Karen Schulman, Senior Policy Analyst

Karen Schulman is a Senior Policy Analyst in NWLC's Family Economic Security division. She researches and writes about child care and early education policies. She received her bachelor's degree from Williams College and her master's degree in Public Policy from Duke University. Prior to joining NWLC, she worked at the Children's Defense Fund. She enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephews and is glad they will grow up thinking there is nothing unusual about a woman being Speaker of the House or running for President.

Expert in: Child Care & Early Learning, Child Care, Child Care Assistance, Child Care Tax Strategies, Head Start, Family, Friend & Neighbor Care, Prekindergarten, Military Child Care, Unionization
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My Take

New Report Shows Downward Slide in Child Care Assistance Policies

Posted by Karen Schulman, Senior Policy Analyst | Posted on: October 11, 2012 at 12:17 pm

Families in 27 states were worse off under one or more key state child care assistance policies in 2012 than in 2011 and better off in just 17 states, according a new report from the National Women’s Law Center. This was the second year in row with negative news for families needing help paying for child care. Families in 37 states were worse off under one or more policies in 2011 than in 2010, and better off in only 11 states.

The new report, Downward Slide: State Child Care Assistance Policies 2012, examines state policies as of February 2012 in five important areas—income eligibility limits for child care assistance, waiting lists for child care assistance, copayments for families receiving child care assistance, reimbursement rates for child care providers, and eligibility for child care assistance while a parent searches for a job. Gaps in these policies leave many families without access to child care assistance or without the level of assistance they need to afford good-quality care for their children.

Downward Slide: State Child Care Assistance Policies 2012

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How Child Care Advocates Achieved Victories Against the Odds

Posted by Karen Schulman, Senior Policy Analyst | Posted on: August 14, 2012 at 04:12 pm

While a number of states have made cuts to their child care assistance programs—leading to more restrictive eligibility criteria to qualify for help paying for care, longer waiting lists to receive help, higher copayments for parents receiving child care assistance, or lower provider reimbursement rates—several states have more positive news to report.

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It Could Have Been Worse: Child Care and Early Education in California's Budget Agreement

Posted by Karen Schulman, Senior Policy Analyst | Posted on: June 29, 2012 at 03:45 pm

California has approved a budget that rejects drastic cuts proposed by the governor earlier in the year — but that still includes significant funding reductions for child care and early education programs. Under the final budget signed by the governor, child care and development programs will receive a $130 million cut, which could result in an estimated 26,500 fewer children being able to participate in these programs. The legislature had approved slightly smaller cuts in the budget sent to the governor, but at the last minute, the governor used his line item veto to make additional cuts.

In addition to preventing steeper cuts, the legislature turned back the governor’s earlier proposal to restructure the child care program and transfer administration of the program to county welfare agencies. The state also will not place new limits on child care assistance for parents while they attend education programs.

The approved budget does not provide a previously planned cost of living increase for child care programs. However, it does not reduce reimbursement rates for child care providers as the governor proposed, which would have deprived providers of the resources they need to offer high-quality care.

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New Studies Bolster the Case for Child Care and Early Education Investments

Posted by Karen Schulman, Senior Policy Analyst | Posted on: June 19, 2012 at 10:01 am

Three new studies provide additional evidence of the importance of early childhood investments for ensuring children’s successful development and future well-being.

A study published in the journal Child Development found that children whose families received child care assistance were able to attend higher-quality child care than children whose families were eligible for, but did not receive, child care assistance. Given that that higher-quality care can help boost children’s growth and learning, this new study shows the importance of helping more low-income families pay for child care so they can afford good options. However, the study also found that the quality of care used by families receiving child care assistance was not as high as the quality of care for families using Head Start and public prekindergarten programs, suggesting that even more can be done to improve families’ access to high-quality care.

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One Small Step for Children: Senate Moves Ahead on Early Childhood Funding

Posted by Karen Schulman, Senior Policy Analyst | Posted on: June 13, 2012 at 03:05 pm

This week, we had a small piece of good news about federal investments in child care and early education. On June 12, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee approved a fiscal year 2013 appropriations bill that included increased funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), Head Start, and early intervention services and provided new funding for Race to the Top, with a portion set aside for the Early Learning Challenge.

The bill would increase Child Care and Development Block Grant discretionary funding by $160 million, to $2.438 billion. (Discretionary funding is set each year; there is also $2.917 billion in mandatory CCDBG funding.) The increase includes $90 million to support training, education, and other professional development opportunities for the early care and education workforce, which is key to improving the overall quality of early care and education, and $70 million to help more families pay for care and raise reimbursement rates for child care providers. By providing funding to expand the availability of child care assistance as well as to enhance the quality of the workforce, the Senate Subcommittee is signaling that it recognizes investments in both areas are essential in giving families access to higher-quality child care options.

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