| For Immediate Release: July 21, 2009 |
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NAEYC applauds House Committee passage of Fund, making a multibillion investment in high-quality early childhood education
(Washington, DC) – The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is pleased that the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education & Labor has taken the important step of moving forward legislation to raise the quality of early childhood education programs – child care, Head Start and Early Head Start, state prekindergarten, schools and early intervention – with the critical goal of increasing access to high-quality settings to all children, including those who need it most.
The proposed $8 billion, part of the Early Learning Challenge Fund, will come in the form of competitive state grants to create and maintain high-quality early childhood education systems for children birth to age five. NAEYC is very pleased that the bill requires a system starting from birth to kindergarten and takes into account the needs of all children, including children with disabilities and English language learners.
“Quality matters and quality has costs, which this legislation recognizes,” said Mark R. Ginsberg, Ph.D., executive director of NAEYC. “Together with future investments in the core programs, we can help prevent an achievement gap before kindergarten for many more young children and reap economic and social benefits for our nation both in the short and long term.”
The new multibillion investment is especially welcome after years of federal flat funding and as states are working to improve the quality of and access to the range of early childhood programs for children from birth to kindergarten.
The legislation reflects many of the principles that NAEYC promotes for a high-quality system of early childhood education: quality program standards that set the conditions for learning with supports to providers to meet and sustain higher levels of quality; professional preparation and ongoing development that is linked to better compensation; assistance to programs and providers on how to use developmentally appropriate practices to help children meet early learning expectations, including screening and referrals to additional services for children who need them, family outreach and engagement, and coordination with other funding streams and system planning efforts.
NAEYC urges quick passage in the House and Senate to move this investment in quality forward.
For more information on NAEYC's policy and advocacy efforts and updates, sign of for the Children's Champions e-mails.
Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has nearly 90,000 members worldwide. The association is the largest and most influential voice for early childhood education professionals and the field of early childhood education in the United States.
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Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children is the largest and most influential advocate for high-quality early care and education in the United States.
