Early Childhood Development Investing In Americas Children Investing

Early Childhood Development

Investing In America’s Children • Investing in America’s children is an investment in America’s future • Supplying early childhood development programs can help break the cycle of poverty • Parents need access to reliable child care in order to work • We focus our efforts on quality early education and child care

Investing In America’s Children James Heckman, a Nobel -prize winning economist, found that every dollar invested in Head Start yields between $7 and $9 as the program's alumni enter the work force and start contributing to the economy. Heckman Equation

Video: Ounce of Prevention Fund “Change the First Five Years and You Change Everything”

Early Childhood Development Research shows that pre-school and early education programs : • Offer most promising way to ensure school readiness • Contribute to decreasing student achievement gap • Can have long-term positive effects (ex. consistent employment, college education, less use of public assistance )

Addressing Skeptics…. Economic reasons for Early Childhood Development: • Early childhood programs’ increase quality of labor supply as children in these programs become adults • Enough former participants will stay to significantly increase overall local labor quality, which is key factor attracting better jobs • Per dollar invested, early childhood programs increase present value of local per capita earnings by $2 to $3

Addressing Skeptics…. How do we know these programs work? • Comparison studies show that groups of children in quality early childhood programs do better than their counterparts who do not • Even when academic effects fade, the affects of these programs re-emerge by way of “soft skills” as adults. Participants are more likely to attend college, consistently remain employed, and don’t rely as much on social services.

Addressing Skeptics…. Do these programs undermine parents? • These programs have been show to improve parents participation in their children’s lives, even during elementary school • Parents across all incomes agree that effective early child care and education complement parenting, and are less expensive than other parenting program options

Addressing Skeptics…. Can we afford these programs? Head Start funding amounts to just 0. 2 percent of the federal budget. This is not even a drop in the bucket. But we cannot simply cut for cutting’s sake. Head Start and child care investments. The initial cost involved is far outweighed by the benefits we receive. Studies show for every dollar we invest in quality early childhood programs, society saves $7 to $9 in future costs.

Addressing Skeptics…. Shouldn’t parents take care of their own children? In today’s workforce, many families need both parents to make ends meet. In single parent homes, this is ever more true. Employment is essential to providing a stable home for one’s family and coming out of poverty. Child care allows parents to economically provide for their families, and be contributing members to society.

2012 Policy Goals • Continue to build support for these services by requesting: • $325 million increase in Head Start and Early Head Start Funding • $825 million increase in CCDBG Funding • Funding for recompetition, an incentive to increase quality of care by allowing the centers to compete and having the best centers receive funding • Expansion for Early Head Start

Early Childhood and the President’s Budget Proposal • For Fiscal Year 2013, the President requests • $8. 1 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start, which will be about an $85 million more than was allocated in FY 2012 • $2. 3 billion for CCDBG , an increase of $825 million. • Both increases will help maintain current services, and support these programs reaching more eligible participants

FY 2013 Deficit Reduction Obstacles House Republican Budget: The House Republican Budget would eliminate slots for about 200, 000 children in 2014, according to an analysis by the National Education Association Sequestration (Automatic Cuts): Even if Congress does nothing, a new Coalition on Human Needs report finds that 75, 000 children would lose Head Start services with automatic cuts scheduled to be enacted this year.

FY 2013 Appropriations Senate Labor HHS-Education: Includes a $70 million increase for Head Start/Early Head Start and a $160 million increase for CCDBG. House Labor HHS-Education: Includes a $45. 5 million increase for Head Start/Early Head Start and a $25 million increase for CCDBG. But rescinds $400 million out of the $550 million for Race to the Top, which could affect Early Learning Challenge Fund.

What Congress Must Do This Year • Increase funding and expand service levels for Head Start, Early Head Start and CCDBG in FY 2013. This will support these programs reaching more eligible families, increase both worker quality and quality of life for Childcare workers, and quality of care for children. • Key Players – House and Senate leadership, and: Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-MS). o House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Danny Rehberg (R-MT) and Ranking Member Rosa De. Lauro (D-CT). o

Additional Background: Head Start Federally funded program, provides comprehensive child development services to disadvantaged preschool children (ages 3 -6) and their families. These services include: School readiness and cognitive development services Frequent medical screening, immunizations, and dental services o Healthy nutritional assistance o Referral services for a range of individual child and family needs o An opportunity for parents to participate in school decisionmaking o o

Head Start • In 2010, due to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Head Start received a $2. 1 billion increase in funding • In 2010, Head Start served 949, 003 children, about 20, 000 more than in 2009. • Even with this increase, Head Start still serves less than 50 percent of children eligible for the program

Early Head Start Federally funded program with a mission to promote healthy prenatal outcomes for pregnant women, enhance the development of children ages 3 and under, and promotes healthy family functioning. These services include: Quality early education both in and out of the home Parenting education Comprehensive health and mental health services, including services to women before, during, and after pregnancy o Nutrition education o Family support services o o o

Early Head Start In 2010, Early Head Start received $1. 1 billion from the increase ARRA gave to Head Start. • Early Head Start served 120, 433 children and 13, 538 pregnant women, an increase of 40, 000 participants. • Nationally, Early Head Start still serves less than 4 percent of children eligible for the program.

Child Care Affordable and quality child care is crucial to parent’s productivity at work and children’s intellectual development Vital for working families, especially low-income families who want to move out of poverty But, the cost of child care is often too expensive for low income and moderate-income working families

Child Care Funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) comes from three sources: 1. CCDBG funding is included at a mandatory level specified in the welfare law 2. Congress annually appropriates a discretionary amount 3. States may choose to use part of their federal welfare block grant. The amount varies from year to year and has decreased dramatically because of states’ fiscal crises. CCDBG currently serves one in six children eligible.

Make Your Voice Heard! TAKE ACTION: Call Senate offices and ask for the aide who handles early childhood development programs -- specifically Head Start and child care. Tell them (in person or in voicemail) that you are a constituent, why you care about these programs, and: 1. Urge them to protect funding for child care, Head Start, and Early Head Start to help us build a smarter, healthier, and stronger America. 2. Specifically, ask that they work to sustain funding for Head Start/Early Head Start and child care. And, urge others in your community to do the same. 3. Tell them you want the senator to reject the House's cuts and work with Senate leaders to make early childhood development a priority.

How You Can Get Involved 1. Get involved in RESULTS! 2. Make your voice heard: lobby Congress, generate media coverage, educate others. 3. Submit your story of how early childhood programs have played an important role in your life, the life of those you work with, or in the life of your business at: www. halfinten. org. The time to stand up for these programs and the people they support is NOW.

RESULTS/RESULTS Educational Fund 1730 Rhode Island Ave NW Washington DC 20036 RESULTS Early Childhood Development Campaign Contacts: Meredith Dodson, dodson@results. org, (202) 782 -7100, x 116 Jos Linn, jlinn@results. org, (515) 288 -3622 www. results. org