Preschool and Pre-K Archives - Alliance for Early Success

Work Continues to Include Family Child Care Providers in Public Pre-K Systems

February 7, 2025

In an effort to extend the reach of publicly funded pre-k programs, policymakers and advocates are turning toward a strategy of increasing pre-K enrollment spots beyond school and center-based classrooms, such as in family child care homes. A new national initiative aims to help family child care providers in Alabama, Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina integrate into publicly funded pre-k programs.

Alliance for Early Success Early Childhood State Policy Advocacy

New Alliance 50-State Report Shows Progress and Power Building at State Level in 2024

January 27, 2025

Each year, the Alliance for Early Success surveys early childhood policy advocates representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia to create its annual 50-State Early Childhood Policy Progress and Landscape Report. The 2024 report, released in January, shows that support for state early childhood policies and funding continued to be strong, with policymakers from every region and political landscape acting to improve their early childhood policies.

Advocates in Wyoming Tap Shared Values to Win New Funding for Developmental Preschools

November 27, 2024

Child care advocates in Wyoming are celebrating a major legislative victory. After years of setbacks, the state secured the most funding for developmental preschools in over a decade. The passage of SF 19 marks a significant shift. The Wyoming Women’s Foundation, who advocated for the bill’s passage, credits a new messaging approach and strategy to its success.

To Learn How to Best Advance Equity in Child Care, Wisconsin Advocates Ask Practitioners

October 21, 2024

It is no secret that early childhood educators face challenges in Wisconsin and beyond, and yet plans to make the system more equitable are often missing the voices of these practitioners themselves. In Wisconsin, a new study that centers the voices of Wisconsin early educators from traditionally marginalized groups is already having an impact on policy in the state.

Alabama Advocates Tap Alliance Network for Big Child Care Tax Credit Win

August 21, 2024

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.

States Playing a Role in Helping Kids Access Inclusive Pre-K

July 18, 2024

While a mixed delivery system of pre-K has many advantages, it can present significant challenges for students with disabilities when it comes to accessing early childhood special education (ECSE) services, such as those provided by occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists. So across the country, states are looking to improve collaboration between school districts and community partners.

In Iowa, Conservative Support for Early Care and Education Gains Momentum

May 22, 2024

In Iowa, a 2024 bill introduced by Republicans in both chambers of the state legislature sought to expand pre-k access for families with lower incomes. Though it did not pass during the session, the movement on pre-k expansion has advocates throughout the state looking ahead to 2025.

Idaho Advocates Use Innovative Early Learning Collaboratives to Move the Needle on Early Care and Education

February 5, 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.

Marijuana Tax Is Now a $5 Million Win for Alaska Child Care and Early Education

November 9, 2023

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.

Minnesota Early Childhood Policy Advocacy

Minnesota “Coalition of Coalitions” Turns Years of Work into a String of Big Wins for Children and Families

October 31, 2023

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.