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From Child Care Works

Your voice is urgently needed in Congress this week as the House of Representatives debates H.R. 1, a budget bill that cuts funding for over 300,000 children in child care and Head Start, including children in Minnesota.

Please send a message today discouraging your Representative from voting for H.R. 1.  We can’t improve the economy without working parents and disrupting the early care and education of our youngest and most vulnerable children has harmful short- and long-term effects on their healthy development.

Our weekly update has more information and links to upcoming early childhood events in Minnesota.

Create your own valentine, and let your representatives know you care about affordable, quality child care and early education.

It’s takes one minute to make your valentine online. MomsRising will print it and send it to congress along with thousands of others.

From Ready 4 K

This week at the Capitol Governor Mark Dayton gave his first State of the the State address, in which he outlined his Five Point Plan for Future Prosperity: Invest in more jobs, invest in better education, invest in improved transportation, invest in the health of our citizens, our communities, and our environment, and invest in the transformation of government services.

About early childhood he said:

• “Every additional dollar we spend on education should be directed toward improving the quality of that education, starting with the experiences we provide our state’s children in the very first months and years of their lives. I have been greatly impressed with the careful thought being devoted by many dedicated adults to the best use of our resources for early childhood education. That is why I will re-establish the Governor’s Council on Early Childhood Education and the Children’s Cabinet, both to be led by Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. This is a terrific opportunity for continued public-private partnerships, involving business leaders, foundation executives, parents, educators, and everyone else who cares about our children and their success.”

Read the full text of his speech here. Watch the State of the State address at The UpTake.

The Governor also vetoed the Legislature’s first budget bill this week, citing the resulting property tax increase, lack of details and unbalanced and piecemeal approach. Read the Minnesota Budget Project’s thoughtful analysis of the veto.

In committee news, the House Education Reform committee heard a somewhat controversial bill to allow a comprehensive eye exam to replace a vision screening for a child’s early childhood screening. Much of the debate focused on the differences between the two procedures, with proponents of the bill arguing the necessity for universal eye exams to be a part of screenings, while opponents cited the large cost of such a change. The committee ran out of time and will hear further testimony and take action on the legislation at a future hearing.

Coming Up @ the Capitol
The Governor will release his budget on Tuesday, which will set the stage for budget negotiations with the Legislature. His budget is where we will learn the details of his “Better Schools for a Better Minnesota” initiative. The budget documents will be available on the Minnesota Management and Budget website when they are released, and we will provide a summary on our website shortly after.

Ready 4 K President Todd Otis will join the Minnesota Community Education Association and the Minnesota Head Start Association in testifying before the House Education Finance Committee on Wednesday at 12:30pm in Room 5 of the State Office Building. They will present an overview of their vision for early childhood in Minnesota and give the committee members a sense of their work.

Many of the committees will begin to hear from the various state departments about the Governor’s budget, and we will begin to get a real sense of the direction the legislature is going by their response. Check out 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).

Since February is the “love” month, one in which we celebrate our love for our family, this article will deal with developing a close relationship with your children. There is a book in our ECFE parent library called Simplify Your Life With Kids by Elaine St. James. This bestselling author, who’s written other similar books, is considered America’s foremost expert on living the simple life. What she has to say to parents is especially important and thought-provoking.

Number one on her list in developing a close relationship with your child is to tell your children you love them and show them in many ways. At Parkview school the other day, I overheard a dad say to his son as he was leaving, “I love you, dude.” Physical affection is also very important. A kiss, hug, or gentle pat on the back are all good ways to display love. A child’s job is to establish his/her independence.  As parents, we need to be there for our children—a steady, loving, accepting presence in their lives.

Another thing St. James suggests is to accept our children for who they are. Love them unconditionally. Much of our children’s character is beyond our control. Research tells us that a child’s personality is already determined at birth. Maybe one child “clicks” with your personality and the other fights it. Viva la difference! Try to find something enjoyable in all your children. Let them be who they are, whatever that may be. Let them have their own dreams!

Raising happy, well-adjusted children is the greatest challenge parents face. Developing a close relationship with your children is key to making that challenge enjoyable and fulfilling.

                                                                                                                                 Jill Phillips

                                                                                                                          ECFE Parent Educator

From Ready 4 K

This week at the Capitol was heavily focused on the actions of the administration, with Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius testifying before the House education committees and Governor Mark Dayton announcing his 2011 bonding proposal and his education reform package.

The week started with Governor Dayton releasing his nearly billion dollar bonding proposal. He named nearly half of the projects, and urged the legislature to come up with the other half. Most significantly for us, he included $3 million for early childhood facilities. While the legislature has been reluctant to indicate their willingness to pass a bonding bill of any size, we’re hopeful that should there be one, funding for early childhood facilities will be included.

