Governor Patrick
Yesterday Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick released a $32.3 billion budget recommendation for fiscal year 2013 that includes $260 million in new revenues generated, in part, by taxing the sale of candy and soda, raising the cigarette tax, and expanding the bottle bill.
While the governor’s budget level funds many items related to early education and care, Patrick, in his budget message, noted that one of his “tough choices” was to limit funding of child care vouchers for children in low-income families. The governor’s budget would increase funding for full-day kindergarten grants by $3 million. The Gateway Cities Education Agenda, a $10 million initiative in the Executive Office of Education, includes a $575,000 Gateway Cities Early Literacy Programs line item, targeted to professional development for family child care providers and support for families whose children are enrolled in family child care programs.
Click here for details on early education and care items in the governor’s FY13 budget recommendations. Here are some highlights:
- The budget level funds Universal Pre-Kindergarten and Head Start at $7.5 million each and level funds early childhood mental health consultation services at $750,000.
- The budget calls for $12.2 million for administration of the Department of Early Education and Care, up slightly from $11.7 million in FY12.
- The budget consolidates income eligible, supportive child care and TANF into a single child care access line item of $434.7 million, down from $442.8 in combined funding in FY12.
- The governor’s budget proposal allocates $5.9 million for access management, the same as FY12.
- The budget recommends $25.9 million for kindergarten expansion grants, up from $22.9 million.
- The budget recommends $87.5 million for the Massachusetts State Scholarship, roughly equal to FY12 spending. The Early Childhood Educators Scholarship is part of the larger state program.
The governor’s budget proposal, House 2, is the first step in the FY13 state budget process. We will continue to work with the governor and Legislature to increase investments and ensure that children in Massachusetts have access to high-quality early education and become proficient readers by the end of third grade, a benchmark that strongly predicts their chances of success in school and beyond.
Eye on Early Education focuses on the twin goals of ensuring that Massachusetts children have access to high-quality early education and become proficient readers by the end of third grade.
Sites are closing or collapsing due to lack of enrollment, especially for the neediest young children. How does the decision to cut more than $10 million in income eligible, supportive and TANF serve those children who will fail in language and literacy development right from the womb? This makes no sense and the irony is that families are not aware that they have the power to affect these decisions.