State Policy Update Maine Passes Law to Invest in Young Children On April 23rd, Maine Governor John Baldacci signed into law new legislation that takes multiple measures to invest in the state’s youngest children. The law creates the Maine Children’s Growth Council and a new Office of the Child Advocate, and also contains numerous other provisions that will improve services for young children birth through age 5. The legislation was introduced by State Representative Anne Perry (D-31), Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services, and passed by the legislature in mid-April. While the law is a strong step forward in the state’s early childhood policy, funding for its various provisions was not included in the passed legislation. Advocates will work toward funding the provisions of the new law in the next legislative session. Read the full state policy update now!

We all know the phrase “the check is in the mail,” but this time, it is no cliché. As a result of the 2008 Economic Stimulus Package passed by Congress and signed into law in February, millions of people across the country are receiving a boost this month in the form of a Recovery Rebate payment from the federal government. Due to the dedication of the Congressional leadership, low-income families with children are receiving an additional boost with a one-time rebate of $300 per child. This article highlights how Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi forged bi-partisan support for a package which built on the child tax credit and ensured that low-income families with children were a focus of the economic stimulus. Read the article now!

Federal Policy Update

New Child Care Legislation Introduced
Last week, Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) introduced the Starting Early, Starting Right Act (S. 2980) which seeks to increase access and quality of early learning and child care for low-income children and working families. In addition to increased provider payment rates and a special focus on outreach to hard-to-reach children, the bill also sets aside 30 percent of funding for improving access to high-quality care for infants and toddlers. Furthermore, 15 percent of funding would be allocated to states to improve quality of care through licensing and monitoring, inspections, quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS), and education, training and compensation initiatives.

Healthy Start Reauthorization Passes
Additionally, on April 27, the Senate passed the Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2007 (S. 1760). The legislation authorizes $120 million per year over the next five years to help improve prenatal and perinatal care in communities with high infant mortality rates. The measure has since been cleared for action in the House. Technical authority for the program expired in 2005, although the program has continued with annual appropriations since that time.

Read the full federal update to learn more about the Starting Early, Starting Right Act and the Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2007!

Publications & Resources

NCSL Report on State Budget Actions
Based on a survey of the 50 states and territories, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) recently released Early Care and Education State Budget Actions FY 2007 and FY 2008, which provides a comprehensive compilation of data on state appropriations to a range of birth to five strategies. The report incorporates a summary of findings, a brief analysis, and appendices with 50 state charts for child care, prekindergarten, parent education/ home visiting, and related early learning strategies such as Early Head Start/ Head Start, early childhood mental health and public-private partnerships.

Fact Sheet on Targeted Child Care and Development Funds for Infants and Toddlers
The National Infant and Toddler Child Care Initiative has released Planning for the Child Care and Development Fund Targeted Funds for Infants and Toddlers, which describes key elements of a child care system that supports quality care for babies and toddlers. The fact sheet also includes a graphic representation of the system that shows how the elements are inter-related and differentiates elements that impact direct services from those that are part of the child care infrastructure. The Initiative uses this model to help States and Territories map their current system to inform the planning of future work around infant and toddler child care.

Profiles of 10 States Increasing Investments in Early Childhood
Voices for America's Children profiles 10 states and their efforts to increase early childhood investments in the report, Increasing State Investments in Early Care and Education. The states include Alabama, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Despite their differences, this report finds interesting commonalities in successful advocacy strategies applied amongst the states.

May 15th Early Head Start Webcast
The Early Head Start National Resource Center @ ZERO TO THREE will host a webcast, Supportive Relationships: Meeting the Diverse Needs of Families, on May 15th from 2:00 to 3:30pm ET. The webcast is being hosted on behalf of the Office of Head Start and is the third in a series that takes a closer look at some of the fundamental principles of caring for infants and toddlers. The format includes lively group discussion, video clips, interactive exercises for participants, a live Q&A session, and more.