Be a Big Voice for Little Kids™ in July!
Download the July Advocacy Developmental Milestone Calendar

July is the time to meet other advocates for babies through Facebook! This month, we challenge you to make connections with other infant-toddler professionals in your state by introducing yourself through the Discussion Board available on the ZERO TO THREE Policy Network Facebook Page. Our Facebook page is a great tool for members of the Policy Network who want to get to know and learn from other Big Voices for Little Kids™.

Click here to download this month's calendar, which includes easy-to-follow steps to get started on Facebook and use the Discussion Board feature.

Federal Policy Update

Prior to adjourning for this week's Independence Day recess, Congress continued action on several appropriations measures for Fiscal Year 2010, which runs from October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010. Of the twelve funding bills, four have passed in the House and none have yet reached the Senate floor. On the nutrition front, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Department of Agriculture's funding for FY10. The bill includes $7.5 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) which is a $681 million increase over the FY09 enacted level and $236 million less than the President's request. It also sets FY10 funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at $61.4 billion which is $7 billion above the FY09 enacted level and nearly equal to the President's funding request. The full House is expected to vote on the Agriculture bill after the July 4th recess.

While appropriators have been busy with funding measures, their colleagues on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Finance Committee, as well as the House Education and Labor, Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce Committees, are working to craft proposals for health care reform. All five committees have jurisdiction over various components of health care reform legislation, which may also include the President's new home visiting initiative. Although several draft health care reform proposals are currently being considered, completion of the issue is not expected before the end of summer as originally hoped.

Community Policy Update
Northwest Arkansas Provides the Tools to Improve Quality

In April, the Helen R. Walton Children's Enrichment Center in northwest Arkansas launched the Early Childhood Initiatives Center, the state's first resource hub for early care and education professionals. The center offers early childhood training, business development skills, mentorship opportunities, and other resources free of charge to providers in Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, and Sebastian counties. The center is currently supported entirely through private donations with substantial support from Marketing Drive, Walmart Corporate Giving, and the Blue and You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas. The Center is available to all licensed child care providers serving children birth to age five in the five counties.

The Early Childhood Initiatives Center provides both a physical space for providers to gather and resources such as books, information on early childhood development, and linkages to other organizations serving young children. It also has flexible programming that has been developed to meet the specific training needs of the providers, as well as individualized professional development opportunities, including scholarships for university coursework.

Click here to read the full community policy update and learn more about the Early Childhood Initiatives Center!

Publications & Resources

ZERO TO THREE Testimony on Home Visiting
On Tuesday, June 9th the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support of the House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing on federal funding for early childhood home visitation programs. The hearing focused on proposals to provide mandatory funding for grants to support state efforts in establishing and expanding early childhood home visitation programs. To read testimony submitted by ZERO TO THREE, click here.

Podcast on How Neuroscience Can Impact Public Policy
In a recent 22-minute podcast, Early Childhood Development and Public Policy: Closing the gap between what we know and what we do, Jack P. Shonkoff from the Center on the Developing Child offers an overview of the impact of early childhood on brain development. Dr. Shonkoff also discusses the connection of neuroscience to public policy and how healthy child development is the foundation of economic prosperity and strong communities.

Culturally Competent Quality Rating and Improvement Systems
The Build Initiative has released a new issue brief, Quality Rating and Improvement Systems for a Multi-Ethnic Society, which addresses the value of including cultural and linguistic responsiveness and anti-bias programming as features in quality early learning programs. The brief also includes examples of how these issues have been incorporated into planning and development in states, in addition to recommendations on how states can improve cultural and linguistic competence in their QRIS rating components.