Leave it to Lisa Guernsey to keep the early childhood field up-to-date with what is happening in D.C. regarding funding.  You may remember last fall I began writing about the exciting Early Learning Challenge Fund.  It was a proposed $1 billion per year program to improve the quality of child care and preschool programs.  A bill was drafted and voted out of the House of Representatives and we were waiting for a companion bill in the Senate.  We were hopeful that the funding would be available this month. 

We learn from Ms.Guernsey with New America Foundation that, “Advocates for the early learning program have become increasingly worried that it may not materialize.”  U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, held conference calls to ease the fear that was mounting about the passage or lack of passage of this funding bill.  It is tied to a student aid bill which is in peril.  As Lisa writes, “Where will early education get its much needed funding for quality improvements? In this economy, other sources of funding are nowhere to be seen.”  

Early Ed Watch from the New America Foundation condensed the FY11 budget for early childhood.  I appreciate Lisa Guernsey providing this information.  Here is the summary:

“The administration has requested an additional $989 million in funding for Head Start and an additional $1.6 billion for federally funded child care programs.  The potential boost for Head Start is eight times more than the modest $122 million increase the program received last year.”

It might be interesting to compare FY 2010 to FY 2011.

Source: Department of HHS
(in millions)                                      2010                       2011

Head Start (incl. Early Head Start)     $7,235                   $8,224     

CCDBG                                           $2,127                   $2,927

Child Care Entitlement to States        $2,197                   $3,717

Total:                                               $14,289                 $16,879

The new budget will consolidate 38 educational programs into 11, and literacy programs are part of the restructuring.  They will be subsumed into a broader program called Effective Teaching and Learning.  The broader program will have three sections:  1) literacy  2) science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) and  3) programs that the administration says provide a “well-rounded education,” such as history, art and economics.

The Early Learning Challenge grants have passed the House but not the Senate.  Stay tuned!