NAEYC CHILDREN'S CHAMPIONS UPDATE
OCTOBER 20, 2011
*US Senator Casey Introduces NAEYC’s ESEA Recommendations
*NY Times Op-Ed Spotlights Early Childhood Education
*Head Start Fellowship Applications Now Available
*NCCP Early Childhood State Policy Profiles – Find Out Where Your State Stands
US SENATOR CASEY INTRODUCUES NAEYC’S ESEA RECOMMENDATIONS
On October 11th, Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) introduced the Continuum of Learning Act of 2011 (SB 1677) to amend titles I and II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). You can view the press release here. This is the Senate companion to the bill introduced in the House in August. Both are based on NAEYC’s recommendations for ESEA reauthorization in our Call to Action. Several aspects of the Continuum of Learning Act such as coordination on Title I state and local plans, joint professional development, local coordination, and several aspects from Senator Murray’s LEARN Act such as using literacy funds for birth to five programs as well as K-12, made it into the ESEA reauthorization bill. This bill was put forward jointly by Senators Harkin (D-IA) and Enzi (R-WY), which the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee is marking up this week. We look forward to working with all of the Senate when the bill moves to the floor in order to include other recommendations not yet in the base ESEA bill. We’ll report on the outcome of the multi-day Senate Committee markup when it concludes.
NATIONAL OP-ED ON THE BENEFITS OF HEAD START AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Nicholas Kristof, op-ed writer for the New York Times, wrote on October 19th about the need to expand access to early childhood education and also highlighting Head Start. You may find this helpful for your advocacy efforts at home. To view the full article, click here.
HEAD START FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE
The Head Start Fellowship Program is a unique opportunity to spend a year in Washington, DC. Fellows are assigned to the U.S. Office of Head Start and U.S. Office of Child Care and have a mentor from various national organizations.
The deadline for applications for the 2012-2013 National Head Start Fellowships Program is January 15, 2012. The Fellowship begins on September 1, 2012 and ends on August 31, 2013. To learn more, click here. To apply, click here.
NCCP RELEASE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD STATE POLICY PROFILES SHOWS GAPS IN SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES
The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) released its latest Early Childhood State Policy Profiles last week. The profiles highlight recent policy decisions related to health, education and family supports that impact the well-being of young children and low-income families in your state.
According to this report, nearly half the children in our country under the age of 6 live in families that struggle or are unable to provide basic necessities for their young children. More than half of states do not give these struggling families (making less than $36,620 for a family of three in 2009) access to child care assistance.
In this time of high poverty and unemployment across states, additional supports for families at the federal level such as early childhood education, Medicaid, food stamps and other basics must be protected. These programs allow families to afford basic necessities and contribute more of their income to child care. They also put money back into the economy quickly and act as a stimulus.
Click here to view NCCP’s report and see where your state stands on this and other important indicators of child well-being.
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