Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/making-progress-developments-on-capitol-hill/5019332/
Progress is seldom steady and straightforward. Sometimes there’s a dramatic breakthrough and other times it’s “one step forward, two steps back.” How often in your own life have you only seen the progress when you’ve looked back at how far you’ve come, in a zig-zag of steps that didn’t seem connected at the time? We’ve seen a little of each in developments in DC this spring.Health reform advances
In March, Congress passed comprehensive health care reform legislation. This marked the end of a year-long debate that dominated the political scene in Washington and around the country; and it is a major win for the Obama Administration. With the passage of health care reform, many are now hopeful that Congress will be able to take up and move forward other legislation dealing directly with early care and education. In a future issue, Exchange will examine the implications of health care reform for early childhood programs.
Challenge Fund setback
One thing about health care reform is clear: a special opportunity to support early childhood was missed. Days before the health care reform vote, the Early Learning Challenge Fund was removed from a package of student loan reforms attached to the Budget Reconciliation Act, the ...