Early Childhood Education / Public News Service

Community action agencies in Massachusetts are requesting continued funding for programs such as the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program, which helps return millions of dollars to Massachusetts families and their local economies. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, February 10, 2025

MA community action agencies aim to restore antipoverty funds

Community action agencies in Massachusetts are asking state lawmakers to boost antipoverty programs as federal aid remains in limbo. Gov. Maura …

As of last October, 775,000 Washington state students have access to school meals. (New Africa/Adobe Stock)

Monday, February 10, 2025

Free school meals for all WA students on table this session

Legislation in Olympia would make school meals free for every student. Senate Bill 5352 would ensure every student has access to free breakfast and …

The American Federation of Teachers says schools must be safe havens, welcoming places of learning and free from racism, discrimination and the threat of deportation. (vectorfusionart/Adobe Stock)

TX teachers prepare to protect immigrant students

School districts across Texas are grappling with ways to keep migrant children safe and engaged in class now that the Trump administration has made it…

About 25% percent of children in Illinois are foreign-born or live with at least one parent that is, according to data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. (Adobe Stock)

IL schools urged to push back against new immigration policies

As Illinois parents and children continue to be on high alert amid fears of school immigration raids, school officials are publicly advocating for …

According to the nonprofit Feeding Texas, one in six households in the state are food insecure. (Stella/Adobe Stock)

$450 million available to feed Texas kids this summer

The final deadline is approaching for members of the Texas Legislature to decide on participating in the Summer EBT program, which provides grocery …

On average in Montana, full-time child care costs between $9,100 and $11,700 per year per child, according to Montana Advocates for Children. (Adobe Stock)

Montana groups bring unique solutions to child care problems

Child care is expensive and in high demand but groups in Montana are taking creative approaches to help. Child care services in Montana currently …

Among Wyoming Republican voters surveyed, 86% believe state funding should be provided to public school systems to prevent cuts in services to existing students and to prevent tax increases to local taxpayers, according to a poll from the Wyoming Education Association. (Adobe Stock)

Poll: 68% of Wyoming Republicans oppose universal school vouchers

A Wyoming bill to expand a school voucher program passed the House last week, despite a new survey showing most Republican voters in the state oppose …

Community action agencies are celebrating 50 years of the Earned Income Tax Credit. On average, eligible taxpayers received $2,743 from the credit in tax year 2023, according to the Internal Revenue Service. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Expanded tax credits, free tax service help MA families get ahead

Community action agencies in Massachusetts called the state's expanded tax credits "powerful antipoverty tools" and they are offering free tax prep se…

In its 2024-25 budget, Pennsylvania boosted its commitment to equitable education with a $100 million increase in special education funding, aiming to enhance resources and support for students with disabilities. (Adobe Stock)

PA Democrats push school funding, new revenue sources

Pennsylvania lawmakers return to Harrisburg on Monday, facing renewed pressure to address long-standing issues, including improving the economy and …

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey warned any freeze of federal funding would be

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MA educators cite chaos, fear following Trump’s directives

Massachusetts educators say President Donald Trump's threat to pause all federal grant programs has created instability for schools and their students…

In Pennsylvania, charter schools and cyber charter schools are required to operate as public, nonprofit organizations. (Adobe Stock)

Is AI curriculum the future of education in PA 'cyber charters?'

A new virtual charter school offering two hours of artificial intelligence-based learning wants to expand into Pennsylvania. The Unbound Academy …

Free lunch, breakfast could soon come to all VA students

Free school lunch and breakfast may soon be the law in the Commonwealth. House Bill 1958 would require local school boards to participate in federal …

The Social Security Fairness Act eliminates two components of federal retirement policy: the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset. (sveta/Adobe Stock)

Texas educators celebrate signing of Social Security Fairness Act

Members of the teacher's union, the Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers, are celebrating the signing of the Social Security Fairness …

Reports find enrollment in free preschool varies across New York State. There's far less access and local investment outside of New York City. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates: NYS needs real solutions to improve child care

Advocates for working families in New York say they want less talk and more action to improve child care in the state. Gov. Kathy Hochul has …

