ALLIANCE, Author at Alliance for Early Success

Georgia Legislators Benefit from First Early Learning Legislative Academy

June 6, 2019

The January 2019 session of the Georgia General Assembly welcomed a newly elected Governor and many new members of the legislature, and we were determined to ensure that our policy makers kept the needs of Georgia’s infants and toddlers at top of mind. Thus, on the second day of the 2019 session of the Georgia General Assembly, GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students and the Metro Atlanta Chamber worked with two early education champions, Representatives Katie Dempsey and Robert Dickey, to host our first Georgia Early Learning Legislative Academy.

Alliance for Early Success Early Childhood State Policy Advocacy

Governors Show Support for Young Children in their State-of-the-State Addresses and Budgets

May 29, 2019

The Alliance for Early Success believes that protecting or making progress in early childhood investments depends largely on state leadership. Governors have a lot of discretion over how to allocate, maximize or misuse resources. And their policies will either support or harm young children; and either help or prevent their families from becoming independent, successful and secure.

Preschool Development Grants Birth-Five: What’s in a Name?

March 19, 2019

Like its predecessor, the new Preschool Development Grants seek to support early childhood education, but the similarities don’t extend much beyond this general commonality. The first Preschool Development Grants were issued by the U.S. Department of Education in 2015 and 2016 to help states expand high-quality pre-kindergarten for four-year-olds from low-income famliies.

Early Learning a Priority for Washington State Legislators

February 28, 2019

NCSL’s Early Care and Education staff traveled to Olympia, Wash. to support an Early Learning Forum during new member orientations in January.

Reflections on the 2018 Partner Summit

February 28, 2019

Last month, dozens of Alliance for Early Success partners convened in Denver, Colorado, for the 2018 Partner Summit, where policy experts, thought leaders and child advocates spent three days sharing best practices and connecting with counterparts from other states over their experiences, challenges, and solutions to improve state policies for children, birth through age eight. Shannon Jones, Groundwork Ohio executive director, shares her reflections from the event.

Achieving ESSA Goals Requires Investment in the Early Years

February 28, 2019

Your state has goals for performance in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. Do you know what they are? As an early childhood advocate you may well not, as all of the goals are based on standardized assessments given to children in third grade and up. But you should, because chances are those state goals are out of reach for your state unless it puts more focus on early learning.

Is Your Chief State School Officer an Early Learning Supporter? Take this Quiz!

February 28, 2019

The midterm elections of 2018 is ushering in a group of new state superintendents who will put their stamp on states’ education systems and reforms. Though most of them probably will not have much early education background, many of them will also lead state pre-k programs and in some cases, even child care systems and other early childhood programs.

Taking Intentional Steps to Prioritize Infants and Toddlers

December 21, 2018

Over the past 10 months, seven Alliance state partners embarked on a mission to increase public support for infants and toddlers by creating coalitions, identifying infant/toddler specific policy priorities, and developing advocacy strategies and communication plans. Each state approached its efforts in a slightly different way, but with the same goal in mind: to advance the well-being and school readiness of infants and toddlers in their state.

New Jersey Hosts Advocates from California for a Powerful Learning Tour

November 27, 2018

A site visit to Abbott Preschool in New Jersey provided advocates from across country the opportunity to hear the inspiring story of how they have transformed their early learning programs – from birth through 3rd grade – over the past 20 years, following the implementation of a court order requiring expansion of high quality preschool programs to address inequities in their education system and how that first step led to the development of the state’s broader early learning system.

The “Kid Wave” of 2018

November 14, 2018

In a year of bipartisan rancor, early childhood emerged as a rare issue of consensus. Providing confirmation to a decade of polling finding broad support for early childhood, candidates of both parties eagerly embraced agendas focused on young children. According to an analysis conduct by the First Five Years Fund, over 75 percent of governors elected in 2018 are on the record supporting early childhood education.