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From Ready 4 K

This week at the Capitol saw the first hearing on early care and education, when the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation presented their work and recommendations  to the House Education Finance Committee. After giving an overview of their research results, they walked the committee through their policy recommendations, which focused on expanding Parent Aware, offering incentives to use and improve quality through a series of tax credits and scholarships, and creating a private Parent Aware promotions board. No funding source for their proposals was identified and no legislation has been introduced yet. A good, mostly positive discussion ensued. Listen to the hearing here.

Facility Grants alive again?
We learned this week that the Governor’s bonding proposal will be released Monday. You may recall that for the past three years, Ready 4 K has been successful in getting funding for early childhood facilities included in the legislatively-passed bonding bill, only to have it line-item vetoed by then-Governor Tim Pawlenty. On the campaign trail, Governor Mark Dayton made repeated references to this particular veto and expressed a willingness to include this funding in any bonding bill he proposed. We’re hopeful that this is a campaign promise he intends to keep.

Phase One
In broader news, this week the Legislature quickly passed a “phase one” budget bill that would cut higher education, funding to cities and counties, and other services–no early childhood though–by up to $1 billion. It passed the full House Thursday on a 68-63 vote. Read a good summary of the bill and the process from the Minnesota Budget Project.

Coming Up @ the Capitol
With the exception of Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius appearing before the Senate Education Committee on Monday, the committee process is largely silent on early childhood. Look at the Legislative Calendar for the most up-to-date hearing information.

There are many ways to stay informed and in touch with our work during the legislative session.  We hold quarterly partner meetings, with the next one being in March. Look for an email soon with more details. Also, our close partner Child Care WORKS holds their Policy Hour the first Tuesday of every month, so if you’re in the area this Tuesday, stop by Children’s Home Society and Family Services at noon.

And of course, be sure to check us out on (@Ready4K) and  (Facebook.com/ready4k).