| House budget provides $20 million for early education workforce |
On April 25, The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed its budget for fiscal 2018. During budget debate in the House, representatives passed several amendments for early education, including $5 million to increase the workforce rate reserve to $20 million. Please take a minute to thank your state representative, House Speaker DeLeo and Chairman Dempsey for prioritizing young children, families, and the early education workforce in FY18. The Senate will release its budget in May. For more budget details visit our website. |
| Senate puts 'Kids First' |
On Tuesday at the State House, the Massachusetts Senate released “Kids First: A Blueprint for Investing in our Future.” It’s an inspiring $1 billion plan to “make the health, welfare, and education of our youngest residents the Commonwealth’s highest priority.” “We want to know what public policies and public investments work to help, from prenatal all the way through post-secondary education,” Senate President Stan Rosenberg (D-Amherst) said Tuesday on Boston Public Radio. “We’re trying to shift the paradigm and stop spending money on fixing problems and start spending money on investing where you need to invest in order to prevent the problems.” Read more. |
| Baker Administration supports early educators with 6% rate increase |
On March 29 the Baker-Polito Administration “announced a 6 percent rate increase for all early education programs that provide care for low-income families, worth $28.6 million, which represents the largest rate hike for subsidized early education and care programs in 10 years.” We are pleased to work with the Legislature to provide these rate increases for providers who care and educate our youngest residents,” Governor Charlie Baker said. “It is vital for these programs to be able to train and retain experienced staff, and these rates increases will help them accomplish that important aspect of any high-quality child care program.” Read the official announcement here. |
 Check out our Eye on Early Education blog for recent stories you may have missed. |
Where are All the Preschoolers?, May 2 Early Educators Rally at the State House, April 26 MassAEYC Holds Its Spring Conference, April 27 News from The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, April 6 Ready to Go: Worcester, April 7 Ready to Go: Somerville, March 3 Voices from the Field: Wheeler DeAngelis, April 28 Voices from the Field: Kristen Allen, March 17 |
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EarlyEducationForAll @EarlyEd4All May 2 Taly Foundation @TalyFoundation April 28 Lisa Cheney CFCE @HamWenCFCE Apr 26 Massachusetts EEC @MassEarlyEdCare April 24 Put MA Kids First @PutMaKidsFirst April 16 Grade-Level Reading @readingby3rd April 3 Titus DosRemedios @titusearlyed March 31 Mass Biz Roundtable @MABizRoundtable March 16 |
notes from Amy
While we must celebrate incremental progress, we also must acknowledge that we have been having many of the same conversations for far too long. The progress we have seen this month is the result of YEARS of work by many different coalitions and hundreds of people. We must be bold, smart, strategic, unapologetic advocates for children. We must support leaders who are willing to use their political clout to call for increased investments and aligned policy solutions and tell the stories of incredible early educators. Stay informed and get ready for the next chance to take action. Policymakers need your expertise. Tell your story. Offer to be a resource. Say thank you. Follow up! Develop a plan to keep in touch and build relationships – no one-hit wonders. Some personal news… in March, I was humbled and honored to be elected as President-Elect of the National Association for the Education of Young Children Governing Board. I start my term in June and will serve in this volunteer role for four years. I am looking forward to this new opportunity and excited about the work NAEYC is doing - especially the Power to the Profession initiative.
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Dust off your telescopes because the stars are aligning! I know I have said it before, but this time I am serious! Governor Charlie Baker, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan Rosenberg are all leading efforts to support early education and care. Just take a look at the headlines - $20 million to support the early education workforce, a blueprint to put Kids First and the largest rate increase in ten years. 
