For more information, contact:
Kristina Gawrgy
202-350-8857
kgawrgy@naeyc.org
For Immediate Release:
February 05, 2007
NAEYC: President’s Budget Request Ignores the Importance of Young Children's Early Learning
(Washington, DC) – The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) today criticized Presidents Bush’s fiscal year 2008 budget as a meager response for America’s early care and education needs. If adopted the President’s budget would leave about 440,000 fewer children receiving child care assistance in fiscal year 2012 than in 2002.
“The President talked of a future filled with hope and opportunity for all Americans just a few weeks ago in the State of the Union address, but his fiscal year 2008 budget proposal provides neither for America’s children,” said Mark R. Ginsberg, Ph.D., Executive Director of NAEYC. “We strongly urge Congress to reject this proposal and to pass a bi-partisan budget that truly puts the nation’s children first.”
Affordable, quality child care and early childhood education programs are critical to helping young children enter school prepared to succeed. Health care is key to children’s ability to thrive and learn. The President’s budget request minimizes the federal partnership by shifting more of the burden to states, communities and families. Children deserve to be the priority for the federal budget.
If the budget request were passed:
- Between 2002 and 2012, an estimated 440,000 children would lose child care assistance;
- Head Start funding would be frozen for the sixth year in a row, continuing to put children’s access and quality of programs in jeopardy;
- Even Start family literacy programs and early childhood educator professional development grants would eliminated, and special education for infants, toddlers and preschoolers would be frozen again; and
- Grants to states and partnerships to improve the preparation, recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers would be eliminated.
Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has nearly 90,000 members worldwide. The association is the largest and most influential advocate for early care and education in the
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Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest and most influential advocate for high-quality early care and education in the United States.
