FoodCorps’ Post

A new Child Trends factsheet highlights the ways in which policy changes to Maryland’s Child Care Scholarship Program changed how families receiving child care subsidies accessed early care and education programs (ECE). Findings suggest that these policy changes enabled families to access higher quality ECE and increased the number of child care providers with a higher quality rating. https://buff.ly/4aHY4UL

"Making sure that kids aren’t hungry when they’re trying to learn is a core service [of schools], and it’s one that we as a state need to fund."  said  Sen. Jeff Bridges. Colorado lawmakers are standing strong in their commitment to universal free school meals, even in the face of budget shortfalls. Despite the Healthy School Meals for All program exceeding initial costs, leaders like Sen. Bridges and Rep. Shannon Bird recognize that ensuring every child has access to nutritious meals is essential for their education and well-being. This dedication highlights the critical need for sustained funding and innovative solutions to support school meal programs. As costs rise, it's more important than ever to advocate for policies that prioritize children's health and education over budget cuts. At Solving Hunger, we believe that no child should have to choose between learning and eating. We're pushing for legislation that guarantees free, universal school meals across all states, ensuring every student has the fuel they need to succeed. 📢 Take action today! Support our mission to expand free school meal programs and help us create a future where no child goes hungry. Share your support and get involved! #SolvingHunger #ChildhoodHunger #FreeSchoolMeals #Education #FoodSecurity #Advocacy Ann Schimke via KUTV 2News / KMYU at https://lnkd.in/g74rfMGb.

Early childhood is an important launchpad for life. At the Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL) we believe that all children have a right to quality and affordable early education and care. As recommended by the Productivity Commission, we welcome the Government’s election commitment to scrap the activity test. As Trav McLeod, Executive Director of Brotherhood of St. Laurence, says in the attached article "What a parent does or earns should never hinder the access their child has to quality education and care in their early years." Advocating for a universal early childhood system, BSL has long called for the abolition of this punitive and inequitable test.  Working with families experiencing disadvantage, we constantly see how this unnecessary requirement prevents thousands of children from accessing formative early education and care. A recent estimate by Impact Economics and Policy suggested that the test currently denies care to at least 126,000 children from some of the country's poorest households. 

Lightcast recently published "The Rising Storm: Building a Future-Ready Workforce to Withstand the Looming Labor Shortage" and summarizes some of our imminent challenges into categories of Boomer retirements, our workforce growth is misaligned with demand, and automation isn't going to catch up with the population decline anytime soon. Meanwhile, Indiana loses out on $4.2B annually due to child care shortage. Hundreds of thousands of Hoosier children need high-quality early learning experiences. With fewer future college grads coming down the pipeline, we're not providing the best educational opportunities to one of our most powerful resources. And parents are being forced out of the active workforce. We're going to have to invest in our local workforces, which will include decreasing child care shortages so more parents, especially women will rejoin the workforce. Child care providers need your support - at every level. I've been serving on the board at New Beginnings Child Care (Crawfordsville, IN) for several years now. The "business" model will never be sustainable without outside contributions or without pricing families out of child care. "Extending licensing requirements" on existing providers is 100% not the answer. With smaller graduating of classes of college students, being more open to hiring international graduates (and empowering your HR departments to do so) will help you offset the difference in qualified, talented entry-level candidates in your pool. I can assure you, if you're not looking at the international students in our US colleges, you're missing out on some of your best future employees. To hire international interns is so much easier than you may think. What a great way to vet a future full-time hire, risk-free. I'm encouraged by so much happening in my local business ecosystem, but there is so much more to do. We can figure this out, Hoosiers. Lightcast Report: https://bit.ly/3TXmK5H Indiana Capital Chronicle: https://bit.ly/4eTbvDp #workforce #futureofwork #childcare

Another amazing investment in our youngest and their futures! This new funding allows states to invest in and test strategies that will improve access to early learning experiences for young children, strengthen the early childhood workforce, and continue to improve the quality of early childhood programs in states and communities.  Recipients will use funds for services that benefit young children and their families, including supports for the early childhood workforce, efforts to promote the mental health and well-being of children and their caregivers and improved coordination that makes programs easier for families to access. The Administration for Children and Families awarded approximately $115 million in Head Start funds to 55 agencies that will expand Head Start services to about 5,000 additional children. About two-thirds of these funds will expand the availability of Early Head Start services to infants, toddlers and expectant families. About one-third will serve 3- to 5-year-olds in Head Start preschool programs. The funds include awards to Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, programs serving migrant and seasonal farmworker families and American Indian and Alaska Native tribes.  The Preschool Development Grants Birth to Five (PDG B-5) awarded approximately $86 million to 11 states.

