The Hechinger Report – Kris Perry
“Early childhood education once again emerged as the bipartisan winner in a year marked by deep political polarization. In fact, Congress gave early childhood education more attention this year than almost any other issue — and capped it off by matching good intentions with great funding for programs from birth to preschool and beyond. Recognizing the critical need for early health and learning, Congress reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program (MIECHV) for two additional years. Federal support enables states to provide these voluntary, community-based programs to disadvantaged children and families. MIECV continues funding supports or highly effective home visiting programs that provide low-income parents with the education, health, social service and child development resources they need to promote their children’s healthy development. Most importantly, early childhood education was recognized as a critical part of the nation’s education system in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The nation’s largest education bill now includes historic support for states that have been making early childhood education a top priority.”(more)