To: The California State House, The California State Senate, and Governor Gavin Newsom
Tell Gov. Brown and the CA legislature to invest in early education!
Dear Governor Brown and the California legislature, keep your promise! Support a state budget that prioritizes early learning and childcare, increasing access, affordability, and quality investments for our youngest children and their families.
Why is this important?
Last year, Governor Brown and the California legislature made the historic commitment to fully fund preschool for all low-income 4-year-olds. But so far, we haven't seen this investment included in the proposed budget.
Leading economists agree: investments in high-quality early learning programs like preschool actually save future dollars for everyone. In fact, children who have high-quality early learning experiences are more likely to succeed in school, graduate from high school, gain stable employment, and are less likely to be arrested later in life. Studies show that for every dollar invested in high-quality early learning, we see a return of up to $8.00.
Please sign on to our message and our open letter below, asking Governor Jerry Brown and our state legislature to make the necessary – and promised! – investments needed to expand early learning opportunities in our state:
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As a California resident, I am asking you to keep your promise to California families and support a budget that invests in the following top priorities:
• Preschool for all low-income 4 year olds in California: Fully fund the commitment made in last year's state budget to provide preschool to all low-income 4 year olds in the coming years.
• Access to quality infant and toddler care: Address the state's significant need for access, and ensure quality, affordable care and education for our youngest
children ages birth to three.
• Affordable programs for families: Increase reimbursement rates so that early learning providers can continue to provide quality, affordable services.
• Increase quality in all early learning settings: Invest in quality improvement efforts to ensure strong outcomes for young children in all settings. This should include supporting improvements in the way early learning teachers are trained at community colleges and allowing infant and toddler programs to participate in the Quality Rating and Improvement System Block Grant.
Study after study has shown that high-quality early learning and care is one of the best investments we can make to impact a child's future and increase economic sustainability for families and communities. The reality is that parents earning minimum wage would need to spend 71% of their salary on full-day infant care, and the costs of quality child care and early learning programs exceed the costs of higher education for many families. And while we have made some progress, we still have work to do to meet the needs of working families, especially those with babies and toddlers.
Last year's budget included a $273 million increased investment for early learning and a commitment to provide quality preschool to all low-income 4 year olds in the coming years. The demand for preschool spaces remains more than 8 times the number of spaces available according to the California Department of Education -- that's more than 32,000 low-income 4 year olds that were still not being served in California this year. The Department acknowledges that the need is likely even greater.
Leading economists agree, investments in high-quality early learning programs like preschool actually save future dollars for everyone. In fact, children who have high-quality early learning experiences are more likely to succeed in school, graduate from high school, gain stable employment, and are less likely to be arrested later in life. Studies show that for every dollar invested in high-quality early learning, we see a return of up to $8.00.
We can, and must do more for our children, and we need you to stand up and make their future a top priority. California cannot wait any longer to expand access to quality childcare and early learning programs.
Investing in California's future means investing in our next generation, and the time to do that is now. I respectfully urge you to prioritize access, affordability, and quality investments for our youngest children and their families in this year's state budget.
Sincerely,
Leading economists agree: investments in high-quality early learning programs like preschool actually save future dollars for everyone. In fact, children who have high-quality early learning experiences are more likely to succeed in school, graduate from high school, gain stable employment, and are less likely to be arrested later in life. Studies show that for every dollar invested in high-quality early learning, we see a return of up to $8.00.
Please sign on to our message and our open letter below, asking Governor Jerry Brown and our state legislature to make the necessary – and promised! – investments needed to expand early learning opportunities in our state:
***********************************************************************
As a California resident, I am asking you to keep your promise to California families and support a budget that invests in the following top priorities:
• Preschool for all low-income 4 year olds in California: Fully fund the commitment made in last year's state budget to provide preschool to all low-income 4 year olds in the coming years.
• Access to quality infant and toddler care: Address the state's significant need for access, and ensure quality, affordable care and education for our youngest
children ages birth to three.
• Affordable programs for families: Increase reimbursement rates so that early learning providers can continue to provide quality, affordable services.
• Increase quality in all early learning settings: Invest in quality improvement efforts to ensure strong outcomes for young children in all settings. This should include supporting improvements in the way early learning teachers are trained at community colleges and allowing infant and toddler programs to participate in the Quality Rating and Improvement System Block Grant.
Study after study has shown that high-quality early learning and care is one of the best investments we can make to impact a child's future and increase economic sustainability for families and communities. The reality is that parents earning minimum wage would need to spend 71% of their salary on full-day infant care, and the costs of quality child care and early learning programs exceed the costs of higher education for many families. And while we have made some progress, we still have work to do to meet the needs of working families, especially those with babies and toddlers.
Last year's budget included a $273 million increased investment for early learning and a commitment to provide quality preschool to all low-income 4 year olds in the coming years. The demand for preschool spaces remains more than 8 times the number of spaces available according to the California Department of Education -- that's more than 32,000 low-income 4 year olds that were still not being served in California this year. The Department acknowledges that the need is likely even greater.
Leading economists agree, investments in high-quality early learning programs like preschool actually save future dollars for everyone. In fact, children who have high-quality early learning experiences are more likely to succeed in school, graduate from high school, gain stable employment, and are less likely to be arrested later in life. Studies show that for every dollar invested in high-quality early learning, we see a return of up to $8.00.
We can, and must do more for our children, and we need you to stand up and make their future a top priority. California cannot wait any longer to expand access to quality childcare and early learning programs.
Investing in California's future means investing in our next generation, and the time to do that is now. I respectfully urge you to prioritize access, affordability, and quality investments for our youngest children and their families in this year's state budget.
Sincerely,