State and National News

State

School Districts to Limit Services Due to State Budget Cuts

School districts across the state are considering a number of cost-saving measures to deal with tens of millions in state budget cuts next year. A sampling:

Hillsborough: Limit busing, make elective classes larger, review library staffing and school nursing services, cut travel costs, re-evaluate athletic ticket prices and whether only varsity athletes should attend out-of-county events.

Miami-Dade, Eliminate field trips, reduce summer school, sports and afterschool programs, reduce school police and security.

Orange: Cut guidance counselors, library staff and art, music and P.E. teachers, make "adjustments" to middle school athletics, summer school and alternative education.

Manatee: Reduce reading coaches, eliminate field trips, cut middle school sports and summer school programs, close one school.

National

State-Funded Preschool Enrollment Passes One Million Mark, Yet Most 3- and 4-Year-Olds are Denied Access to Public Preschool Programs

Survey Shows 12 States Offer No Programs, Others Falter, Gains are Threatened by Possible Recession

State-funded preschools served over one million children last year, yet public Pre-K was unavailable for most 3- and 4-year-olds, according to the annual survey released by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). The survey found that one-quarter of all 4-year-olds and half of all 3-year-olds had no access to preschool education. State and federal regular preschool education, special education and Head Start combined served 39 percent of the country's 4-year-olds, and some attend private programs, leaving one-quarter of 4-year-olds with no preschool program at all. At age 3, state and federal programs combined to serve only 15 percent. Even with some others attending private programs, 50 percent of 3-year-olds had no access to a preschool education.

Furthermore, 12 states offered no state-funded preschool education and others faltered in their commitment to the quality of their early education programs.

Research shows that high-quality preschool education for disadvantaged children improves later high school graduation rates and college attendance, employment opportunities and earnings, even marriage rates. It lessens future crime, delinquency and teenage pregnancy. In economic terms, high-quality preschool education returns to the individual and the public up to $17 for each $1 invested. New studies find educational benefits for middle-income children as well.

Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming have no state-funded early education programs. But serious problems also exist in four states - California, Texas, Florida, and Ohio - that are home to one-third of all American preschoolers.

California, Texas, Florida, and Ohio are among only seven states that meet less than half of NIEER's 10 quality benchmarks. All four spend less than the national average per child. Texas and California do not limit class size. Ohio, Florida and California do not require preschool teachers to have education comparable to public school teachers. Ohio serves not even 5,000 of its nearly 150,000 4-year-olds.

Many economically-advanced countries provide free preschool for all children. But in the U.S., most preschoolers are not guaranteed any education at all, much less a high quality education. If the United States is to remain competitive in a global economy, we cannot lose a single child. We must invest in preschool education that will help put every child on the right track to succeed.

Budget Ignores Needs of Working Families with Children by Failing to Increase Child Care Funding

The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) warns that President Bush's proposed budget for fiscal year 2009 could put the children of working parents in jeopardy. Under the proposal, the budget would freeze funding for child care for the seventh year in a row. As a result of the proposal, 200,000 children will lose their child care assistance within the next two years, according to the President's own budget estimates.

Nationally, about 2.7 million children currently receive child care assistance, which is administered through the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). Funds are allocated to each state based on a formula, but each state determines how the funds will be used within broad federal parameters. At least 4 percent of the funds must be used to improve the quality of child care. In order to receive funds from CCDBG, states must have policies in place designed to protect the health and safety of children.

Nationwide, nearly 12 million children under age 5 spend time every week in a child care setting. With the increasing number of women in the workforce, many parents now use child care from their child's infancy through kindergarten. The quality of that care is a matter for concern, whether children receive subsidies or not.

According to research, the early years of life are critical to a child's development. Research has also shown that 80 percent of the brain develops by age 3 and 90 percent by age 5. Child care settings that are of high-quality help ensure the safety, health, and well-being of the children in care.

For more information on high-quality child care or for a full copy of NACCRRA's recent report - Leaving Children to Chance: NACCRRA's Ranking of State Standards and Oversight of Small Family Child Care Homes, visit www.naccrra.org.

Report Reveals Florida One of Fifteen States with Regulations that Don't Protect Children in Home Care Settings

The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) released a report ranking states on their current family child care standards and oversight policies. The report ranks every state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense (DoD) child care system, on 14 different standards focused on ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of children while in home-based child care programs serving six or fewer children.

Florida was one of fifteen states who received a score of zero on the scorecard because they either do not regulate small family child care homes, do not conduct an inspection prior to issuing a license, or allow more than six children in care before applying any state regulations. In 41 states, child care providers can care for an unrelated child for pay in their homes without licensing - which means they are conducting a business without a license and could be failing to meet health codes or have no training to do the job. And only 24 states and the DoD conduct criminal background checks of family child care providers using federal fingerprinting - which potentially means convicted felons could be working with small children.

Other states with a score of zero included Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Care offered in a family child care home is one of the largest segments of the child care industry. Nearly 2 million children are in some type of family child care setting each week. With children of working mothers spending an average of 36 hours per week in some type of child care setting, including family child care homes, it is imperative that regulations and policies are in place to protect their safety and encourage their development and growth.

Note: Florida requires registration to operate a family child care home but does not require licensure. Some counties, however, have passed local ordinances that do require family child care homes to be licensed.