The Alliance for Early Success is a 50-state resource for early-childhood advocates as they pursue the big, sustained impact that will ensure every child in every state, birth through age eight, has an equal chance to grow, learn, and succeed.
Virginia advocates have have turned the Child Care NEXT principles and support into a string of wins for children, including, in the 2024 session, an historic commitment by the governor and legislature that means $1.1 billion will be available for child care services for low to moderate income families over the next two years.
Early Childhood advocates in Alabama are celebrating the creation of a new child care tax credit. As part of a “Working for Alabama” bill package, House Bill 358 provides opportunities for employers, for-profit child care providers, and nonprofit child care providers to apply for funds. The Alabama legislature unanimously passed the bill and the governor signed it into law in May, 2024.
In Idaho, where there is no state funding for pre-k, advocates are working at the community level to demonstrate families’ interest in — and the impact of — early care and education. Community-led collaboratives are uniting various stakeholders, including educators, parents, community leaders, and business owners, to create a holistic approach to early learning, tailored to local needs.
In January, an advocate from Texas put out a request for good resources for educating lawmakers about the child care system. Both state and national allies were quick to respond with a variety of tools that help explain the costs of child care businesses, the impact the system has on the economy, and strategies advocates can use to push for a substantial public investment in the system.
In our new report, Child Care Policy Roadmap 2023, we highlight policies enacted in states – red, blue, and purple – that serve as building blocks for a transformative child care system. It builds on a policy roadmap released several years ago that laid out the major areas of work that all states need to take on to transform our child care system. It turns out that the ideas included in that report were not pipe dreams, and many states have put them into action.
Anchorage, Alaska will soon benefit from an additional five to six million dollars per year in funds for child care and early education thanks to voter approval of Proposition 14 in April, also known as the “Care for Kids” measure. The five percent sales tax on marijuana purchases has existed for years, but the funds will now be used for the benefit of young children and their families rather than going into the city’s general fund.
From a new nation-leading child tax credit that will cut child poverty by a third, to $1.3 billion for expansion of mixed-delivery child care, to continuous medicaid coverage for children to age 6, to a long list of other wins for young children and their families, there were almost too many advancements to count in the 2023 legislative session. The secret to all these wins? A long-standing “of coalition of coalitions” in the state the centers communication, equity, cooperation, and authentic power sharing.
The Vermont state legislature made an historic investment in the state’s child care system of more than $76 million in new funding in state fiscal year 2024 and nearly $125 million in state fiscal year 2025. Despite facing political challenges and uncertainty, Act 76 found a path forward through a veto override with multi-partisan support.
The Alliance for Early Success, a 50-state early childhood policy nonprofit, announced today a $10-million grant from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The unrestricted investment will fund the launch of the Power Equity Initiative, a bold strategy to grow an influential voice for young children at the state level by catalyzing equitable coalitions in which parents, advocates, practitioners, and other diverse voices work collaboratively to improve policies and increase funding.
A recent exchange on the Alliance listserv turned up several examples and resources on employers co-investing with states in child care.
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© 2024 Alliance for Early Success
The Alliance for Early Success does not endorse or advocate for specific legislation or candidates.
