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Cortnay Cymrot, Intern

My Take

Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Washington Increase Investments in Early Child Care and Education

Posted by Cortnay Cymrot, Intern | Posted on: July 10, 2013 at 02:19 pm

A recent National Women’s Law Center fact sheet showed that sixteen states had already increased funding for early learning programs this year and several more were considering increases. Three more states—Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Washington—have since finalized budgets that include notable new investments for early care and education.

In Massachusetts, the FY 2014 budget designated over $26 million in new funding for early care and education, including $15 million to reduce the waiting list for child care assistance for low-income children, and $11.5 million for a rate reserve that will help raise the salaries of early educators. It is the first budget since 2009 that seeks to restore funding that was cut during the economic recession.

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Several States Boost Early Care and Education Funding

Posted by Cortnay Cymrot, Intern | Posted on: June 28, 2013 at 10:05 am

A number of states have taken important steps forward this year to expand access to high-quality early learning programs, according to a new National Women's Law Center fact sheet. While some states' budgets are still being debated, at least sixteen have already increased funding for child care and early education, and at least another eight are considering proposals for additional funding. 

Progress was made in a wide spectrum of states, including both states already providing substantial support for early care and education as well as states that had not previously made significant investments in this area. Indiana and Mississippi, which had been among the ten states that did not fund prekindergarten programs, established new prekindergarten programs, with Indiana investing $2 million and Mississippi investing $3 million. Michigan increased funding for its existing prekindergarten program by $65 million (60 percent), which will be used to serve at least 10,000 more children. 

A few states acted to enable more families to receive help paying for child care. Maryland has reduced the number of children on the waiting list for child care assistance from over 17,000 in 2012 to just 76 a year later. North Dakota increased its income eligibility limit for child care assistance from 50 percent to 85 percent of state median income (the maximum allowed under federal law) and provided funding to raise reimbursement rates for child care providers and to support grants for child care facilities and other efforts to increase the supply and quality of care. 

However, the news is not all good. Two states significantly reduced families’ access to child care assistance, and two additional states are considering cuts to child care and early education programs.

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Tobacco Tax Increase Would Expand Early Learning, Boost Public Health

Posted by Cortnay Cymrot, Intern | Posted on: June 21, 2013 at 10:10 am

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a report Tuesday outlining the dual benefits that an increased tobacco tax would have for our country. The tax, proposed by the President to help finance early learning programs, would have the favorable side-effect of boosting public health. 

A 94-cent tax hike on tobacco products is predicted to yield $78 billion over ten years, which would be invested in expanding access to and enhancing the quality of early learning programs. Such a substantial investment in early learning will undoubtedly benefit our youngest children. Moreover, the tax would afford our nation remarkable health gains. 

The health risks incurred by tobacco products are universally acknowledged, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [PDF] citing cigarette smoking as the cause for 20% of all deaths in the United States. The report confirms that tobacco taxes are "a highly effective control strategy" in reducing consumption and subsequently extending lives.

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NY Times Columnist Gail Collins Encourages Support for Early Learning

Posted by Cortnay Cymrot, Intern | Posted on: June 10, 2013 at 02:00 pm

Gail Collins' column "Power to the Preschoolers", published last Thursday, emphasized the importance of investing in prekindergarten while noting the challenges that the President's Early Learning Initiative may face moving forward. Collins alluded to the previous day's "Tweetchat" generating support for prekindergarten, which was organized by National Women's Law Center. She was not the only one following the Tweetchat — it successfully placed "#PreKForAll" on the computer screens of 40 million Twitter users. The hashtag (#PreKForAll) trended nationally for almost an hour, garnering tweets from Education Secretary Arne Duncan, a number of members of Congress, and President Obama. 

Collins' column prompted an overwhelmingly supportive response among her readers on the issue of early education. The feedback in the Times comments section was largely positive, with commenters citing the benefits that early learning opportunities grant children and society. Commenters fondly recalled their own experiences with early education, suggested strategies to fund the investment, and struggled to make sense of the opposition’s concerns. 

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#PreKForAll: Transform a Twitter Trend into a Reality

Posted by Cortnay Cymrot, Intern | Posted on: June 07, 2013 at 02:06 pm

The hashtag “#PreKForAll” was trending on Twitter nationwide less than 30 minutes into the National Women’s Law Center’s “Tweetchat,” which encouraged conversation about the importance of high-quality early learning opportunities. The chat was held as part of this week’s national Early Learning Day of Action, which aimed to generate support for increased investments in these programs.

Senators Patty Murray, Dick Durbin and Kirsten Gillibrand, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Director of the Office of Public Engagement Paulette Aniskoff all joined the conversation that would continue for hours beyond its allotted one-hour time slot.

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