Early Childhood Education programs are essential and beneficial services for children and their families. The availability of these programs is crucial to enabling parents to work and engage in education activities with the knowledge that their children are safe in reliable, educationally sound, and nurturing early care programs, such as:

1. Head Start
   
2. Universal Pre-Kindergarten
   
3. ACS subsidized care (center based, family day care or informal care)

Recent Advocacy:

As New York City begins to implement a changing business model for ACS funded Early Childhood Education programs called Project Full Enrollment, FPWA has been advocating on behalf of parents and programs to address barriers to enrollment.

Recent Policy Documents:

• Testimony to the New York State Senate Committee on Children and Families, Challenges facing the Childcare Community in New York State in 2012 pdf (38783 bytes) (December 12, 2011)
  
• View proposal to increase access to subsidized child care pdf (37909 bytes) for low income families
  
• EJSWN Child Care Committee’s Bushwick Child Care Access Snapshot

Recommendations:
State Policy

• Restore funding for child care subsidies for low income families by adding $30 million in State funds to the Child Care and Development Block Grant.
  
• Restore $38 million in State funding to Universal Pre –Kindergarten funding to bring it back to the FY 08-09 appropriation level for the next two years. Increase flexibility for districts utilizing this funding.
  
• Cap child care co-payments at 10% of gross family income and eliminate co-pays for families living under the federal poverty level to create a statewide co-payment system that is both equitable and affordable.

Portfolio Expert: Liz Accles







Fact Sheet: Key Facts on Early Childhood Education pdf (35642 bytes)

Listen: City Watch WBAI 99.5 FM Radio, Liz Accles discusses state budget proposal’s impacting low-income families - Mar 12, 2011