In Focus
Apr 30, 2013 | Permalink »
Federal Investment is Critical as Preschool Programs Face Decreased Funding, Stalled Enrollment
By Stephanie Schmit and Emily Firgens
As the early childhood community rallies around President Obama's recent budget proposal to expand access to high-quality early learning for young children, a critical foundation of that proposal - pre-kindergarten - continues to erode. The State of Preschool 2012 released by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) this week reports that nationally, investments by states in pre-kindergarten programs have declined dramatically, dropping by over half a billion dollars from 2011 to 2012 - the largest one year funding drop since NIEER began collecting data in the 2001-2002 school year.
NIEER found that in 2012, states spent on average $3,841 per child in their preschool programs. Adjusted for inflation this is a $1,100 dollar decrease since 2001-2002. Twenty seven of the 40 states that offer state-funded pre-kindergarten programs cut spending in 2011-2012. As funding decreased, enrollment in programs showed little change - forcing programs to do more with less. Programs served 1,333,663 children in 2011-2012 compared to 1,323,128 children in 2010-2011. Nationally, state-funded pre-kindergarten programs enrolled the same percentage of children as last year-28 percent of 4-year-olds and 4 percent of 3-year-olds. The District of Columbia served the highest number of both 3-and 4-year-olds, 69 percent and 92 percent, respectively. Florida and Oklahoma each served more than 70 percent of 4-year-olds in their state.
NIEER's annual Yearbook chronicles state investments and policies on state-operated preschool programs that provide early education at least two days per week to 3- and 4-year-olds. NIEER included state Head Start investments in its analysis, if those investments expanded access to services for additional children.
Across the country, greater investments in preschool programs are essential. Young, vulnerable children and their families depend on preschool and other child care and early education programs for critical support. To show our commitment to the investments the President is proposing for early learning, CLASP, together with our partners from the Strong Start for Children campaign, are collecting thank you notes from across the country and delivering them to the White House.
We hope you will join us in thanking President Obama by mailing CLASP your hardcopy letters (a drawing or hand print by a child on your letter would be great) to deliver to the White House. Please send your letters and drawings by Thursday, May 2 to: Emily Firgens, CLASP, 1200 18th ST NW, Suite 200, Washington DC, 20036 or efirgens@clasp.org. Thank you, and please contact Emily Firgens at efirgens@clasp.org or 202-906-8031 if you have any questions.
Apr 23, 2013 | Permalink »
Write a Letter Thanking the President for His Historic Early Childhood Investment
Recently, President Obama released his 2014 budget proposal. This budget includes historic investments across several early childhood programs including increased investment in a comprehensive birth-to-five early education continuum built upon child care, home visiting, Head Start, Early Head Start, and preschool - all critical programs for children, especially the most vulnerable children.
With our partners from the Strong Start for Children - Building America's Future campaign, CLASP will be collecting thank you notes from across the country and delivering them to the White House. Please join us in thanking President Obama for making investments in young children a priority!
Mail us your hard copy letters (a drawing or hand print by a child on your letter would be great) to deliver to the White House. We must receive all letters at CLASP by Monday, April 29. Please send your letters and drawings to: Emily Firgens, CLASP, 1200 18th ST NW, Suite 200, Washington DC, 20036. You can also email your letters to efirgens@clasp.org. We are collecting them rather than asking you to send them directly to the White House due to security protocols.
We hope you will join us in thanking President Obama for his early childhood initiative by sending CLASP your letters by May 2!
Thank you, and please contact Emily Firgens at efirgens@clasp.org or 202-906-8031 if you have any questions.
Apr 18, 2013 | Permalink »
Lowest Income Families Remain Burdened by High Child Care Costs
The U.S. Census Bureau has released its most recent edition of Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Spring 2011. This periodic report uses Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) data from the 2008 panel to examine the characteristics of children and their families in different types of child care arrangements. The analysis found that 61.3 percent of children under age 5 were in a regular child care arrangement in the spring of 2011. Forty-two percent of these arrangements were relative care and 33 percent were non-relative care.
Employed mothers living in poverty were more likely to rely on grandparents and fathers for care of their children than on organized child care facilities, the Census term encompassing center-based child care and preschool programs. Authors indicate that families in poverty are more likely to depend on relatives because of the high costs of child care. In 2011, the average cost of child care for families with an employed mother climbed to $143 a week; this amount has steadily increased from the inflation-adjusted $84 per week families spent in 1985.
Poor working families with children under age 15 continue to pay the largest percentage of their monthly income on child care compared to those living at 200 percent or above of the federal poverty line. Who's Minding the Kids? reports that families living below poverty spent on average 30 percent of their income on child care per month. While this percentage has decreased significantly from 40 percent in 2010, it remains staggeringly high for the poor, especially in comparison with other income groups. Families living between 100 and 199 percent of poverty spent close to 18 percent of their monthly income on child care, and those living at or above 200 percent of poverty spent just under 7 percent.
The report's findings emphasize the need for more affordable child care - particularly for children and families who are living in the most vulnerable situations. Study after study has shown the benefits of early education to better outcomes in children. In addition, child care is a critical work support for parents. The increased funding for early childhood programs outlined in the President's FY 2014 budget signals that the Administration understands this need. The question remains whether Congress will take action to help low-income families better afford and access high-quality child care and early education options.