federal funding

Federal Funding For Early Education ProgramsBy Jennifer Kolbus

Early Education Programs

Early Head Start is the most common program

Proven to be effective for children birth to age 5

Programs are mostly there to support low income families and families with children who have disabilities

Importance

To prepare young children for primary school

These programs take into account the factors that contribute to a child's readiness in primary school

1. Ready Children

2. Ready Families

3. Ready Communities

4. Ready Health Services

5. Ready Early Care Services

6. Ready Schools

*These factors apply to low income families*

Importance

Federal funding only covers administrative costs

Highest cost is the evaluation and services

With previous cuts in budgets, this could leave children and families without access to services

In 2004 62,000 children under the age of 3 were served by early education classrooms.

Previously Proposed Ideas

Restricting eligibility has been and idea to reduce costs

Insurance revenue

Parent costs

Plans for the Future

Obama has proposed a budget for 2010 that will increase spending by the U.S. Department of Education by 2.8%

Plans to cut 12 programs that White House deems “ineffective”

Plans for the Future

Factors to an increase of about 1.3 billion dollars

300 million dollars of that budget will be incorporated into early childhood programs.

This separate from the stimulus package

Plans for the Future

Obama plans to invest in a universal preschool program

Reforming the Child and Dependent Tax Credit

Early Learning Challenge Grants

What This Means

Quadrupling the number of eligible children and families

Ensuring that families have the money to pay for child care needs

States will need to match federal funds

Challenges

Though many of these plans seem effective, it will take years for them to be put into effect.

Some programs that help a few families will be cut.

Money in this economy is hard to come by so adding funding to early education means decreasing funding elsewhere.

It is important to remember that change can take a while.

Early Education has been proven to be beneficial though-out life

Conclusion

References

Chalk Drawing, June 2, 2009 tiffanywashko

Image_4629, November 1, 2008 kaylhew

Free School Child Coloring With Green Pencil (unedited) Creative Commons, March 26 2009, Pink Sherbet Photography

"It looked like two rabbits and a sun, but it wasn't two rabbits and a sun”, January 12 2008, Mrs. Finger

References

Grant, R. (Winter 2005). State Strategies to Contain Costs in the Early Intervention Program: Policy and Evidence. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. 25(4), 243-50.

http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/poptopics/ecarefunding.html

Klein, A. (May 13 2009). Budget Would Boost Incentive Pay, Turnaround Aid. Education Week. 28(31), 20.