Federal Early Care and Education Issues NECTAC Conference December 3, 2007 Helen Blank National Women’s Law Center

Key Programs Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Head Start Higher Education Act No Child Left Behind Food Stamps Part B and Part C

CCDBG Will not be reauthorized this Congress Coalition effort to develop a shared vision for a revised CCDBG

Head Start Conference Report passed. Bill: –Halts the high stakes assessment of Head Start children. –Provides more flexibility to meet families’ needs. –Targets funding and attention to special populations. –Increases teacher education and training requirements. –Enhances quality and coordination. –Creates a process for competition for Head Start grantees. –Makes changes to governance and monitoring. –Does not increase funding substantially for FY 2008, FY 2009 or FY 2010.

Higher Education Act Advocates are seeking new provisions for: –Grants to states to design, coordinate, and implement a comprehensive early childhood workforce career system. –Grants to states to expand assistance for higher education and retention for early childhood professionals. –Loan forgiveness.

No Child Left Behind A federal prekindergarten initiative could be included. Advocates are also seeking new provisions for: –Joint professional development for teachers of young children in schools, child care, state-funded prekindergarten, Early Head Start, and Head Start. –Early Education professional development for school principals, district superintendents, other district administrators, and central office staff. –Early Childhood Education Teams For local educational agencies. For Title I elementary schools. –Effective alignment of standards, curricula, and assessments for scaffolding learning achievement. –Transition from prekindergarten to kindergarten. –Encouraging state educational agencies to promote early childhood programs at the local level. –Continuing to ensure that local districts have flexibility to use Title I funds for early education.

Food Stamps The child care deduction has been unchanged since Deduction is $200 for children under age two, and $175 for all other children. Both Senate and House Farm Bills eliminates the cap on child care expenses.

Budget Money is tight. Major children’s focus was on SCHIP – no progress. Appropriations bills set individual program amounts. CCDBG discretionary funds frozen for six years. –Conference included a $32.5 million increase. Head Start bill: high expectations and limited resources. –Conference included a $154 million increase. Part C – $6.5 million increase President vetoed Labor – HHS appropriations bill.