONSOR)

Cardin Mikulski Warren Stabenow Franken Klobuchar Tester Heinrich

New York Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Dakota Vermont Virginia Washington Wisconsin

Udall Gillibrand Schumer Merkeley Wyden Casey Reed Whitehouse Johnson Sanders Kaine Cantwell Murray Baldwin

*As of March 7, 2014

Is your Representative a cosponsor?

114 Representatives from 30 States, DC, Northern Mariana Islands* Alabama

Sewell Negrete McLeod Garcia

Arizona California

Grijalva Kirkpatrick Bass Brownley Capps Chu Davis Eshoo Garamendi Hahn Honda Huffman Lee Lofgren Lowenthal Matsui McNerney

G. Miller (SPONSOR)

Napolitano Peters Roybal-Allard

California (continued)

Schiff Swalwell Speier

Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Florida

Vargas Waxman Perlmutter Polis Courtney Esty Himes Norton Castor Deutch Frankel

Florida (continued) Georgia Illinois Iowa Kentucky Maine Maryland

Grayson Murphy Wasserman Schultz Wilson S. Bishop Bustos Enyart Kelly Quigley Schakowsky Schneider Loebsack Yarmuth Michaud Pingree Cummings Delaney

Maryland (cont.)

Ruppersberger Sarbanes Van Hollen

Massachusetts Michigan Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico

Capuano Clark Keating Lynch McGovern Neal Tierney Tsongas Conyers C. Miller Titus Kuster Shea-Porter Andrews Holt Luján Lujan Grisham

New York

Bishop Engel Grimm

Hanna (SPONSOR) Pennsylvania (cont.)

Israel Maffei Maloney

Rhode Island Tennessee

Meeks Meng Rangel Slaughter Tonko

North Carolina Northern Mariana Islands

Price Sablan Beatty

Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania

Fudge Kaptur Blumenauer Bonamici Cartwright

Texas Vermont Virginia Washington Wisconsin

Doyle Fattah Schwartz Cicillini Langevin Cohen Doggett Hinojosa Jackson Lee O'Rourke Welch Connolly Moran Scott DelBene Heck Kilmer Moore Pocan

Get out your phones and laptops! PTA.org/takesaction

Questions?

Jessica Seitz

Education Policy Analyst National PTA [email protected]

Stella Edwards

Chair National PTA [email protected]