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.
With the inauguration of the state’s new Early Childhood Education and Care Department, New Mexico has become the fourth state in the nation to have a cabinet level department dedicated to early childhood. The creation of the department reflects the Governor’s focus on improving the lives of New Mexico’s youngest children.
Using strategic communication, research, and media outreach, our ally in Georgia helped overturn proposed budget cuts to the state’s pre-k program, secured funding for a new children’s mental health position at the state department, and extended postpartum Medicaid coverage. This victory is especially significant as states face drastically falling revenues.
Amid the most trying circumstances many can remember, the Maryland session concluded with an extraordinary flurry of activity. The sprint to the finish included not only the passage of a challenging FY 2021 budget but also the landmark “Blueprint for Maryland’s Future,” which embodies the most dramatic strides in early childhood education in decades.
Nebraska has been awarded a Preschool Development Birth through Five renewal grant from the federal Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, and Alliance ally First Five Nebraska played a big role in this crucial win for their state’s children.
Executive Order 20-18 addresses important financial supports for child care providers and working families throughout the state by temporarily adjusting how the state manages child care subsidy reimbursements. It temporarily changes reimbursement protocols by allowing child care providers to receive subsidy reimbursements based on the enrollment of subsidy-eligible children in their programs, rather than actual attendance while that program is open for business. It also ensures that child care slots allocated to subsidy-eligible parents will still be waiting for them when they return to work.
Kansas Action for Children set a bold agenda for the future of Kansas, one that elevated children and families, while ensuring a sound funding structure to support them for years to come. We focused on highlighting opportunities to remove barriers created by systemic racism facing communities of color.
Nebraska’s Unicameral adjourned six days early this year when senators could not reach consensus on a comprehensive property tax relief package or a business tax incentive program. Despite the contentious atmosphere at times, the session concluded with some notable successes for early childhood.
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.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Happy New Year! Happy New Grant Year, that is.
The Children’s Leadership Council of Michigan continued its advocacy for high-quality, affordable child care and worked with advocates and policymakers to develop and prioritize policy options for investing new CCDBG funds. In the FY2019 budget, lawmakers increased overall spending on the child care subsidy to reflect increased enrollment in the program.
