Contact Your Legislator in the Iowa House today about Preschool!!!

The Iowa House is scheduled to take up HF 535 (preschool voucher bill) today around 4:00.  Please take a moment to contact your legislator and tell them to vote NO on HF 535.  

Tell your Representative that the proposal represents a significant step backward, rather than forward, in ensuring that Iowa children start school ready for educational success. In particular HF 535:

• effectively eliminates the Shared Visions program, a more comprehensive program designed specifically for vulnerable children. Shared Visions has served Iowa's lowest-income children and has a long evaluation record of proven effectiveness;

• imposes a voucher structure that will make participation problematic, particularly for low and moderate-income families whose children can benefit the most from a quality preschool experience;

• reduces the overall per-child investment, and moves Iowa to near the bottom among states with preschool programs; and

• limits the focus upon collaboration and quality across preschool and other early-childhood programs.

There are some amendments to this bill:

H- 1231 - Winckler and Mascher (D's) 

H-1186 - Willems (D)

H-1188 - Forristall (R - Floor Manager)

H-1216 - Forristall

H-1266 - J Taylor (R) and Muhlbauer (D)

The Democrats will try to restore original preschool program language and add in some language of studying program and beefing up accountability through these amendments.  Please tell your legislator to support the Willems and Winckler/Mascher amendments when you email or call.  The J. Taylor/Muhlbauer amendment is troublesome. It allows for religious preschools to teach religion during the 10 hour publicly funded preschool hours!

As this bill is reviewed in conjunction with the current voluntary preschool program, Every Child Counts believes that there are opportunities to strengthen Iowa's overall approach to preschool and early-childhood programs - an approach that can draw elements from HF 535 and build upon, but SHOULD NOT replace, the effective programs already in place.

Thank you!!!

Best ~

Sheila