Photo: Alessandra Hartkopf for Strategies for Children

 

“The recently passed state budget is one of the best ever for high-quality early education. As advocates, we will be pushing state administrators to get this funding out to families, educators, programs and communities.” – Amy O’Leary, Director of Strategies for Children’s Early Education for All Campaign

As our blog readers know, this year’s FY19 state budget is the first in 10 years to surpass the pre-recession high point (FY09) of state funding for early education and care.

This fall, Strategies for Children (SFC) will be paying close attention to two key items in the budget.

#1 Preschool implementation grants

Since FY16, Massachusetts lawmakers have awarded preschool planning grants to 18 communities that have all completed preschool plans.

Now state leaders have taken a first step toward implementation by awarding grants to turn preschool plans into action. The new FY19 budget includes $5 million for implementation grants — funds that must be spent by the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2019).

Communities are paying attention – they are busy revisiting their plans and getting ready to apply for this funding. They are sending their thoughts to the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) and asking the department to issue the grant RFR (Request for Response) as soon as possible.

The need is substantial. Roughly 800 4-year-olds (per year) are already served by federally funded Preschool Expansion Grant (PEG) funds, $15 million that was awarded to five communities. However, SFC estimates that close to 10,000 children in high-needs communities do not attend preschool due to cost or space factors. These children could enroll in the state’s mixed delivery system of early education and care if new public funds become available.

If Massachusetts is serious about closing opportunity gaps in education, preschool expansion is a great place to start.

#2 Support for Early Educators

Meeting workforce needs is essential for providing children with high-quality preschool programs.

So it’s great news that the FY19 budget includes $20 million for a rate reserve to support early educator salaries. This is the fifth consecutive year that the state has funded a rate reserve. The funding helps raise salaries across the board and is much needed to address the high turnover and hiring shortages that plague the field.

But to advance and professionalize the workforce, attention must also be paid to credentials, competencies, career pathways, and leadership. The Legislature is funding some of this work with a FY19 budget investment of $10 million for a new workforce development initiative — run by EEC and local community colleges — that will provide “professional development and higher education opportunities and supports for early educators…”

The initiative’s efforts will align with both the professional development policies of EEC and the recommendations of a new Early Education Workforce Council. Strategies for Children has a seat on the council, and we will provide ongoing updates as this work gets underway. We see this council as a new opportunity to elevate the workforce by “connecting the dots:” through sharing data and reaching shared understanding of workforce needs; and by learning about current best practices across community colleges, cultivating new legislative and business champions, and keeping momentum going for workforce development in early education and care.

Visit our website for a full listing of budget line items, including Early Childhood Mental Health, Early Educator Rate Reserve, Head Start, and more.

“Early education advocacy is a long-term effort. It’s great that the state is investing more in preschool and the workforce. Now we need to sustain the high-quality programs we have and make steady progress to reach more and more communities over time.” – Chris Martes, President and CEO of Strategies for Children