NEWSROOM
2022 Post-Session Update: Early Education Statehouse Scoop
The coalition made great progress toward our goals to improve access to early childhood education. Here is what we accomplished during this short, but active, legislative session:
Early Education Works supported policies that would increase access to high-quality early learning opportunities in Indiana. We took action on multiple bills, including House Enrolled Act 1093, House Enrolled Act 1318, and House Enrolled Act 1361.
HEA 1093: Education matters: Elevates the role of the Early Learning Advisory Committee which will help strategically guide the future of early childhood education in Indiana.
HEA 1318: Child care provided by a school corporation: Provides flexibility for communities to address child care access challenges.
HB 1361: TANF and child care assistance eligibility: Increases access to childcare assistance for families in need.
The Early Education Works coalition is especially proud of HEA 1093, a key achievement that resulted from partnerships with the Indiana General Assembly and the governor’s office to realize a core component of Governor Holcomb’s Next Level Agenda. The approval of this bill will address growing shortages in Indiana’s early care and education workforce, empower the Early Learning Advisory Committee (ELAC) to address child care access and kindergarten readiness and enable ELAC to evaluate early education licensure requirements.
Now, we turn our attention to next year – a budget session. We’ll continue building on this progress and fighting for better opportunities for Hoosier families.
Indiana pre-K students see academic benefits through fourth grade, study shows
Advocates are cheering the first studies on Indiana’s prekindergarten voucher program, highlighting the potential lasting academic benefits while also noting areas for improvement.
A long-term study of On My Way Pre-K found its students were better prepared for kindergarten and scored slightly higher on ILEARN than children from similar low-income backgrounds. But the research also raised questions about the state’s child care rating system, a cornerstone of On My Way Pre-K meant to ensure quality.
A second report from a new kindergarten readiness assessment showed children in On My Way Pre-K programs met national targets for 29% of literacy skills and 40% of math skills, suggesting that they have not fully caught up to students from higher income families. The assessment also identified disparities between students of different races.
“We believe that it shows us that yes, we’re on the right path, but there are opportunities to build on that,” said Anne Valentine, vice president of government relations for the United Way of Central Indiana
Click here to read the full article
May 24, 2021
Dear Secretary Sullivan:
We write to you today on behalf of the Early Education Works coalition, a community of advocates for Indiana’s early care and education sector. Our coalition is encouraged that the state will sustain its investments in the On My Way Pre-K program for the next biennium. As FSSA works to augment state investments with federal funding, we stand willing to partner with your office to maximize the impact of federal dollars on Indiana’s early care and education sector.
We were pleased to see that OECOSL’s spending plan for CRRSA relief was clearly outlined and provided direction on how to best leverage federal funds in tandem with Indiana’s existing investments in early care and education. We were also encouraged by the addition of criteria that expanded eligibility to individuals seeking employment – a qualifying activity that we recommend the state preserve long-term. As the state continues to collaborate with the federal government to develop a spending plan for relevant funds appropriated under the America Rescue Plan, we stand ready to partner with OECOSL to:
How Indiana plans to boost pre-K enrollment without increasing state funding
Indiana will not increase state funding for its youngest learners in the next two years, but thanks to federal stimulus funds, has already ramped up vouchers for prekindergarten and child care.
The state’s budget for pre-K will remain steady in the next two years — $21 million annually — funds that residents with the lowest incomes may use for state-approved programs for 4-year-olds.
Advocates of prekindergarten are taking that as good news.
“We were completely pleased to see the state continue the investment at the same level,” said Anne Valentine, vice president of government relations for the United Way of Central Indiana. The non-profit organized an advocacy push for early childhood education in 2016.
Click here to read the full story.
February 25, 2021
Dear Speaker Huston, Chairman Brown, Representatives Cherry and Porter, and esteemed members of the House Ways and Means Committee:
Early Education Works – a coalition of advocates for Indiana’s early care and education sector – thanks you for a responsible funding increase to the state’s On My Way Pre-K program.
As HB1001 moves to the Senate, our coalition stands ready to partner with you and the Family and Social Services Administration on the implementation of the On My Way Pre-K program and other efforts to support and stabilize Indiana’s fragile early childhood education sector.
January 14, 2021
Dear Speaker Huston, Representatives Brown, Cherry, Porter and esteemed members of the House Ways and Means Committee:
We write to you, amid the most consequential legislative session in modern memory, to express our collective and continued support for On My Way Pre-K, Indiana’s existing early childhood education program, and to urge the General Assembly to consider a modest funding increase for this vital initiative as it crafts our next two-year budget.
We recognize this legislative session is unlike any other before it, and the challenges our legislators must address are myriad. As members of the Ways and Means Committee work to develop a biennial budget that will support workers and strengthen our economy, a moderate increase in the state’s investments in early childhood education can help put many more Hoosier parents and caregivers back to work.
The COVID-19 crisis has proven that safe, high-quality early care and education is the backbone of a productive, reliable workforce. Without it, parents and guardians across the state face serious barriers to fully contributing at work and helping to get our economy back on track.
Organization urges lawmakers to invest in early education
Early Education Works, formerly known as All IN 4 Pre-K, says they will continue to urge lawmakers to work towards sustaining funding and strengthening the state’s pre-kindergarten program in the 2021 legislative session.
The organization is comprised of Indiana business and civic and philanthropic leaders among others say Early Education Works “will focus on high-quality early education as a critical factor for getting Hoosier parents and guardians back to work.”
Anna Valentine, vice president of government relations for United Way of Central Indiana, said the pandemic has shown the importance of early childhood education and child care.
“The COVID-19 crisis has proven that early childhood education is the backbone of Indiana’s workforce, and our economic recovery depends on the availability of safe, quality and affordable early care and education,” Valentine said in a news release. “Meeting this unprecedented need and getting our economy back on track requires continued investment in the state’s high-quality pre-k program.”
Click here to read the full story.
November 17, 2020
Early Childhood Education Advocates Call on Lawmakers to Sustain Funding for Indiana’s Pre-K Program in 2021 Budget Session
Indianapolis, IN – A coalition of Indiana business, civic and philanthropic leaders today unveiled a new name of their advocacy efforts and outlined their priorities for sustaining and strengthening the state’s pre-k program in the 2021 legislative session. Early Education Works, formerly called All IN 4 Pre-K, will continue to encourage lawmakers to invest in Indiana’s existing pre-k program while taking steps to enhance the quality, affordability and capacity of the state’s entire early childhood education sector, which serves children at the critical developmental stage from birth to age five. And as lawmakers seek to revitalize Indiana’s economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, Early Education Works will focus on high-quality early education as a critical factor for getting Hoosier parents and guardians back to work.