January 30, 2009 — This week @ the Capitol
Governor Pawlenty Released Budget Proposal
The 2009 Legislative Session was kicked up a notch this week when the Governor released his proposed budget on Tuesday. With most of the attention focused on the proposed cuts to health care, changes to K-12 and tax cuts and incentives for business as a means to create jobs, early childhood care and education took a back seat. MinnesotaBudgetBites.org, the Minnesota Budget Project blog, has a great summary of his overall proposal. For early childhood care and education, Governor Pawlenty recommends some cuts to early childhood programs, all within the Dept. of Human Services. He did not propose any cuts from early childhood programs in the Dept. of Education, Dept. of Health or Higher Education (TEACH scholarships).
His specific recommendations include:
CCAP Reductions. For a combined total of $10.3 million, the Governor recommends a reduction of 3% in maximum rates paid to licensed providers, license-exempt centers, and legal non-licensed providers under the Child Care Assistance Program, and an increase of 3% in co-payments paid by families who receive a subsidy under the CCAP.
CCAP retroactive eligibility. The Governor recommends limiting retroactive eligibility for Child Care Assistance Programs to six months for a cost of $291,000.
Pilot extensions. The governor recommends using unspent BSF funds to extend two pilot projects that support early learning for at-risk Children — $1.5 million for School Readiness Connections and $1 million for the fourth year (FY2011) of the MELF-funded ParentAware quality rating system. The Governor does not include funds to continue the Pre-K Allowances pilots.
TANF refinancing. The Governor recommends refinancing $34 million in general fund spending with federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) funds and transferring a corresponding amount of TANF funds to the CCAP.
While the Governor’s budget was certainly one of the noted events of the week, it’s fair to say that the Legislative Summit on Early Care and Education, and the events surrounding it, captured more of the attention of the early childhood field. Attendance at the Wednesday summit was great. The House Chamber was full of legislators from both parties and both bodies, and members of the public filled the House Gallery and two overflow rooms. David Lawrence, an early childhood expert from Florida gave a rousing speech and challenged Minnesota to do better on early care and education. And Jim Hoolihan, president of the Blandin Foundation in Grand Rapids Minnesota, shared highlights of their very successful Invest Early collaborative. Thanks to everyone who attended to hear the passionate speeches, urging the Minnesota Legislature to invest in high quality early learning. In case you missed it, the full Summit is available on the House website.
In conjunction with the Summit, the Early Childhood Legislative Caucus welcomed national early care and education finance expert Louise Stoney to Minnesota. Louise has been working closely with the Caucus over the past couple years to help frame the discussion around quality and to move forward a shared vision and agreement to work together on a standards-based early care and education system. In addition to testifying in support of a bill to create a quality rating and improvement system (Senate File 72, House File 40, and House File 246) in the Senate Education Committee and and the House Early Childhood Committee, Louise was kind enough to meet with many groups of advocates and providers about the legislation. We are very grateful for her time and the expertise she provided while in Minnesota! More information about the Early Childhood Caucus’ vision and FAQs about their proposed quality framework are available on their website.
Coming up @ the Capitol
Much of the upcoming hearings this week will be spent analyzing the Governor’s budget and taking public testimony on it. In addition to hearings at the Capitol, a series of meetings will take place around the state. The first series of meetings will happen on Thursday, Feb. 19 in Mankato, Rochester, St. Cloud, and Willmar, and Friday, Feb. 20 in Albert Lea, Alexandria, Bemidji, Duluth, Little Falls, Marshall, Virginia, Winona, and Worthington. A second series of meetings will be scheduled throughout the Twin Cities metro area. Specific times and locations for both legs of the tour are being finalized, and will be posted on the Ready4K website as they are announced.
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Pat Surface Concert
Title: Pat Surface Concert
Location: Merritt Elementary Auditorium, Mt. Iron
Description: Pat & the Boundary Water Boys will entertain you with music! Interactive sign language will be provided. Fun for all ages, cost $1 per person. Refreshments will follow. This event is part of the \”Week of the Young Child\” and \”Iron Range Earth Day\” events. Call 742-3805 for more information.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2009-04-17
End Time: 20:00