Our key ally in Alabama is VOICES for Alabama’s Children, a statewide child advocacy organization that represents the interests of children at the policy and decision-making level of state government. They promote research-based policy solutions to improve overall child well-being. Through the Alabama Kids Count Data Book, they document the health, safety, education, and economic conditions of children in the state’s 67 counties.
Advocate for policies and funding from the Governor, State Legislature, and the Department of Human Resources to support the entirety of the child care industry in Alabama, both center based and family child care, throughout the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
Continue advocating for the expansion and funding of Alabama’s First-Class Pre-K program.
Facilitate the creation of a statewide alliance of child care providers and stakeholders to align data and resources, as well as to give a coherent voice and collective power for the entire industry.
$9.49B STATE BUDGET
Estimated FY20 State General Fund Expenditures
ALIGNED GOVERNMENT
House (R), Senate (R),
Governor (R)
48% LOW-INCOME
250,454 Young Children (0-8) are Below 200% FPL
The beginning of the 2020 session promised the brightest revenue forecast in decades. Post COVID-19, almost all agency budgets were flat-funded or cut. Alliance allies in Alabama renewed their focus on developing a broader coalition of unified voices to speak on behalf of the child care industry and issues facing young children. Work during this session resulted in a stronger, more sustainable, and more robust child care system. Child-serving agencies including the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education and Mental Health received increases in funding.
By July, Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) had enacted in some way all of the allies’ recommendations related to how to spend CARES Act funds. Alliance allies also helped to squeeze out a $6 million increase for First Class Pre-K, which expands the program by 45 classrooms.
*Early childhood policy progress in a state is the result of numerous efforts — by those listed on this page and many others — who worked both independently and collaboratively to achieve wins for young children.
When the National Governors Association heard that the administration in Montana was looking to learn more about Pre-K strategies in rural states, they turned to the Alliance for Early Success — and allies in Alabama — to deliver.
The Alliance for Early Success 2020 50-State Progress Report on Early Childhood Policy expands state data (disaggregating low-income young children by race) and provides high-level state policy trend analysis for the nation as a whole. Click the icon to download the report.
State Budget Data: National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), “Table 4: Fiscal 2020 State General Fund, Estimated (Millions); The Fiscal Survey of the States.” Spring, 2020
Low-Income Data (including disaggregation by race): National Center for Children in Poverty, “NCCP Analysis of ACS 1-year Estimates—Public Use Microdata Sample, 2019.”
State Action Data: Provided by state advocates, October-November 2020, with analysis and synthesis by Frontera Strategy for Alliance for Early Success, “Protecting Progress and Investing in Scale: The 2020 50-State Progress Report on Early Childhood Education Policy.”
Additional State Actions: Mincic, Melissa, Early Care and Education, State Budget Actions, Fiscal Year 2020. National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), October 2020.
Strategic, Outcomes-Focused Investments
Consulting and Strategy
Technical Support from National Expertise
Rapid Response Support
Connections/Access to Allies in Similar States
Roles in National Communities of Practice
