| Budget advocacy needed for early education, preschool expansion and workforce salaries |
State budget season is in full swing. Last week, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means released its budget for fiscal year 2020. For early education and care, this budget falls short. Senators quickly filed amendments to the budget to increase investments in young children, families, and early educators. Contact your state senator now to support amendments for early education and care. Budget debate will begin on Monday, May 20. Millions of dollars are at stake, including $20 million for early educator salaries, $10 million for preschool expansion grants, and more. For more information, visit our budget webpage. |
| Life after federal preschool grants? Massachusetts can invest in its children |
Early education programs across Massachusetts have used federal Preschool Expansion Grants (PEG) to add more seats and serve more than 800 additional children annually. But now these programs – located in Boston, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, and Springfield — face a tough question: What happens next year after their PEG grants run out? Boston is taking proactive steps. Mayor Marty Walsh has announced a plan to invest $15 million over five years to ensure high-quality pre-K for all 4-year-olds in the city. In other communities, PEG grants have had a great deal of local success. The grants have supported some of the highest quality preschool classrooms in the state, but these classrooms risk closing in August without new state or local funding. Read more. |
 Check out our Eye on Early Education blog for recent stories you may have missed. |
New America looks at early education’s workforce diversity, May 10 Addressing the gaps in children’s first 10 years, May 7 Nancy Pelosi visits Tufts to talk about early education, May 3 Researchers look at how Head Start aligns with elementary schools, April 30 Massachusetts has a new program for early educators, April 26 Springfield’s reading program finds a new home, April 23 A Boston Globe editorial points to Boston’s pre-K strengths, April 17 Is local governance the missing piece in Massachusetts’ early education puzzle?, April 16 |
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Prof. James Heckman @heckmanequation May 14 Tufts University @TuftsUniversity May 3 kim.lucas @kdlucas04 Apr 27 BostonPublicSchools @BostonSchools Apr 25 EarlyEducationForAll @EarlyEd4All Apr 10 |
notes from Amy
These hearings are an opportuity for the public to show support or opposition for the bills. The hearing on July 2 is a chance for YOU to raise your voice in support of young children, families, and early educators. Strategies for Children is supporting several bills, including bills for preschool expansion and affordable child care. You can see more information about the bills by clicking the links. An Act Ensuring High-Quality PreKindergarten Education (S. 265, Lead Sponsor Senator DiDomenico) An Act Relative to Grants for Hgh-Quality Early Education (H. 551, Lead Sponsor Joint Committee on Education Chairwoman Alice Peisch) An Act Relative to Affordable and Accessilble High-Quality Early Education and Care (S. 288, Lead Sponsor Senator Friedman / H.470, Lead Sponsor Representative Ken Gordon) We need you to take action! We are happy to help you with testimony and talking points. If you can’t make it to the State House on July 2, call to your legislators’ offices on that day. Or, email us your testimony and we will print it out and deliver it to the committee for you. Your voice truly makes a difference. I have been advocating at the State House for many years and have cultivated strong relationships with legislators and staff. But most legislators would rather hear from you, their constituents. Help them understand how critical these issues are to the children and families in your commuity. How does high-quality early education affect you? Your family? Your career? Tell your story to your elected officials, put a real name and face to the issue, and help grow the movement for high-quality early education and care. Remember – YOU ARE POWERFUL, SMART LEADERS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. They are counting on us.
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Save the Date: July 2 at the State House. That’s the day that the Legislature’s 
