Senator Al Franken, MN-D.
In this FY14 Early Childhood Education Appropriations Letter Minnesota’s Senator Al Franken is leading the effort to properly fund Head Start and other early childhood learning programs. Here’s the appropriations letter which is a request for early education funding and funding for a new federal-state partnership program to assist states in implementing high-quality preschool programs.
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
April, 26, 2013
The Honorable Tom Harkin
Chairman
Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education
Senate Committee on Appropriations
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Jerry Moran
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education
Senate Committee on Appropriations
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Moran:
We write to request that as you finalize the Fiscal Year 2014 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill you provide the highest feasible increase in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), Head Start and Early Head Start programs. In addition, we urge you to continue supporting the Early Learning Challenge Fund as part of the Race to the Top program to assist states in their efforts to develop and sustain effective early learning systems. We also ask that you continue supporting funding for early intervention services provided through Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Grants for Infants and Families). Together, these programs provide at-risk children with the early learning experiences they need to succeed in school, work, and life and support low-income parents in their efforts to provide for their families. Finally, we ask that you provide funding for a new federal-state partnership program to assist states in implementing high-quality preschool programs.
Funding for early childhood education programs represents one of our greatest opportunities for a significant return on federal investments. Research has demonstrated that early childhood education is an effective strategy for improving the developmental outcomes and long-term success of children, especially low-income children. Renowned economists, including Nobel Laureate James Heckman and former Federal Reserve economist Art Rolnick, have demonstrated that high quality early education can produce up to $16 in benefits for every $1 spent. This substantial return on investment is derived largely from long term savings associated with a reduced need for special education, improved health outcomes, higher rates of high school and college graduation, decreased dependence on welfare programs, and increased workforce productivity of children who receive a high-quality early education.
Despite the promise of substantial returns, federal early childhood programs reach only a fraction of eligible children and families. Families receive childcare assistance for only one in six eligible children, less than half of eligible preschool-aged children are able to participate in Head Start, and only four percent of eligible infants and toddlers receive Early Head Start services. In addition to improving access to these programs, federal funding also helps states who are working hard to improve the quality of their early childhood education systems. The Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Fund has been instrumental in that effort for many states.
Improving the long-term outcomes of our nation’s most vulnerable children is crucial to the future health of our economy. Investing in high quality early education is a proven strategy for achieving this goal. We therefore ask you to support robust funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, Head Start, and Early Head Start as well as the Early Learning Challenge Fund to ensure that children and families continue to have access to affordable early care and education options and States can continue to work towards improving the quality of their early childhood education systems so that all children are able to reap the benefits of a high-quality early education. We also ask that you continue to support robust funding for Part C of IDEA, which supports critical early intervention services for infants and toddlers. Finally, we ask that you fund a new the federal-state partnership program to help increase the number of children who receive high-quality preschool instruction. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Al Franken
United States Senator
Mazie K. Hirono
United States Senator
Patrick J. Leahy
United States Senator
Robert Menendez
United States Senator
John D. Rockefeller IV
United States Senator
Sheldon Whitehouse
United States Senator
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Jack Reed
United States Senator
Tammy Baldwin
United States Senator
Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator
Christopher Murphy
United States Senator
Amy Klobuchar
United States Senator
Tim Kaine
United States Senator
Frank R. Lautenberg
United States Senator
Robert P. Casey Jr.
United States Senator
Richard Blumenthal
United States Senator
Carl Levin
United States Senator
Benjamin L. Cardin
United States Senator
Jeanne Shaheen
United States Senator
Martin Heinrich
United States Senator
Elizabeth Warren
United States Senator
Kirsten E. Gillibrand
United States Senator
Tim Johnson
United States Senator
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator
Brian Schatz
United States Senator
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator
Tom Udall
United States Senator
Bernie Sanders
United States Senator
Al Franken, Senators On Restoring Head Start Funding, Appropriations http://t.co/yMM1gBk7ZL
thanks Stuart!
Al Franken, Senators On Restoring Head Start Funding, Appropriations – MN Political Roundtable http://t.co/VIOlZWY2Ii
QUERY : How many times have you heard Education and Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline acknowledge that the House has not approved Appropriations funding for Education since December 17th, 2011, when it finalizing annual funding for federal education programs through September 30, 2012 ?
The Senate Education Committee approved its FY2013 funding on June 14 2012 … Chairman Kline has not pushed for Appropriations funding instead allowing it to be subject to Continuing Resolutions and Sequester — letting it take the hits to provide offsets for military funding and other programs. Chairman Kline advocates eliminating the Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, and School Improvement Grants programs … as well as reducing Pell Grants.
Although not as familiar as Head Start, Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) is our nation’s primary funding stream for child care assistance for low-income families.
In Minnesota, this means 2013 Sequester cuts to CCDBG $1,636,576 and Head Start 2013 Sequester Cut: $4,500,000.
A quick look at the House-approved Budget proposal and the Senate-approved Budget is stark.
While the Senate Budget provides vital support for K‐12 education programs, House Republicans would cut programs that support students, leaving our children unprepared to compete in the 21st century global economy. The Republican plan would cut IDEA by 19 percent, which would shift the cost of providing special education services for over 1 million children to states and school districts, reneging on the federal government’s already woefully neglected promise to cover 40 percent of the cost of IDEA. Additionally, the House Republican plan would slash $2.76 billion from Title I, reducing or eliminating much‐needed supportive services for over 4 million low‐income children in fiscal year 2014 alone.
Combined with sequestration, the House Republican proposals would cut almost 200,000 vulnerable children from Head Start in Fiscal Year 2014 alone and would slash CCDBG discretionary funding by 19%.
These cuts would continue a disturbing trend where the shortfall in federal education funding has grown larger and larger each year … which have been led by Chairman John Kline.
Senator Franken should be applauded for pushing for the Appropriations … currently, Paul Ryan and the House Republicans are ignoring a House Resolution request for a Senate-House Conference Committee to resolve the differences in the Budgets …. thus by getting the funds approved via the Appropriations process will only force the House Republicans to compromise.