The President's Budget released on April 10 calls for new investments in early care, education and home visiting supports for pregnant woman and mothers of young children. Here are some of the highlights:

• $11 billion over 10 years for home visiting programs
• Expanded high quality child care for infants and toddlers
• High quality pre-kindergarten programs for four-year-olds in low- and moderate- income families. (This $75 billion federal investment over 10 years is to be paid for through a 94-cent increase in the federal tobacco tax.)   

If Congress includes this proposal in the final budget, is there still a need for state level advocacy? Yes! The President's "Preschool for All" program aims to partner with states, which must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the grants including:

• Bachelor's degrees for teachers
• Low staff-to-child ratios and small class sizes
• Professional development for teachers and staff
• A full-day program
• Developmentally appropriate, evidence-based curricula and learning environments that are aligned with state's early learning standards
• Salaries that are comparable to those of K-12 teachers
• Ongoing program evaluation 
• On-site comprehensive services for children.

Because not all states will meet the criteria and be eligible for this funding if it becomes available, the Administration anticipates making these awards to just 12 to 18 states. However, the administration is also proposing a second, pre-K grant program called Preschool Development Grants. These would be smaller, competitive grants and would help states build necessary infrastructure, such as workforce and facility development, to support the creation or expansion of pre-K programs.  Learn more about the President's Early Learning Plan.

Have an opportunity you would like to share from your state? Email jlent@gu.org.

Colorado  

Tell the Colorado House to Improve Access to Childhood Immunizations

Immunizing children is one of the easiest, safest, and most cost-effective strategies to safeguard a child's health. But the current structures for funding childhood immunications in Colorado are fragmented and inefficient, creating barriers to access for families across Colorado and particularly in rural communities where access to health care is often already a challenge. 

 

Senate Bill 222 seeks to improve access by streamlining the financing and delivery of vaccines. Click here to read more about the bill. This legislation has been approved by the Senate and is awaiting action by the House of Representatives. Let your representative know you support Senate Bill 222 now, because they could take action at any time. Make your voice heard to protect children's health. To learn more, visit the

Colorado Children's Campaign.

   

Kentucky  

If Governor Calls for Special Session, Make Sure Kids Are Up Front

The Governor may call for a special session of the Kentucky legislature. This is a great time to contact the Governor and your state legislators to let them know that advocacy does not stop after the regular legislative sessions.  Of particular concern are cuts to child care assistance that began on April 1, and the decision to stop new applications for the Kinship Care Program, which provides financial support to non-parental, relative caregivers, like grandparents.

Cuts to child care subsidies will undoubtedly force some families to make drastic decisions; including quitting their jobs or leaving their children in inadequate and potentially unsafe care that puts the children at risk of harm. Cuts to kinship care subsidies will make it harder for grandparents and other relatives to help kids recover from abuse or neglect and drive more kids into the foster care system. 

Find your senator or representative. And connect with our Kentucky partners, Kentucky Youth Advocates

and Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.

 

Nebraska

Early Childhood Grandparent Network to Kick Off at Nebraskalandays

Is your summer calendar starting to fill up? Be sure Nebraskaland Days is on it. Plans are underway for the Nebraska Early Childhood Grandparents Network kick-off as part of the celebration's activities on Sat., June 15. If you would like to learn how you can help with the launch contact Diane Rolfsmeyer at nebraskagrandparents@gu.org.

 

New Jersey 

Tell the New Jersey Legislature that Children Deserve Stronger Investments  

The Fiscal Year 2014 proposed state budget provides some slight increases for children's programs, including, preschool, screening infants for illness and health coverage for children. Most increases, however, are modest and represent only small steps toward meeting the needs of children and families. The budget also fails to fund the mandate in New Jersey's 2008 school funding law to expand high-quality preschool to thousands of low-income children. The state Legislature has until June 30 to approve the proposed spending plan when the governor, by law, must sign the budget.

 

Now's the time to contact your state assembly member or senator to voice your support for more generous increases for children's programs. Ask your legislator to fully fund the expansion of preschool to all of the state's low-income children.Find your legislator here. For more information, visit our partners at

Advocates for Children of New Jersey.