| Governor Baker unveils FY19 state budget proposal |
Last month, Governor Charlie Baker unveiled a $40.9 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2019. This would be a 2.6% increase over current spending levels. In his State of the Commonwealth speech, Governor Baker highlighted recent investments in the early education and care workforce: “To help the next generation of students get off to a good start, we delivered, with your support, one of the largest increases in funding for early childhood education in over a decade in our 2018 budget. All in, we’ve increased state spending on early education rates, delivering a $45 million wage increase for teachers.” Read more. |
| House Speaker DeLeo commits to further investment in early education workforce |
In a speech to House members on January 31, Speaker Robert DeLeo pledged, “We will build on the House’s ongoing commitment to providing high-quality early education and care, in large part by supporting our EEC workforce. This means developing an action plan to build a sustainable workforce development system… one that is responsive to the distinct needs of the EEC field.” Read more of the speech here. The Speaker’s commitment to the early education workforce and early childhood mental health is a good sign of what’s to come in the House budget, due out in April. Click here to send an advocacy message to your legislators, and keep the momentum going. |
| “Why are our most important teachers paid the least?” |
That’s the question journalist Jeneen Interlandi asks in the title of a recent New York Times Magazine article. The article tells the story of Kejo Kelly, an early educator in Springfield, Mass., who is devoted to her work despite earning a low salary, weathering personal tragedies, and covering for absent colleagues. In case you missed it, read this captivating article that has been widely shared in early education and policy circles since January. |
 Check out our Eye on Early Education blog for recent stories you may have missed. |
Throwback Thursday: An Early Educator Goes Back to School, February 8 This Month on Backyard Cambridge: Universal Pre-K, February 1 EEC Releases Preschool Planning Grant: Local Communities Take Action, January 30 Explaining “Quality” to Journalists, January 23 In Quotes: Senator Elizabeth Warren Shares her own Child Care “Failure,” January 19 Six Things to Watch For in 2018, January 11 |
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EarlyEducationForAll @EarlyEd4All Feb 8 Hannah Matthews @HNMatthews Feb 7 Massachusetts EEC @MassEarlyEdCare Feb 8 Albert Wat @albert_wat Feb 7 MassBudget @MassBudget Feb 5 The Rennie Center @therenniecenter Jan 26 |
notes from Amy
This historic investment in young children and families reminds us how critical advocacy is and how important it is to build relationships and to never, never, never give up. We are grateful to our delegation from Massachusetts – US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and US Representatives While we celebrate this victory, we must now focus on opportunities in Massachusetts. Governor Baker released his budget proposal for Fiscal year 2019 and members the MA House of Representatives and Senate are working on their proposals. NOW is the time to contact your legislators and ask them to support early education! More good news – preschool expansion legislation, An Act ensuring high quality early education (H.2874), was reported favorably by committee and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. Stay tuned for more information and opportunities to advocate. Make sure you are signed up to receive our advocacy alerts and help spread the word to others who can help advocate! You can find infographics, research briefs, Fast Facts, and more on our website. And check out our post Six Things to Watch in 2018. It’s shaping up to be an exciting year!
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BIG NEWS from Washington DC! As you may have heard, Congress reached a bipartisan deal on the federal budget, which President Trump signed. The agreement includes major funding increases for programs that affect children and families. The budget doubles funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant— an increase that would allow states to serve 230,000 more children, including 
