Research has shown that the first five years play an enormous role in a child’s ongoing development and future success. Since most kids are in a child care or preschool setting while their parents are at work, it’s critical that we invest in a high-quality early education system that provides the experiences kids need for healthy development.
The United States needs to invest more in early childhood education, according to economist Jared Bernstein in his article in the Washington Post on February 1, 2016: Biggest Public Policy Mistake. He focused on the work of economist Tim Bartik, concluding: “We want parents of poor kids to work, but relative to other countries, we do...
Early learning and development has been a hot topic for Sheboygan County, and exciting new efforts are underway. In a 2014 blog I wrote about Brown County’s breakthrough effort to make sure all newborn babies receive a Welcome Baby visit. (https://kidsforward.org/welcome-babies-brown-county-reaching-newborns/) Well, good ideas can be...
“Quality child care matters” is the theme in the new report and summaries from the Committee for Economic Development (CED). Besides the overall economic analysis, the report includes Wisconsin-specific key findings and talking points. A few samples: The report, Child Care in State Economies, examines the child care industry’s effect...
Child Trends has released a blog on paid family leave, finding that family leave laws in the United States lag behind those in other countries. It is embarrassing that the United States and Papua New Guinea are the only two countries in the world to not provide any income coverage during maternity, according to the report. Wisconsin has...
Here are a few key highlights from the federal budget that passed in late December: Preschool Development Grants were restored to $250 million (this is third year funding for the 18 states that previously won preschool development or expansion grants). Head Start was funded at $9.168 billion, an increase of $570 million from the...
Your address helps us identify your legislators and the most relevant messages to send you.