February 27, 2009 - This Week @ the Capitol
From Ready 4 K
This week at the Capitol, details continued to emerge about the federal stimulus package. While the total dollar amount that Minnesota stands to receive fluctuates on a weekly basis, based on new information from the federal government, here is a rough estimate of the dollars for education and child care:
· Head Start, $7.8 million
· Child Care, $26 million ($2.2 million for quality set-aside and $1.25 million for infants/toddlers)
· IDEA (Special education)-Part B Preschool
· IDEA (Special education)-Part B, $190 million
· $7.7 million IDEA (Special education)-Part C, $7 million
The following education funds may be allowed to be spent be for early childhood education.
· Fiscal Stabilization-Education, $667 million
· Education Fiscal Stabilization-General Purpose, $148 million
· Title I- Grants to School Districts, $95 million
· Title I- School Improvement, $27 million
The Minnesota Department of Management and Budget will be coordinating how and where the federal stimulus dollars will be used, and has set up a webpage to provide up-to-date information on the dollars. Additionally, a more detailed analysis of these funds and how they can be used for early childhood care and education will be available on the Ready 4 K website in the coming days. Check back soon!
On Thursday, The House Early Childhood Committee heard House File 601, the bill to continue the three early childhood pilot programs that were funded in 2007. Rico Alexander, Head Start Director for Parents in Community Action, and Nancy Johnson, Director of the Caring for Kids Initiative, testified about how the Pre-K Allowances were working for them. For the Family, Friend and Neighbor grant program, Sarah Caruso, president of the Minnesota Children’s Museum and Emily Watts from Hennepin County Libraries, gave testimony about their successes with the grants.
Several concerns were raised about the Allowances, most notably about the application process and whether it makes sense to continue pilots. The legislation was tabled, hopefully to be brought up at a later date.
Check out the Ready 4 K bill tracker to follow legislation related to early care and education.
The February Forecast comes out next week, and Legislators and the Governor will get a better sense of the magnitude of the state deficit. Based on this, the Governor will update his proposed budget.