Breaking State Policy News Kansas Legislature Approves Early Childhood Block Grant In early May, the Kansas Legislature passed their state budget for FY 2009, including significant funding increases for early childhood. The budget includes $11.1 million to establish the Kansas Early Childhood Block Grant, administered by the Kansas Children's Cabinet & Trust Fund, which will be used to support high quality programs for children birth to age five. At least 30 percent of this funding will be set aside for programs serving infants and toddlers. The FY 2009 budget also provides $1 million for early intervention services for infants and toddlers, as well as $2.3 million for newborn screening. The creation of the Early Childhood Block Grant and infant-toddler set-aside was proposed by Governor Kathleen Sebelius in January as part of her budget recommendation for FY 2009.

Through ZERO TO THREE's Creating Connections for Babies project, Birth to Three State Advocacy Leaders in Kentucky, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Virginia, and Wyoming are working to improve and coordinate services for babies and toddlers in their states. The leaders are actively taking part in the public policy process by participating in their state's early childhood public-private partnership, and connecting with other infant toddler professionals to engage them in advocacy and the ZERO TO THREE Policy Network.

Read profiles of the Birth to Three State Advocacy Leaders in New Mexico, Oregon, and Virginia now! If you live in one of these states, we urge you to get in touch with the Birth to Three State Advocacy Leaders to learn more about how to become involved in advocacy in your state.

Click here to learn more about the Birth to Three State Advocacy Leaders in Kentucky, New York, and Wyoming profiled in the March 31st edition of The Baby Monitor.

Federal Policy Update

Farm Bill Provides Improvements in Nutrition Programs
Two weeks ago, the House and Senate passed the 2008 Farm Bill Conference Report (H.R. 2419) by veto-proof margins, only to have inadvertently sent an incomplete version to the President, who quickly vetoed it last week. Since the version sent to the President was different than the version passed by the House and Senate, the House decided to vote once again on a new version of the entire Conference Report (H.R. 6124) last Thursday. The Senate will do the same when it returns next week from its Memorial Day Recess. Another presidential veto and override are expected when the full legislation makes its way back to the President for his signature. Despite the procedural mishaps, the Conference Report invests an additional $10.4 billion over 10 years in food stamps and other nutrition programs to address rising food prices.

Click here to read more details about the Farm Bill Conference Report!

Publications & Resources

RAND Study on Early Childhood Program Investment
A new paper by the RAND Corporation, The Economics of Early Childhood: What the Dismal Science Has to Say About Investing in Children, brings forth insights on the relationship between economics and early childhood investment. The paper demonstrates how economic analyses can be used to help set agendas for early childhood policy.

Thursday's Child June 5th Forum and Webcast
On June 5th, the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago and the Urban Institute will host a Thursday's Child forum and webcast entitled, Taking Action for Children: Early Interventions to Prevent Abuse and Prepare for School Success. Panelists will discuss school-success initiatives that support infants, toddlers, and their parents. They will also address the social and political environments needed for successful early learning centers and home visitation efforts, in addition to lessons drawn from Illinois' recent experience. To learn more or to register for the live event in Chicago click here. To register for the live audio webcast click here.

Updated Report on Food Insecurity in Infants and Toddlers
The Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (C-SNAP) has updated their July 2006 report, Nourishing Development: A Report on Food Insecurity and the Precursors to School Readiness among Very Young Children. Their latest research finds that food insecurity increases risk for developmental delays among children birth to three. The report also offers action steps for policymakers to take in order to reduce food insecurity and promote the development of very young children.

NGA Webinar on June 10th
On June 10th, the NGA Center for Best Practices will host a webinar to highlight a recently released report, Partnering with the Private and Philanthropic Sectors: A Governor’s Guide to Investing in Early Childhood. The webinar will discuss recommendations for states that wish to pursue early childhood public-private partnerships, and offer background on two of the partnerships featured in the report. No RSVP is necessary to participate in the conference call portion of the webinar. To join, dial 1-866-537-1630 and enter pass code 6259961#. Registration is required for the web-based portion of the call. To RSVP, please e-mail Cardella Mingo at cmingo@nga.org by 5 pm ET on Wednesday, June 4 with your name, title and affiliation, state, and email address.

Infant/Toddler Child Care Credentials
States and territories are increasing the availability of infant/toddler coursework and training, and are formally recognizing professional achievement of infant/toddler caregivers through credentials, certificates, certification, or endorsements. Credentials for the Infant/Toddler Child Care Workforce is a fact sheet from the National Infant and Toddler Child Care Initiative at ZERO TO THREE that provides a list of states that have or are developing credentials for infant/toddler caregivers and provides a description of each credential.