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.
In spite of a highly charged and combative state legislative session that made national headlines, allies in Texas, Children at Risk and Texans Care for Children, worked to make sure support for early childhood issues maintained bipartisan support — and their efforts paid off with one of the more productive legislative sessions for children and families.
Early childhood advocates from across the country — representing a diversity of states — have come together to recommend nine consensus principles for investing in early care and education. These principles were developed to guide leaders at every level as they determine whether and how to invest new funding in the child care system.
EDITORIAL The president’s American Families Plan, as currently proposed, includes an unprecedented level of federal investment for early care and education (ECE). To many in our field, this is the moment for building a cohesive birth-to-five ECE system and doing away with the distinction between “child care” and “pre-k.” Alliance for Early Success Senior Policy Director Albert Wat explains how blending the two systems together seamlessly will require fundamental changed in the way we think about funding child care.
When COVID-19 diverted attention away from legislative efforts to expand Connecticut’s child care subsidy, advocates adjusted their efforts and expanded services through non-legislative means. They worked to change the homelessness screening process to help families enroll in Head Start and secured CARES Act funding to provide child care to parents attending a job training program.
Maryland allies have been working relentlessly in support of the early childhood agenda contained in the massive “Blueprint for Maryland’s Future” bill and were elated when the legislation passed – with an override of the governor’s veto – in the 2021 session.
WEBINAR Experts from Child Trends offer a critical look at data and racial equity in early childhood policy, as well as a dive into how to incorporate racial equity principles into early childhood policy advocacy work.
Missouri’s governor has announced the formation of the Office of Childhood, and advocates around the state celebrated the move as a monumental step towards creating a comprehensive vision and program alignment of Missouri’s early childhood system.
Years of work by early childhood advocates in Delaware continue to pay off in important structural changes in the way state agencies serve young children — including the recent creation of a new associate secretary position to oversee the Office of Early Learning.
Alliance Senior Policy Director Albert Wat has been selected as one of 13 experts named to a committee convened by the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine, to study “the causes and consequences of the opportunity gap for young children from birth to age eight.”
Oregon voters delivered big wins for early childhood issues on ballot measures in the 2020 election — including a a tax increase on tobacco that will provide the last piece in the puzzle in fully funding the expansion of Medicaid eligibility. Both of these victories highlight the power of creating a broad coalition for developing and campaigning for policies that benefit children.
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The Alliance for Early Success does not endorse or advocate for specific legislation or candidates.
