Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/time-for-a-strong-start/5021528/
Sometimes it feels like we’ve been waiting forever for early childhood education to be prioritized in our nation’s policies and spending plans.My daughter was born the year Congress created the federal child care program in welfare reform; she’s planning college visits now. An entire childhood has passed since Congress last reviewed and revised the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). Too many children with much greater needs have been waiting too long for Washington to act.
Now, in less than a year, we’ve seen major proposals introduced in Washington, DC. Last February, the President spoke at length about the value of early learning in the annual State of the Union Address, and in the spring outlined a major new initiative in his budget proposal. Then, in September, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, led the introduction of a bill to reauthorize CCDBG with significant changes that promote early learning as a goal of federal child care assistance, as well as helping parents get and keep work.
Now, there is what some are calling landmark legislation to prioritize early learning opportunities, birth through age 5, similar to the President’s proposal. Good things are stirring in our ...