The Education Commissioner was introduced to the House Education Finance and the House Education Reform Committee this week. She and her staff gave an  overview of the department and its various programs and services, and indicated her strong support for early childhood.  Listen to it here.

The week culminated with the Governor and Commissioner releasing an outline of their education reform package, which was heavily focused on early childhood. The top three priorities are to improve state education funding, focus more resources and raise the profile of early childhood, and to narrow the achievement gap. In his 7-Point Plan for Achieving Excellence, early childhood is a strong focus:

• Invest in early childhood and targeted all-day kindergarten.
• Implement clearly defined school readiness standards
• Adopt pre-k to grade 3 literacy standards
• Support early childhood teacher observation and development
• Reauthorize the Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council and re-establish the Children’s Cabinet, and
• Charge the Commissioner with leadership of early childhood initiatives.

Further details of his proposal won’t be clear until legislation is introduced and until his budget is released on February 15. Said Ready 4 K President Todd Otis: “We are pleased to see Governor Mark Dayton and Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius recognize that early care and education is critical to the future prosperity of the state, and have pledged to invest more resources for our youngest Minnesotans….Voters understand this, the business community gets it, and it’s great that state leadership is showing their commitment to this important issue.” Read the news release, the 7 Point Plan, and the full statement from Todd Otis.

Watch the press conference at The UpTake.

Finally, many of our partners and allies attended a wonderful session this week on messaging. Generously hosted by the Minneapolis Foundation and provided by the Frameworks Institute, it helped all of us be more coordinated in our messaging about early care and education. Look for further details next week in our newsletter.

Coming Up @ the Capitol
The big news of the coming week is the Governor’s  State of the State on Wednesday at noon. You can watch it live here. 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).

Watch “From the Baby’s Point Of View” on YouTube.

As Founder and Executive Director of Baby’s Space, a non-profit dedicated to limiting poverty’s devastating effects on child development, Dr. Terrie Rose will be honored for her commitment to the well-being, growth and development of children and their families.

The National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) announced Terrie Rose, Ph.D., LP, founder and Executive Director of Baby’s Space in Minneapolis, is among ten national honorees of the 2011 Lewis Hine Awards for Service to Children and Youth.

Named for the acclaimed NCLC photographer who documented early-20th century exploitation of children, the Hine Awards recognize professionals and volunteers who devote extraordinary time and energy to improving the lives of young people.

Dr. Rose will be honored for her innovative and results-based approach at Baby’s Space in Minneapolis. This holistic solution “from the baby’s point of view” offers a one-stop shop for child and family services from pregnancy to third grade including: year-round childcare, public K-3 education, parent education, on-site mental health services and family support. Dr. Rose created Baby’s Space first in the American Indian community in Minneapolis. Baby’s Space now serves as a national model.

“Terrie’s pioneering work is remarkably successful at offering children in poverty a stronger start in life,” said Jeff Werbelowski, Co-CEO of Houlihan Lokey and Baby’s Space business partner. According to Rose, in 2009-2010, 100 percent of kindergartners participating in the Baby’s Space program met or exceeded post-kindergarten proficiencies.

Baby’s Space neighborhood-based programs, founded in 1998, have received national recognition for success in negating poverty’s devastating effects by helping children develop relationships, manage emotions and learn. Baby’s Space has an estimated return on investment of $4 to every $1 invested. Using Minneapolis centers as a model, the national Baby’s Space organization is working to change the experience of young children and their families by providing direct service, creating a model for other organizations to replicate and designing training materials and products that support the academic and social emotional development of children.

Rose is a child psychologist, long-time leader in the field of early childhood development, national trainer and speaker, an Ashoka Fellow- a network of system-changing social entrepreneurs, and a leadership fellow with the national organization ZERO TO THREE.

The award ceremony will be held on Monday, January 31, 2011 in New York City.

Along with Dr. Rose, Andre Agassi and Elaine Wynn will be honored for their distinguished service.

Go to the Source

Saturday, February 5, 2011 at 2 pm
in the Goodman Auditorium, Virginia, MN
Free Admission for all ages! A multimedia performance  of Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” presented by the Mesabi Community Orchestra, with narration by Matt Wall, while Iron Range Youth in Action projects artwork from local elementary school children onto large screens! The first 25 families to arrive will receive a free DVD of BreakThru Films Academy Award Winning animated film of “Peter and the Wolf.”
This event is made possible in part by grants from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council and the Virginia Foundation.

Tom Niemisto, Minnesota 2020
Powered by winter boots, warm mittens and enthusiasm, pre-schoolers, teachers and parents marched on Nicollet Mall demanding more early childhood education funding. Research demonstrates that quality early education yields significant social and economic benefits. Proper funding needs to be a priority in moving Minnesota forward.

Watch the video on YouTube (not from school).

http://mn2020.org/issues-that-matter/education/video-children-march-for-education-funding