💬 What do we think about today's "plan for change" speech? ✅ We’re pleased to see the Government’s focus on early years education, which we’ve urged as a priority, and especially the specific mention of social as well as academic skills, which are key to a child’s development. 👨👦 The root causes of children not meeting developmental milestones are complex – a view shared by our members leading work in this area. To shift outcomes, we need to support families holistically as well as increase access to quality childcare. 🔎 We must stay focused on long-term outcomes, and we hope the work towards these targets includes joining up systems in every community to identify and meet needs at an early stage. While the early years are hugely important, we must also keep working to support older children who are already moving through the education system.

Today, CCC Executive Director Jennifer March issued the following statement on the handshake agreement between NYC Council Speaker Adams and Mayor Adams on the New York City Fiscal Year 2025 budget: “While we await more details on the final CFY '25 budget deal, we are pleased that the handshake agreement announced by Mayor Adams and Council Speaker Adams makes significant and critical investments in early care and education (ECE). These investments prioritize access to 3-K and Pre-K, make progress towards funding preschool special education, and fund care for immigrant children through Promise NYC. Access to affordable, high-quality early education is not only vital for families, but is essential to the New York City economy. With greater access to care, children benefit from services supporting their growth, development, and school readiness while parents participate in the workforce and provide for their families, spurring economic activity and growth. The investments made in early education will help make New York more livable for all and empower future generations. We stand ready to work with the Adams Administration and City Council to ensure the way the ECE system operates continues to improve and results in timely access to care through effective community-rooted outreach and engagement, greater contract flexibility to serve distinct age ranges and extended days, as well as pays increased attention to meeting the needs of children requiring preschool special education. Progress must also continue regarding on-time payment to service providers and pay equity for teachers and workers. We will be reviewing budget documents as they are released to determine how families fared across the areas of health, education, housing, and community investments.” #ECE #EarlyChildhoodEducation #childcare #specialeducation #Preschool #PreschoolSpecialEducation #NYC #newyorkcity

During Week of the Young Child — and every week — we encourage you to show your support for early childhood education and educators! #WOYC24 High-quality child care is an investment in Arizona's economy, ensuring children can learn and grow, parents can earn a living and support their families, and communities thrive. But the U.S. Chamber Foundation estimates that child care challenges cause a loss of $1.7 billion annually to Arizona's economy. Check out our website for stories highlighting child care providers across the state who improved their facilities and opened new ones so that more families in their communities could access high-quality child care. https://lnkd.in/gPqFW8fN Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children (AzAEYC) FIRST THINGS FIRST .

Big Fat Smile Welcomes Extension of 3YO Funding 👏 Deputy Premier Prue Carr has personally joined us to announce the extension of the Start Strong Long Day Care 3-Year-Old (3YO) Program Trial Payment until December 2025! This funding sits alongside Start Strong funding for 4 YO accessing a preschool program in NSW.   This extension means more funding support for families and a brighter future for our children. With the majority of 3-year-olds in NSW attending preschool in a Long Day Care setting, this funding ensures every child has the opportunity to thrive in their early years.   What’s Next? The 2025 Start Strong for Long Day Care program guidelines will soon include the 3YO Program Trial payment. Eligible providers, Big Fat Smile included, will receive funding allocation letters from February 2025, with the first instalment of payments following shortly after. For more information: 2025 Start Strong for Long Day Care program guidelines: https://lnkd.in/gSD4Tbab

This article quotes “This new funding allows states to invest in and test strategies that will improve access to early learning experiences for young children, strengthen the early childhood workforce, and continue to improve the quality of early childhood programs in states and communities” The word “access” is what stands out to me when I read this. There are programs for early learning but the accessibility to these programs isn’t the same for everyone. We must pour into the future by making these programs for young children more accessible for the sake of their health and the health of family function.