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Investments in early childhood are vital to the success of our nation's youth. Extensive research has shown that early childhood programs significantly increase a child's chances of avoiding the prison pipeline. Furthermore, these programs have well-documented economic and societal value. Studies have shown that investments in quality early education can produce a rate of return to society significantly higher than returns to most stock market investments or traditional economic development projects.

Despite these encouraging reports, thousands of children across the country are still waiting for the chance to participate in quality early childhood programs. CDF fully understands the need for consistent, quality education and care beginning at birth. Our nation simply can’t afford not to significantly increase investments in early childhood development and care, or to keep leaving so many poor babies and toddlers behind.

 Early Childhood in the President’s FY13 Budget

President Obama’s FY2013 Budget proposes promising investments in early care and education, including increased funding for all of the major federal funding streams for early learning. The president’s proposal also offers a 5 percent increase to programs that serve infants and toddlers with special needs, and commits a portion of new Race to the Top dollars to a third round of Early Learning Challenge Grants. If approved by Congress, the proposals outlined below would go a long way toward improving quality and increasing eligibility for services for young children and families across the country. Specifically, the President’s FY2013 budget proposal would:

• Increase Head Start funding by $85 million over FY 2012 funding levels. This would maintain the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”) expansion, allowing 962,000 children to participate in Head Start. These funds would also support the implementation of new regulations to strengthen the program by requiring low-performing grantees to compete for continued funding.

• Provide an $825 million dollar increase in the Child Care and Development Block Grant which offers subsidized child care dollars to families who need it. These funds would include a $300 million investment for a new child care quality initiative that states would use to improve the services that children receive in child care settings by investing directly in programs and teachers. This increase would also ensure that more than 70,000 additional low-income children would be eligible to receive services.

• Support programs that benefit families with infants and toddlers by providing a $20 million increase to Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the section that provides grants for infants and toddlers with special needs.

• Provide a $50 million increase to evidence-based early childhood home visiting programs to improve health and developmental outcomes for families in at-risk communities.

• Provide a third round of Early Learning Challenge Grants to help states improve their early care and education systems through a portion of the $850 million investment in Race to the Top funding.

• Flat fund other important programs in early childhood including Part B, Section 619 of IDEA (pre-school special education) and Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program.

50 States. Every Child. Every School.

 In the 21st century, we have new common core standards setting high expectations for every child including kindergarteners. We need to prepare all of our children to compete in this global economy but for millions of children in the United States there is a missing half-step in their early learning years. Full-day kindergarten (Full-Day K) boosts children’s cognitive learning, creative problem-solving skills, and social competence. Join us in our campaign to ensure every state and the District of Columbia guarantees every child with access to high-quality, publicly funded Full-Day K. Click on our interactive map to find out the status of Full-Day K in your state and download your state-specific fact sheet to arm yourself with the latest information.

Be sure to check out the 2012 Children in the States one-page fact sheets which provide the most recent and reliable information on children in your state. Find out how often a child is born into poverty in your state. The information includes child population, educational achievement, child welfare statistics, state rankings and more. Share our 2012 Children in the States map and fact sheets at your next community or school board meeting.

Increasing Access to Full-Day Kindergarten

Increasing Access to Full-Day K: A Key Strategy for Boosting Learning and Closing Achievement Gaps for Children describes the current reality of Full-Day K in the country and provides a summary of state funding patterns. A concise discussion of how students benefit from full-day kindergarten, its place in the PreK-3rd grade early learning continuum, and its relevance in the context of the Common Core State Standards is provided. National, state and local level policy recommendations are provided so all children have equal access to publicly funded Full-Day K.

President Obama Announces New Rule for Head Start Grantees 

While recently visiting a Head Start program in Philadelphia, President Obama announced new regulations that will introduce competition into the Head Start grant process. These regulations are designed to continue to raise the level of quality for the million children and families served by Head Start each year.

The new rule builds upon requirements of the bipartisan Improving Head Start Act of 2007, as well as on recommendations from a National Advisory Committee of child development experts and early education leaders. The committee’s report called on the administration to implement a system to assess Head Start grantees that was “transparent, valid, and reliable.” The Designation Renewal System uses an evidence-based, rigorous classroom evaluation tool to measure classroom quality along with clear standards of financial integrity and compliance with Head Start rules to determine which programs are—and are not—meeting key indicators of program quality and integrity. The final rule will go into effect on December 8.

Over the next three years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will review the performance and program quality of all 1,600 Head Start grantees. Grantees that don’t meet the quality benchmarks will be required to compete for continued funding. Based on analysis of current data related to program performance, roughly a third of grantees will be required to compete. The first group of Head Start grantees that will be required to compete for continued funding will be notified in December 2011. Click here for more information.

Data on Early Childhood Education and Care

The State of America's Children® 2011, a compilation of the most recent and reliable national and state-by-state data on key child indicators, including early childhood education and care. Among other selections, the Early Childhood section of the report includes state data Head Start enrollment, the cost of child care and child care subsidies, the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, the Child Care and Development Fund, Pre-K enrollment, and state-by-state comparisons of child care center regulations. Only 13.8 percent of three-year-olds and 38.9 percent of four-year-olds were in state funded pre-kindergarten programs, Head Start or special education in 2008-2009.

A Strong Start

The Addressing Achievement Gaps Symposium “A Strong Start: Positioning Young Black Boys for Educational Success” which took place in June 2011, was devoted to the challenges facing Black boys in their early years. The event took place earlier this month. CDF partnered with ETS to explore the challenges facing this vulnerable population and the opportunities to position young Black boys for educational success.

Learn more about the event and speakers and watch video of the symposium.

Child Care Under Attack

States and cities across the country are responding to pressure to balance budgets by cutting child care services for working families. In 36 states and the District of Columbia the annual cost of center-based child care for a 4-year-old is more than annual in-state tuition at a public four-year college. With costs continuing to rise and families continuing to struggle through this fragile economy, now is the time for state and local governments to expand rather than cut early learning opportunities for our children.

When New York City Mayor Bloomberg announced in February his plan to cut 17,000 child care slots from the budget, the Children’s Defense Fund—New York joined dozens of other organizations to form the Emergency Coalition to Save Children and issued a report to outline the devastating impact the cuts would have on working families and their children. The coalition organized protests and raised a ruckus while securing strong support from City Council members. Their efforts paid off as the Mayor retreated from cutting so many child care slots last Friday. Read the latest news from Crain’s in which Rev. Emma Jordan-Simpson, executive director of CDF—New York, is quoted as saying there is still work to be done to ensure early childhood education and children are a priority in the city's budget.

Angie Salazar - From Head Start to Harvard

Head Start has proven results. Children who participate are school ready, less likely to need special education, more likely to graduate high school and go on to college. Check out Angie’s story, and tell Congress, don’t cut Head Start.

CDF Early Childhood Newsletter

Each month, the Children's Defense Fund sends out a newsletter with updates on the latest happenings in Early Childhood policy. Be sure to check out the latest edition!