Children's Champions Update - December 3, 2015

Our hearts are in California today, with those who lost parents, children, spouses, siblings, friends and colleagues in yesterday’s rampage. NAEYC has compiled resources that may be helpful if you need support in talking with the children you love and care for about these and other tragedies.

• Invest in Early Childhood Educators: NAEYC’s New Research Shows That The Time Is Now
• From No Child to Every Student: The U.S. House of Representatives Passes ESSA
• How Many Calls Can You Make Before December 11?
• Decisions Are Made By Those Who Show Up! Dates for CCDBG State Planning Meetings
• 2016 is Almost Here – Support Early Ed for President!

Invest in Early Childhood Educators: NAEYC’s New Research Shows That The Time Is Now

NAEYC’s strategic direction makes clear our commitment to ensuring the early childhood profession exemplifies excellence and is recognized as vital and performing a critical role in society. As we work together toward achieving that vision, we are proud to share new research highlighting widespread support for making investment in the early education profession a national priority. The extensive data yields findings in three discrete yet interconnected areas: (1) The image of the profession; (2) Paths to define and grow the profession; and (3) Voters’ commitment to investing in the profession. Visit our website to download the key findings, press release, executive summary and more, and check back often for new tools to help you advance the profession in your own state and community.

From No Child to Every Student: The U.S. House of Representatives Passes ESSA

With significant bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Every Student Succeeds Act on December 2. Thanks to the hard work of legislators and advocates, the bill recognizes and elevates the importance of early learning in our education system both by weaving early childhood into language throughout the bill, and by including a Preschool Development Grant program that provides $250 million annually to help states and communities plan, coordinate and expand their early childhood programs for low-income children. The new legislation transfers significant authority to the states to create accountability systems and to ensure that all children have the support they need to be successful in school. The Senate is expected to take up the bill next week, and President Obama has indicated he will sign the bill should it arrive on his desk. With an increased focus on the states, your work as children’s champions will be more important than ever – so stay tuned and stay engaged!

How Many Calls Can You Make Before December 11?

Congress continues its work on appropriations – and they still need to hear from you about making the necessary investments in the programs that support our youngest children and their families. Please call your legislators to let them know that they should fund child care and early learning, with $370 million for CCDBG; $1.52 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start, including the partnership grants; $500 million for existing Preschool Development Grants; $65 million for Grants for Infants and Families (Part C of IDEA), and $50 million for Preschool Grants (Part B, Section 619 under IDEA). Make sure they know how important these investments are in your state by using stories from home and these state fact sheets from the National Women’s Law Center and these from Child Care Aware.

Decisions Are Made By Those Who Show Up! Dates for CCDBG State Planning Meetings

As one of the steps following last year’s reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), states are preparing to submit their FY 2016-2018 CCDF Plans to the Administration for Children and Families by March 1, 2016. As part of this process, states are required to hold at least one public hearing. Thanks to the Early Care and Education Consortium, we can all know when those meetings are being held! Make plans to attend the meetings happening this month and next in your state, and send an email to [email protected] to get on their list and stay up-to-date as new meetings are added.

2016 is Almost Here – Support Early Ed for President!

Join us to ensure candidates champion the power of early learning on the road to The White House. The words on the Early Ed for President advocacy wall at NAEYC’s 2016 Annual Conference in Orlando were a powerful call to action, whether they were reminding policymakers that “every child deserves the opportunity for high-quality early childhood education” or exhorting all of us to “be the change for ECE.” Let’s take these words on the road and make sure every candidate is talking about early childhood education! Join the movement to receive tools and updates – and support our progress by donating $16 for 16 today!