Funding for early education considered minimal by advocates

Liv Ames for EdSource

Stephanie Baltazar, left, and Yaretzi Orozco enjoy a book at a Kidango preschool in San Jose.

Liv Ames for EdSource

Stephanie Baltazar, left, and Yaretzi Orozco enjoy a book at a Kidango preschool in San Jose.

In the May revision of the budget, Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing to add two,500 office-day preschool slots aimed specifically at 3- and iv-year-olds with special needs, develop a quality rating system for infant and toddler daycare, and increment funding to preschool providers by 1 percentage for staff training, parent outreach and screening of children for disabilities.

But his proposals in a budget year with increased revenues have been called "stunningly minimal" by Children At present president Ted Lempert, whose views were echoed by other early teaching advocates.

"Despite the countless studies, overwhelming public support and a substantial budget surplus – specially for education funding – this proposal misses the mark by not investing adequately in early on childhood instruction and ensuring our children are fix for school," said Deborah Kong, president of Early Edge California.

"I don't desire to get defenseless in the jaws of the persistent financial instability of the state of California," said Gov. Jerry Brown.

Brown gave a spirited defence force for his proposed budget allocations for child care. When asked most a proposal from the Women's Caucus in the Legislature to spend $600 meg on child care, Brownish said he was not going to do that. "Information technology isn't that child care isn't a good matter," he said. "Simply there are a lot of practiced things."

"I don't want to get caught in the jaws of the persistent fiscal instability of the state of California," Brownish said referring to the fact that the state would likely slide into a recession in the time to come. "The thought that when nosotros become a little coin, or a lot of money, for a few years that now you've reached Utopia is so demonstrably faux as evidenced by the terminal 12 years. So we have to learn from history and not keep repeating our mistakes."

In budget negotiations last year, advocates and the governor agreed on a goal of providing preschool to all low-income 4-year-olds in California, simply no timeline was set. It is estimated that about 43,000 more than slots are needed to run across that goal. In January, the governor proposed calculation iv,000 full-day slots at a toll of $33.6 million. Now he is suggesting spending an boosted $13.5 1000000 for 2,500 more than function-mean solar day slots and adjustments to reverberate toll-of-living and enrollment changes.

"This is a robust budget year," said Erin Gabel, deputy managing director of Kickoff 5 California. "If nosotros tin can't make more than strides in a year like this, when will we?"

At the rate the governor is going, it is going to accept xx years to reach the goal of universal child care for all low-income 4-year-olds, said Erin Gabel, deputy manager of Kickoff v California. "This is a robust upkeep year. If nosotros tin can't make more than strides in a year like this, when volition nosotros?"

Advocates are hoping that legislators volition be more receptive to spending more on early didactics. Members of the Women's Conclave are advocating putting preschool funding and near childcare funding nether Suggestion 98, which got the king of beasts'south share of the budget increase.

Preschool and most childcare funding used to exist nether Proposition 98 until 2010-eleven, when most of it was pulled out to allow more funds for K-12 didactics during the recession. What currently remains in Proposition 98 is funding for role-twenty-four hours preschool programs and half of total-24-hour interval programs.

The conclave said that the state needs to spend $600 million to run into the needs of the more than than 300,000 children who are waiting and eligible for land-subsidized child intendance, according to the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network.

"Fiscal responsibility includes making careful investments in our hereafter," said land Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, who is chairwoman of the caucus, in a argument. "Childcare keeps children learning and parents working. Enquiry continues to evidence how disquisitional these very early years are for building a foundation for later academic success. By investing in our youngest learners and their early care, we volition help ensure that they are ready for success in kindergarten."

Advocates admit that the governor is raising the right issues, specially when it comes to improving the quality of the country's preschools and daycare programs. A recent study found that California's preschools met only iv out of 10 quality markers.

The governor is allocating $6 million to cover a 1 percentage increase to preschool providers for staff training on behavioral strategies for special needs children, screening of children for disabilities and outreach to parents.

"It'south fantastic that he is recognizing the importance of these activities," Gabel said. Simply what Brown is proposing, "is a driblet in the bucket for what we need to improve quality," she said, adding that she sees the May Revise every bit an invitation for a more in-depth discussion with lawmakers about what is necessary to better quality at land-funded preschools.

However, Gabel and Lempert were pleased with the governor'southward proposal to create a new cake grant to support a quality assessment system for infants and toddlers in daycare, like to one the state has developed for state-funded preschools and centers. Under the state's system, programs that meet high quality standards get extra funding. The new organisation for infant and toddlers, which would start in Oct 2016, would be supported by $17.7 meg in federal funding.

"That'south a new concept and it's significant," Gabel said.

In improver, Brown is proposing:

• Augmenting the Early Pedagogy Program for Infants and Toddlers with Exceptional Needs — which identifies and provides early interventions for infants from nativity to historic period 2 — with $thirty 1000000 from Proposition 98 funding. This will allow some districts who exercise non have such a program to participate.
• Using an increase of $2.four million in federal funds to provide Early Head Start programs to an additional 260 infants and toddlers in eleven northern counties.

But Lempert is concerned that $450 meg in federal funds for Children'due south Health Insurance is beingness swept into the state'southward Full general Fund.

"The diversion of the federal funding is like stealing from a kid's piggy banking company," Lempert said in a statement. "It's not adequate. The state'southward budget priorities still aren't in line with what Californians consistently say is their tiptop priority – our kids. Land leaders have to show they're ready to walk the walk when it comes to making real, meaning investments in the well-being of California children."

A call and email to the Department of Finance near Lempert's comments was non returned in time for publication.

To hear the governor's comments about early education, see the video of his presentation of the May Revise on The California Channel.

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Source: https://edsource.org/2015/funding-for-early-education-considered-stunningly-minimal-by-advocates/79787