The Elementary and Secondary Education Act is major federal legislation that provides both funding and policy direction for public education. Reauthorization of the act presents an opportunity to advance early learning. The Early Learning Action Alliance sent a letter to U.S. Senator Murray outlining policy priorities.
Find out more about what federal health care reform means for home visiting. Lisa Guernsey from the New America Foundation posted this podcast on their blog, Early Ed Watch.
Find the post and listen to the podcast here:
http://earlyed.newamerica.net/blogmain
These three documents from the Early Learning Action Alliance (ELAA) provide detailed review of key accomplishments in the 2010 WA state legislative session.
Early Learning Action Alliance 2010 Session Review
Provides a review of each ELAA priority and advocacy results. Includes information about HB2731, SB 6759, HB 2867, and HB 3141.
Looking for home visiting services for your family or someone you know? Here are links to the evidence based programs in Washington State:
NFP site locator:
http://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/Locations
Early Head Start locator:
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/HeadStartOffices
Parents as teachers locator:
http://www.parentsasteachers.org/site/pp.asp?c=ekIRLcMZJxE&b=1595095
Parent-Child Home Program site on Washington:
The latest tax proposals from the House, Senate and Governor Gregoire place many child and family programs on the chopping block. Child advocates, including the Children's Alliance, are urging lawmakers to consider the effects on business if child care funding for over 7,000 low-income families is cut.
Jon Gould, deputy director of the Children's Alliance, says:
Parents count on Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) to help them cover the high cost of child care so they can go to work or job training. If projected cuts to WCCC were put in place, in addition to harming stability and continuity of care for children, it would not result in cost savings. An estimated 25% of WCCC families (325 families) who lose their child care subsidy would be unable to work and would be forced turn to the support of TANF.
Read more about how Working Connections Child Care saves Washington Money
Senate and House lawmakers have rightly proposed budgets that raise substantial new revenue to protect some of the vital services that are helping children and families weather this punishing recession. But more revenue is needed to prevent devastating cuts to safety-net programs that, if enacted, would hurt families and pose serious threats to our state’s economic recovery.
The Annie E Casey Foundation has created a Race Matters Toolkit. The toolkit is designed to help decision-makers, advocates, and elected officials get better results in their work by providing equitable opportunities for all.
In this June 8th, 2009 letter Governor Gregoire directs the Superintendent of Public Instrucation and Director of the Department of Early Learning to create a proposal for the state's role in early learning. The action follows the Governor's veto of the inclusion of early learning in the new definition of Basic Education passed by the legislature in 2009.
May 19, 2009—Governor Chris Gregoire today vetoed the section of the Basic Education Bill (House Bill 2261) that stated the intent to provide preschool for at-risk 3- and 4-year-olds as part of the state’s definition of basic education. As part of basic education preschool for this group would eventually have been funded on a per pupil basis in the same way K-12 education is funded.
Here's a review of the proposed early learning funding in the 2010 proposed federal budget.
The Children's Alliance 2009 Early Learning policy paper lays out our priorities for the 09 legislative session: protect investments in our youngest learners.
The Children's Alliance 2009 Legislative Agenda lays out our top priorities in this tough legislative session.
2008 Legislative Agenda in Spanish
2008 Legislative Agenda
The 2007 Washington State Legislative Session brought new investment in Early Learning.
17 lawmakers recognized for leadership to improve the well-being of vulnerable children.
Children's Alliance honors child advocates who have improved the lives of Washington children.
© 2016 Children's Alliance