April 22, 2009 - Action Alert: Early Childhood Bill to be Heard in the House
From Ready 4 K — Call the Capitol Today!
A major piece of Early Care and Education legislation will be voted on by the full House this Thursday, and your legislators need to hear from you!
Background:
HF 2088, the Omnibus Early Childhood Bill, takes important steps towards creating an effective early childhood system, beginning to put in place the kinds of policies that will ensure that all Minnesota children are ready for kindergarten by 2020.
Recognizing the sizable return on investment the state gets by investing in early care and education, HF 2088 includes no cuts to funding for early education and child care programs in MDE and DHS. It increases access to quality early learning, promotes quality across the system, supports parents in their critical role as their children’s first and most important teachers, and builds system supports.
Specifically, the House Omnibus Early Childhood Bill:
* Moves forward in establishing a quality rating system and common quality standards
* Creates a Director of Early Learning to coordinate state departments and funding for early care and eductaion.
* Uses federal stimulus dollars to enhance access and affordability by increasing funding for child care assistance
* Specifies that quality set-aside dollars in the federal stimulus package should be used to continue Family Friend and Neighbor Grants, fund quality improvements, and continue the Parent Aware QRS pilot.
For a more detailed analysis of the bill, including how it it compares to other proposals, check out Ready 4 K’s Omnibus Bill Tracker.
Solution:
We know that investing in high quality early care and education is one of the best investments the state can make, and House File 2088 increases access to quality early learning, promotes quality across the system, supports parents in their critical role as their children’s first and most important teachers, and builds system supports. Please support House File 2088.
Action Needed:
Contact your legislator and urge them to support House File 2088, the Omnibus Early Childhood Bill.
Please take action by Thursday, April 23, 2009.
Side-by-Side Comparison of Omnibus Bills on Early Care and Education