January 2008
Archived Public Policy Reports and Alerts:

Federal | Maryland | MDAEYC
This Web page consists of MDAEYC’s public policy alerts and reports issued
since this Web site was established in 2007.
Archived Reports: August 2008 | June 2008 | January 2008 | December 2007 | October 2007

Federal:

NAEYC's Website, www.naeyc.org, has on its public policy page the statements about issues of interest to us issued by a number of Presidential candidates. None of those candidates who have replied advocates cutting child care, but a number have not replied. While you are at naeyc.org, you can sign up for NAEYC's occasional Children's Champions Action Alerts, that will keep you up to date on Federal (and some State) activities regarding young children.

Please vote in the Presidential Primaries on February 12 and also in the November elections. Your vote really matters.

Congress struggled mightily with the President in 2007, and ended the year with Head Start finally reauthorized after many years, and funding for Head Start cut. We can be grateful, however, that the Head Start reauthorization (through 2012) eliminated the National Reporting System that was so troublesome, largely through the efforts of a coalition of organizations led by Adele Robinson of NAEYC. Funding formulae were improved, but only as an authorization, not actual money. Larger parts of any increases in funding in future years will be devoted to training and technical assistance, cost-of-living increases, expanded enrollment of Native Americans and migrants, quality improvement, expansion of students served, and the new State Head Start Advisory Councils (of which Maryland already has one). Homeless children will be eligible for Head Start automatically, and children with family incomes between 100% and 130% of the Federal Poverty level will be eligible if space permits. School age slots will be converted to infant and toddler slots. By 2010, all Head Start teachers must have at least a CDA, and 50% must have a BA or more in early childhood education or a related field by 2013, by which time all assistants must be enrolled in a college or CDA course to be completed within 2 years.

The FY 2008 Federal Budget increased Head Start funding by $13.7 million, but then cut existing funding by $24 million, leaving a net loss of $11 million. The CCDBG was flat funded. Funding for the Federal Infants and Toddlers program was cut by $746,000.

Maryland:

With the annual legislative session beginning on January 9, and the Governor's Budget due 9 days later, we really don't know much about what to expect in the coming three intensive months of legislative action, except that State Budget expenditures will be cut. We are concerned that some of these cuts may affect young children and their families adversely, and we will be working to minimize any damage. We will be sending out more frequent alerts as important issues arise.

MDAEYC:

In a recent national evaluation by Education Week, Maryland went from 26th among the States in 2006 to third in 2007, largely because of improvements in early childhood education. We have something to be proud of. You can read more on www.edweek.org.

The Office of Child Care is in the midst of reorganizing and simplifying the child care regulations for centers, family child care providers, and religious nursery schools that provide child care, so that the regulations and the forms implementing them will be easier to understand, interpret, and implement. A review later this year will take a deeper look at the substance of the regulations. The training regulations that will take effect July 1 involve a number of substantive and procedural changes that also require some implementing adjustments. The Professional Development Fund that will pay college tuition for credentialed providers is still on hold pending the colleges making arrangements to incorporate its payments into their administrative systems.

The legislatively-mandated Task Force for Pre-K for All issued its report by the December 1 deadline, and that report is available at http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/child_care/ .

Members of the task force and others will begin now to plan how to implement the recommendations of the Task Force as soon as government funding allows.

Please plan to come to Annapolis on Monday, February 11, at 6 p.m., for our annual Child Care Rally. The Maryland Committee for Children also is sponsoring the Terry Landsberg Memorial Child Care Day in Annapolis, beginning at 4 p.m. in the Lowe House Office Buiilding, including briefings on current legislative and budgetary issues. Dinner will be provided if you contact cross@mdchildcare.org to make a reservation.

MD AEYC's new Web site, www.mdaeyc.org, is a wonder to behold. Its public policy pages provide much information about where we stand and what we're doing about it. You may join the list serve that sends out these public policy reports to MD AEYC members with an e-mail request to surr@his.com.