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Obama's Child Care Plans
January 28, 2009
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.
-Lao Tzu
President Barack Obama is wasting no time addressing the nation's economic woes. His economic recovery plans address boosting the economy in a variety of ways including additional support for child care services. The National Women's Law Center reports that the House of Representatives has introduced a bill — the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — that will help women and families through these tough times, and preserve and create jobs for women and men. The Act will help low-income parents obtain the child care they need to get and keep jobs and help children get the early learning they need to succeed. It provides:
  • $2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant to provide child care services for an additional 300,000 children in low-income families while their parents go to work. Of these funds, $1 billion will become available when the bill is enacted and $1 billion will be available on October 1, 2009.
  • $2.1 billion for Head Start to provide comprehensive development services to help 110,000 additional children succeed in school.
    • $1.1 billion is designated for Early Head Start, with $550 million available when the bill is enacted and $550 million on October 1, 2009. Up to 10 percent of the funds are targeted for training and technical assistance and up to 3 percent for monitoring.
    • $1 billion is designated for Head Start, with $500 million available when the bill is enacted and $500 million on October 1, 2009.
  • $600 million for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Infants and Families formula grants to help states serve children with disabilities age 2 and younger. $300 million will be available when the bill is enacted and $300 million on October 1, 2009.
  • $726 million for Afterschool Meals to increase the number of states that provide free dinners to children and to encourage participation by new institutions by increasing snack reimbursement rates.
  • $360 million for the Department of Defense to construct new child development centers.

Of course, this is simply the starting point. The bill will be modified considerably as it goes through Congress. You are encouraged to be in touch with your representatives in Washington to express your views on this package.



If you want to advocate for better services for young children, we have just the guidebook you need. Stick Your Neck Out — A Street-Smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond provides powerful, practical, and upbeat advice on how to become an effective advocate.

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Comments (14)

Displaying All 14 Comments
April · January 12, 2010
United States


GIVE PRESIDENT OBAMA A CHANCE PLEASE!!!! Change does not come overnight, he came into mess that bush left and did not clean up within his 8 years. You see no problem with that, now all on Obama case rushing him to do something the last man could not do give him a chance to make change. Don't be racist about anything, I'm down for whoever making change in this corrupted world.

In GOD We Trust!

Denisse G · February 22, 2009
United States


BRAD YOU'RE SO RIGHT!!!! Bush did sooooo many great things, this country is still safe, and we haven't had another terrorist attack, but we will see another one because of Obama, people are blind, they just saw the word "change" and everyone loves him, and it doesn't matter all the wrong things about him or his background, no one cares, tell me one thing he has done so we can believe in "change" he's the one that is going to screw up this country, nobody can do it from outside but from the inside, and that's Obama.

Tracie ******** · February 09, 2009
United States


I would love to live in a country where Early Childhood Education is a priority funded just like education. I'd like to see our country be a place where people like us who have college degrees, and work very hard, using specific techniques and training to do amazing things with the children we serve and can earn a LIVING wage! The professionalism I see around me every day should be paid for. I have Hope with Obama in charge because he has spoken of the importance of ECE all along.

Amy · February 02, 2009
United States


It's a nice idea but I really don't like the idea of this stimulus bill at all. In order to get the money needed, Obama is going to have the mint print it. This will introduce inflation all around and will not solve anything in the long run. It is the responsibility of the community to step up and provide free daycare to those who need it. Train the volunteers thoroughly and treat it like a business.

Joanne Monastiere · January 31, 2009
Bozeman, Montana, United States


The money going to additional Head Starts is great. But the exsisting Head Start Centers are starting to crumble. Many are beginning to apply for reduction in the number of families they can serve because of budget crisis. There is no additional funding available to keep what we have going.

Patricia Price · January 29, 2009
Patricia\'s Precious Moments Childcare
Eden, United States


That's one bill that I hope get passed. "Way to go Obama"! We need someone who Knows how important early childcare can be for our children, teachers, parents, and communities. The way this economy is getting, we need all the support we can get.

Sincerely,

Patricia Price

Christy Hopkins · January 29, 2009
United States


In todays economy, it is important that we think about our future more than ever. Our future begins with our children. The Early Childhood profession needs funding. For the many jobs that in a single day are preformed, those working in child care are paid a very low salary and often do not have health care. Funding also needs to support families; families struggling to find a balance in today's economy with low paying jobs, the need for quality child care and basically not enough money on hand to survive. Many may ask, why is this my problem? Because when children live in a stressed environment, they becomed stressed themselves. Research shows that over time, this can result in aggression, violence and anti-social behaviors. We need to support our young children with healthy adults and healthy environments.

Thanks you for your time.

Sincerely,

Christy Hopkins

Robbin Smith · January 29, 2009
United States


Hi! I would just like to say I think The President is doing a great thing by investing in the children of tomorrow. Early child care programs are greatly needed in our country especially quality childcare to help educate our young children and prepare them for success in the future. As we all know with the economy the way it is today, children growing up in todays world are going to need all the education they can get.
Sincerely
Robbin Smith
Early Childhood Educator

ARCHANA SARAF · January 28, 2009
UTPAL SHANGHVI SCHOOL
MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA, India


I think that if all his plans get through then it is wonderful....
Good going Obama and US!!!

lily wong · January 28, 2009
Singapore


Well and good for the big budget on childcare.
My hope is that the children and family benefit directly.
Hope the top administrators refrain from getting the big dollars first and leaving the droplets to the children and family that need it most.

Rita · January 28, 2009
DPS
Durham, NC, United States


Brad, Get a life. Give the president a chance. One thing for sure, he cannot make anything worse than Bush did. Things can only get better, but you as well as all of us is held accountable for our own actions unlike before. Mr. Obama will bring this country together. You may want to get on board, or in four years you may just be in the same place you are right now.

Brad Jacobson · January 28, 2009
United States


I hope that He does follow through in his plan to make childcare a better place foe the children and staff, but also help us want to stay in childcare for the low pay we recieve. The last demcrap who took office Bill(Hillary clinton) really made it worse becuase they did a lot of talk but no action. Republicains might say something and they follow through even if it might be wrong at least they say what they mean and do what they said they would do. Democates say what we want to hear but they do not ever follow through in what they say to the public

Brad Jacobson · January 28, 2009
United States


The president is stupid he is more into what to close down like terist prisons than he is the health care and jobs his second day of his job and he is more worried about his friends in prison than his country. these four years are going to be worse than the last eight years which Bush did great without the democraps making it hard for him to do his greatness.

Gwen Morgan · January 28, 2009
Wheelock College
Lincoln,, Ma, United States


It's getting too confusing in the public policy arena, between stimulus packages, different bills,
competing trends, and too many economists. Here's what I think we advocates should do:
1. Support increased dollars for licensed child care under CCDBG, used for private programs of high quality. 2. Recognize the turbulent employment issues for families. Add more flexibility on income eligibility limits: people will be working more part-time and low wage jobs sometimes and unemployed other times. Raise the limits, and maintain continuity for children over time. 3. Connect child care benefits to other needed benefits for families. But change the system for securing benefits; make it more welcoming, more respecting, more multilingual, and
more convenient. No more requiring multiple face to face visits to impossible locations.
4. Continue funding universal pre-K with much greater emphasis on infrastructure supports to help schools change. Go slow on funding schools that might not yet be ready. Offer them coaches and mentors for teachers and principals in what is good ECE teaching, how children learn. Offer them higher education professional development on site. Do not push unwilling or unready schools into pre-K. Put funding into infrastructure supports for the future changes in all schools, and only fund the ready schools now.



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