Help Families and Children Get a Strong Start This Year

With summer coming to an end and another school year beginning, parents are faced with the task of preparing their children for that first day; they purchase pencils, folders, new backpacks, and a variety of new fall clothes. An even more daunting task, however, is ensuring that their children receive the high-quality care and early learning experiences before they start school that they need to succeed once in school. However, resources to help families get access to high-quality early care and education are too limited, particularly in the midst of an economic recession and state budget cuts.

The average cost of full-time child care can range from about $4,550 to $18,750 annually, depending on where the family lives, the type of care, and the age of the child. In many states, this exceeds the cost of college tuition. Although the government offers help to low-income families through programs such as the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Head Start, and Early Head Start, these programs are out of reach for many. Only one in six children eligible for assistance in paying for care through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) receive the help they need. Only about half of all eligible three- and four-year-olds are able to participate in Head Start's comprehensive preschool program, and only 4 percent of eligible infants and toddlers are able to participate in Early Head Start.

As we welcome the new school year, let us hope for a better picture for early learning, one that will allow parents to feel secure in their employment and confident that their children have received the early learning experiences and preparation they need to be successful students. Congress can help to make this picture come to life by supporting increased funding for early childhood when they pass their annual appropriations bills. If you represent a national, state, or local organization, please join us in signing on and circulating to your networks a letter urging Congressional leaders to ensure that the final appropriations for FY 2011 include a $1 billion increase for CCDBG, a $990 million increase for Head Start and Early Head Start, and $300 million to support the Early Learning Challenge Fund. Please sign on by September 20 to make sure your support for early learning and care for our youngest children is heard on the Hill!