NAEYC Children’s Champions

July 31, 2007

NAEYC TESTIFIES BEFORE PANEL ON DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENTS

NAEYC Deputy Executive Director Jerlean Daniel testified on July 6 at the National Research Council Public Forum on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children.  The recorded testimony is now available on the National Academies’ of Science Board on Children, Youth, and Families website, www.bocyf.org.  PowerPoint Presentations given during the Forum are also available.  The direct link to the Podcast and Presentations is here, http://www.bocyf.org/head_start_meeting2_presentations.html

LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS MOVES TO CONFERENCE

Both the House and Senate reconciliation bills (mandatory funding) for student loans and loan forgiveness for higher edcucation have passed and now the House and Senate are negotiating the differences into a single bill.   The bills are known as the “College Cost Reduction Act of 2007”.  Among many other issues, both House and Senate versions address loan forgiveness for early childhood educators.  NAEYC is urging Congress to adopt sections 131 and 132 of the House version, which would give early childhood educators who earn a Baccalaureate degree parity in terms of loan forgiveness with other professions such as K-12 teachers.  Early childhood educators with a Stafford loan or Federal Direct Loan would be eligible for $1,000 per year of their loan to be cancelled for each of five years they work if they work in a licensed or regulated child care program, Head Start or Early Head Start program, or state prekindergarten located in a low-income community.  

Other aspects of the Higher Education Act reauthorization are in a separate bill.  The Senate passed its version with several provisions that would help improve the preparation and compensation of early childhood educators as well as grants to states to develop early childhood professional development and career systems.  Our email update of June 22, which you can read at http://www.naeyc.org/policy/federal/06-22-07.asp, gives a fuller description of those provisions.  The House has not yet introduced its reauthorization bill. 

LABOR-HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES EDUCATION BILL PASSES IN THE HOUSE

On July 23rd, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2008. While the vote was along bipartisan lines (223 Democrats and 53 Republicans voting in favor), the House bill does make modest progress in funding levels for many programs and services, including increases in Head Start, the Child Care and Development Block Grant, and other critical early childhood programs. The Senate version has been marked up by the Appropriations Committee, but has not gone to the floor for full Senate action.

Highlights of appropriations in the House and Senate bills:

CCDBG: House $75 million increase; Senate freezes at current level
Head Start: House $75 million increase; Senate $200 million increase
Even Start: House $16 million increase; Senate eliminates
IDEA Part C: House and Senate freezes
IDEA Preschool Grants: House and Senate freezes
Early Reading First: House cuts $3 million; Senate freezes
Reading First: House $629 million cut; Senate $229 million cut
Early Childhood Educator Professional Development: House eliminates; Senate freezes
CAMPIS: House $2 million increase; Senate freezes
Title I grants to LEAs: House $1.5 billion increase; Senate $1 billion increase
IDEA Part B: House $559 million increase; Senate $457 million increase
21st Century Community Learning Centers: House $125 million increase; Senate $18 million increase

SCHIP MARKED UP IN SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE

Last week, the Senate Finance Committee approved a $35 billion expansion to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The new funding, spread out over five years, would be financed by increases in tobacco taxes, including a 61-cent increase in the cigarette tax, to $1 per pack.  The House leadership has introduced its SCHIP reauthorization bill which would increase the funding by $50 billion.  The additional funding is paid by a 45-cent cigarette tax and by lowering payments to many insurance plans participating in the Medicare Advantage program over the next four years. The Administration has proposed just $4.8 billion in extra spending above the $25 billion that straight reauthorization would cost, which would not maintain help for all of the children currently covered. 

NAEYC: Comments on Major Legislation in 2005

CCDBG (Child Care & Development Block Grant)

Head Start

Higher Education