2014 National Legislative Conference
Early Childhood Education: Federal Policy Update
Jessica Seitz
Education Policy Analyst
National PTA
Stella Edwards
Chair
PTA Legislative Committee
Adele Robinson
Deputy Executive Director
National Association for the
Education of Young Children
Agenda
1. PTA’s Commitment to Early Education
2. Key Federal Early Childhood Care and Education Programs
3. Federal Early Childhood Education Updates
a. In the White House: President’s Early Learning Initiative
b. On the Hill: Strong Start for America’s Children Act
c. FY2014 and FY2015 Early Childhood Funding
4. PTA Takes Action: 2014 Early Childhood Education Priorities
5. Q&A
PTA’s Commitment to Early Education
PTA supports federal and state incentives for high-quality child
care and preschool programs for children ages 0 to 5. These
programs should be:
• Affordable
• Accessible
• Developmentally appropriate
• Coordinated at all levels (federal, state, local)
• Characterized by high standards for teaching, training,
health, and safety
PTA strongly encourages the inclusion of a robust family
engagement component in all early education programs.
Early Childhood Education Benefits
We cannot afford to postpone investing in children until
they become adults, nor can we wait until they reach
school age – a time when it may be too late to
intervene. Learning is a dynamic process and is most
effective when it begins at a young age and continues
through adulthood.
--James Heckman, Ph.D, Nobel Laureate Economics, University of Chicago
Current Federal Early
Education Programs
Department of Education
•
•
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
Early Learning Challenge Fund (with HHS)
Department of Health and Human Services
•
•
•
Head Start/Early Head Start
Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)
Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting
Program (MIECHV)
Current Federal Early Education Programs
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• Description: Title I funds can be used, at the
local educational agency’s discretion, for early
childhood programs in addition to traditional
K-12 programs
• Population: Less than 5% of ESEA funds spent
on children younger than kindergarten
• Current Status: ESEA reauthorization pending
Current Federal Early Education Programs
Head Start
• Description: Established in 1965, 80% federal/20%
local match serving the poorest children and
families with comprehensive standards and services
Education
Parent Involvement
Health
Social Services
• Population: Serves 3-4 year old low-income children
• Serves less than half of eligible children
annually
Current Federal Early Education Programs
Early Head Start
• Description: Established in 1994 as an expansion
of Head Start; provides comprehensive child
development and family support services
• Population: Serves low-income infants and
toddlers from birth to three years and pregnant
women
• Serves less than 5% of eligible infants, toddlers,
and pregnant women annually
Current Federal Early Education Programs
Head Start-Early Head Start (Continued)
• Status: HS-EHS last reauthorized in 2007
• Roughly 57,000 children were cut from HSEHS due to sequestration, 89% were
preschoolers age 3-5
• Many programs reduced the number of
program days/hours, causing provider
termination/salary reduction
Current Federal Early Education Programs
Child Care and Development Block Grant
• Description: Established in 1990, CCDBG is the
primary source of federal funding for child care
and afterschool subsidies and quality
improvements; promotes family economic selfsufficiency and school readiness through
affordable, high-quality child care and
afterschool programs
• Population: Low-income working families and
families with parents currently in school
Current Federal Early Education Programs
CCDBG (continued)
• Currently CCDBG provides assistance to one
out of six eligible children
• In 2012, CCDBG served 260,000 fewer
children than in 2006
• Status: Has not been reauthorized since
1996; reauthorization pending in both houses
(Passed Senate committee; pending in House
committee)
Current Federal Early Education Programs
Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood
Home Visiting Program
•
•
•
Description: Established in 2010 under the Affordable
Care Act; provides voluntary home visiting programs to
improve health and development outcomes for at-risk
children by addressing issues including maternal and
child health, parenting practices, safe home
environments, and access to services
Population: Expectant parents and families with new
babies and young children
Status: Funding and authorization expire FY2014—
October 1, 2014
PTA Takes Action
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Federal Policy Updates
In the White House: President’s Early
Learning Initiative
• Announced in 2013 State of the
Union; reaffirmed in 2014
• Called on Congress to expand
access to high-quality preschool
to every child in America
• Proposed a series of new
investments to establish a
continuum of high-quality early
learning birth to age 5
On the Hill: Strong Start for America’s
Children Act
What’s in the bill?
Three Key Components:
1. Preschool -Development grants
and larger Preschool
for All
2. Early Head Start/child
care partnerships
3. MIECHV
Preschool for All
• Establishes a federal-state partnership to provide
access to high-quality prekindergarten programs
for all low-income and moderate-income children.
• Also provides Preschool Development Grants
HIGH QUALITY PREKINDERGARTEN
Highly-qualified teachers who
are paid comparably to K-12
Developmentally appropriate
teaching/curricula
Offers full-day
Evidence-based comprehensive child services:
• Parent and family engagement
• Nutritious meals
Small class sizes; low child:staff
• Health screening and referrals
ratio
Early Learning Quality Partnerships
• Addresses problem of lowest quality of child care is
typically infant/toddler care
• Early Head Start eligibility and standards
• Together work to improve quality of the child care
provider for children birth through age 3; child care
providers receive additional funds to meet and
sustain higher quality of child care
• Priority for child care partners receiving CCDBG
subsidies, coordinating with other funding streams
and coordinating transitions to preschool and school
MIECHV
• Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home
Visiting Programs: Encourages increased
funding for evidence-based, voluntary home
visitation programs
• Program expires on September 30 – must
reauthorize and fund to continue on October
1, 2014
FY2014 and FY2015 Early
Education Funding
PTA TAKES ACTION
2014 Early Childhood Education Priorities
PTA Urges Congress to Invest in Early
Childhood Education
Increase access to high-quality pre-kindergarten for all
students to prepare them for successful kindergarten
entry.
Expand family engagement initiatives that begin at
birth, both in the home and in other early learning
environments, to ensure coordinated family
engagement throughout childhood.
PTA Believes that
Every Child Deserves
a #STRONGSTART
Is your Senator a cosponsor?
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*As of March 7, 2014
Is your Representative a cosponsor?
114 Representatives from 30 States, DC, Northern Mariana Islands*
Alabama
Arizona
Sewell
Negrete McLeod
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Florida (continued)
Wasserman Schultz
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Massachusetts
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Get out your phones and laptops!
PTA.org/takesaction
Questions?
Jessica Seitz
Education Policy Analyst
National PTA
Stella Edwards
Chair
National PTA
jseitz@pta.org
legchair@pta.org