The New America Foundation's Early Education Initiative today released a report and 50-state survey on how -- and whether -- states are making progress in establishing early learning councils, which are mandated by federal law to be established in each state. The report is titled "The Next Step in Systems-Building: Early Childhood Advisory Councils and Federal Efforts to Promote Policy Alignment in Early Childhood." It is the first nationwide assessment of states' progress in developing a system for early childhood programs.
The report finds that while most states are taking steps forward, they vary widely in how they are tackling the mandate to establish councils. The report also includes recommendations to state and federal policymakers on how to assemble effective councils in the coming year.
"Early childhood advisory councils have the potential to improve the lives of young children and their families by coordinating services and pushing for high-quality learning environments," said Lisa Guernsey, director of the Early Education Initiative at the New America Foundation. "But they must overcome a history of funding and organizational challenges if they are going to make a real impact."
The report's release coincides with the annual meeting National Association for the Education of Young Children, a conference that will draw thousands of early childhood providers and policymakers to Washington, D.C. Given the setting of the meeting, policies related to early childhood funding -- including the creation of these early learning councils -- will be forefront, especially as new investments in early learning programs begin to trickle forth as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and programs proposed by the Obama Administration.
The ARRA provides states with $100 million in grants to establish and run their early learning councils. Grant applications are being received through August 1, 2010.
The report was made possible with funding from the Foundation for Child Development, the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation, and the Strategic Knowledge Fund, co-funded by the Foundation for Child Development and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
To read report: http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/next_step_system_building_0
About the New America Foundation
The New America Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the next generation of challenges facing the United States.
