Children's Champions Update - June 9, 2017

NAEYC is proud to release new policy agendas focused on how our country can deliver on the promise of high-quality early childhood education with a strong, diverse, and effective early childhood education profession.

We want you to join us in raising a powerful, collective voice to insist that our nation's policies catch up with the science behind the importance of early learning, and the benefits of investing in educators who are qualified, supported, and compensated for the complex and demanding jobs they perform.

We want you to read and learn more about NAEYC's vision and priorities, and join America for Early Ed to mobilize and work together as active, engaged, and informed early childhood advocates-because we need each one of you, right now.

We want you to know that last month, President Trump released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2018, which outlines upwards of $1 trillion in cuts over 10 years to domestic and safety-net programs that support children's development and well-being in areas like education, health, nutrition, and housing. The President's "skinny budget" indicated that early childhood education would be a high priority. While child care and Head Start may have been spared the worst for now, the proposed budget still cuts their funding to levels from FY16, eliminating the important increases gained in the FY17 budget that you fought for, that Congress passed, and that the President signed.

• We want you to stand with us on the important priorities outlined in NAEYC's policy agendas, which are predicated upon a sustained foundation that supports all children and families. That's why our federal agenda includes, for example, recommendations that Congress protect the vital non-defense discretionary programs that the President proposes to cut by $57 billion.
• We want you to stay informed and connected, and remember that there is always a time when intention needs to become action.
• We want you to call your elected officials in Congress today. They are the ones who will decide how funding is spent, and they need to hear your voice to ensure they invest in early childhood education, and reject cuts that are critical to our nation's support for our current and future workforce, and the health and well-being of the families, schools, and communities in which our children are cared for and educated.

We also want to make sure you check out these new resources from around the web:

• "Getting it Right for our Babies" via the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment and WestEd
• The State of Preschool 2016 via the National Institute for Early Education Research
• Promoting Social and Emotional Learning in Preschool via the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Penn State
• A Tale of Two PreK Leaders via New America

Finally, we want to see you at the Professional Learning Institute in San Francisco in just a couple of days! If you're there, be sure to join us for some of the great policy and advocacy sessions happening throughout the week! Check them all out here.

And remember: This isn't really about what we want. It's about what our children, families, and educators need.They need our country to invest in them, and they need your help. Join us today!