Recently in Early Childhood Education Category

Source: Mark Ginsberg, and Rae Pica With Marcy Whitebook, NAEYC Radio, February 2010

From the press release:
In this segment, Dr. Whitebook says that most child care professionals make less than parking lot attendants. In fact, on average child care providers make about $15,000-$20,000 a year depending on where they live and what age group they care for. Dr. Whitebook says the reason for such low pay is that the United States never placed the same value on early childhood education as it has for the rest of the K-12 spectrum. While she says some attitudes have changed some, especially based on research of brain development in the early years, attitudes haven't changed enough to make a significant impact on wages.
See also:
Animal Trainer. Parking Attendant. Child Care Professional.
Source: Lisa Guernsey, Early Ed Watch Blog, February 17, 2010

Source: New America Foundation, Federal Education Budget Project, Issue Brief, February 2010

The president's 2011 budget request marks the second time the Obama administration has submitted funding recommendations for every federal education program and a comprehensive list of new education policy initiatives. The administration has proposed a $49.7 billion budget for education programs subject to the annual appropriations process (excluding Pell Grants), up from $46.2 billion in fiscal year 2010. This issue brief provides a summary and analysis of the president's fiscal year 2011 education budget request.

Source: National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, January 2010

In 2008, America's children saw the nation's financial system melt down and the worst recession in decades commence. In 2009, the nation's children paid the price. At least 42 states have cut public health, programs for children with disabilities, K-12 and early education, and higher education. Next year doesn't look any better with states needing to close as much as $260 billion dollars in budget deficits.

Congress will need to make investments in children's programs a priority in both the jobs bill and the 2011 federal budget if children's programs are not to be cut further.

This is grim news for America's children. They make up more than 35 percent of those in
poverty, yet they comprise only 24.6 percent of the population. Children did not cause the
recession, but they certainly are feeling the effects of it. States cut the most basic of services
for children this year with deeper cuts on the horizon for next year. This report includes an illustrative list of state-by-state budget cuts affecting children.

Source: Sara Mead, New America Foundation, Updated Jan 2009

From the blog:
In November, Early Ed Watch's Sara Mead gave a presentation at a Harvard Graduate School of Education PreK-3rd Institute that offers a good primer on federal policy climate for PreK-3rd reforms. The presentation, Federal Context & Funding Opportunities for PreK-3rd, provides a comprehensive overview of the federal funding streams that states, schools, and ECE providers can use to support PreK-3rd work. It also outlines the recent and upcoming federal policy developments that should create potential opportunities for PreK-3rd reformers. Since November, we've made a few updates to keep it current and just published it on our program page. Take a look!

Source: Julie Poppe, State Legislatures, Vol. 36 no. 1, January 2010

Lawmakers are sold on the importance of early learning programs. Now they're figuring out how to pay for them.

Source: Jason Delisle, New America Foundation, December 2009

From the summary:
Congress completed the fiscal year 2010 appropriations process on Dec. 13, 2009, finalizing annual funding for nearly all federal education programs through September 2010 at $63.7 billion, up $1.1 billion from the prior year, excluding economic stimulus funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Making sense of the federal education budget and the appropriations process can be a frustrating task for education advocates, state and local policymakers, the media, and the public. The now concluded fiscal year 2010 appropriations process is no exception.

This issue brief is intended to be a helpful guide to the appropriations process and recently enacted fiscal year 2010 education funding. It includes an analysis of funding for major education programs and a timeline of the 2010 appropriations process. It also includes exclusive tables comparing 2010 funding to prior years, the president's budget request, and funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Source: Teresa Lim, Center for Law and Social Policy, December 10, 2009

As we enter the holiday season, CLASP urges you to remember those families who are the hardest hit by the economic recession. Now more than ever we need public and private resources to help ensure that children and families have what they need to thrive.

* CLASP Releases National and State Fact Sheets on Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2008
* Extending Home Visiting to Kinship Caregivers and Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers
* New Infant/Toddler Resources on Core Competencies and Training
* Update on State Child Care and Early Education Advisory Councils
* Updated Fact Sheets Provide Information on Children of Immigrants in the U.S. and Basic Facts About Low-Income Children
* A Review of Home Visiting Program Models and Their Effectiveness
* The State of City Leadership on Supporting Early Childhood in 2009
* Tennessee Releases Evaluation Report on State's Pre-Kindergarten Program
* Early Literacy Gaps in Maryland
* Promoting Community-Based Early Childhood Education Partnerships in Texas

Source: Center for Law and Social Policy, 2009

This new tool makes it easy for advocates, policymakers and others to download and synthesize data about various programs and trends that affect low-income people and families.

Source: William Christeson, Amy Dawson Taggart, and Soren Messner-Zidell, Mission: Readiness, 2009

From the press release:
According to a new report, 75 percent of young people ages 17 to 24 are unable to enlist in the military because they fail to graduate high school, have a criminal record, or are physically unfit. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, former NATO Supreme Commander General Wesley Clark, and some of America's top retired admirals, generals and other military leaders called today for immediate action to address this threat to America's national security.

General Clark, Major General James A. Kelley (USA, Ret.), Major General James W. Comstock (AUS, Ret.), Brigadier General John W. Douglass (USAF, Ret.), Rear Admiral James Barnett (USN, Ret.), former Under Secretary of the Army Joe Reeder and Secretary Duncan called for greater investment in high-quality early learning programs to ensure more young people graduate from high school, obey the law and have the option of military service if they choose that path.

Source: Committee for Education Funding, 2009

Welcome to the Committee for Education Funding's Appropriation's Tracker. Below you'll find 3 features:

1. Appropriations Charts: Click on any of the buttons below to see the amount of funding Congress appropriated to the type of education policy that interests you most. The charts span from Fiscal Year 2001 to Fiscal Year 2009.

2. Full-Funding Gauges: A bill is considered to be fully funded when the House and Senate appropriation subcommittees spend as much money as the House and Senate authorization committees allow. The gauges below will show the percentage of the money Congress said it will spend if the current (Fiscal Year 2010) appropriations bill passes unchanged.

3. A Discretionary Appropriations Graph: See the U.S. Department of Education's funding over the past 9 fiscal years. Click on the graph to access the spreadsheets from which the charts were created.