Millions of families across the U.S. depend on home-based child care, with over 750,000 children enrolled in these programs, often because parents consider them more flexible than traditional child care centers. (Adobe Stock)

Alabama joins national effort to expand pre-K access

Alabama is part of a national program aimed at diversifying early childhood education. The Enriching Public Pre-K Through Inclusion of Family Child …

Durham takes part in national effort to expand pre-K access

A North Carolina city is part of a national program aimed at diversifying early childhood education. The Enriching Public Pre-K Through Inclusion of …

Alabama spends less per pupil than the national average but allocates a similar percentage of taxpayers' personal income to K-12 education. The state ranks 39th in education funding and 41st in per-student spending. (Adobe Stock) <br /><br />

Advocates push to modernize Alabama’s school funding formula

Alabama is one of six states still using The Foundation Program to calculate aid to schools, which uses a formula focused on the number of students …

Five years ago, a video shocked the nation of 6-year-old Kaia Rolle being arrested at her Orlando, Fla., school because she had thrown a tantrum earlier in the morning. (Adobe Stock)

From classroom to courtroom: The human cost of school-to-prison pipeline

When a 6-year-old girl in Florida had a temper tantrum in class, it seemed like a typical childhood moment. But instead of calming the situation…

New York State is allocating $35.3 billion in total school aid, an $825 million increase from 2024. It also includes a $507 million increase in foundation aid. (Adobe Stock)

Study charts updates needed for NYS school funding formula

A new study provides New York State with an outline of necessary updates to its school funding formula. The Rockefeller Institute study called for …

Research on the effects of a school voucher program in Louisiana show academic performance decreased among kids who use vouchers to attend private schools. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Gov. sets aside 2026 SD funds for new education savings accounts

In this week's 2026 budget address, Gov. Kristi Noem proposed establishing education savings accounts for K-12 students in South Dakota. Opponents …

More than 67% of children younger than age 6 have parents in the workforce and more than two million parents report making job changes because of issues with child care, according to the Center for American Progress. (Adobe Stock)

WV braces for more child care center closures

West Virginia child care advocates said they are bracing for more center closures in the new year. There are more than 60,000 children in the state …

Iowa has an estimated 507,254 children ages 0-12 but has only 177,053 operational child-care slots registered or licensed with the state, according to a report by the Common Sense Iowa Institute. (Adobe Stock)

Iowa adds hundreds of higher-wage child care providers

A new report says Iowa has created more than 200 new child-care providers in the state, which is among the nation's leaders in working parents who …

During the 2023 legislative session, North Dakota lawmakers approved a large aid package to boost child-care access. Other incentives have been phased in since then, but support groups still see the need for long-term fixes. (Freepik)

ND's child care system gains some ground but calls remain for more action

Whether it's not enough slots or rising monthly costs, many North Dakota parents have felt that child-care is out of reach for them. More than a …

Massachusetts workers lose roughly $2.7 billion in earnings each year because of inadequate child care, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. (Adobe Stock)

Federal investments help bolster MA workforce training programs

Federal investments are helping the city of Boston develop greater workforce training programs. The city received $23 million in 2022 to develop …

A Cornell University report finds 74% of New Yorkers support implementing universal public child care. (Adobe Stock)

Group plans to implement universal public child care in NY

A New York organization believes universal public childcare can be implemented in five years. New Yorkers United for Child Care is using its newly …

One Arkansas teacher said he does not think about the future because of the constraints of the cost of living. (NanSan/Adobe Stock)

Northwest AR development leads to housing crisis for educators

By Jordan P. Hickey for The Arkansas Advocate.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Arkansas News Service reporting for The Arkansas Advocate-Winthrop …

The proposed Education Freedom Scholarship Act in Tennessee aims to give parents the power to choose the best education for their child and a say in how their taxpayer dollars are used. (BalanceFormCreative/Adobe Stock)

Project 2025's education overhaul could have potential fallout for TN schools

A Tennessee education advocacy group is voicing concerns about Project 2025, which aims to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and transfer …

West Virginia communities rely on more than 600 elementary and secondary schools statewide, according to the state's Department of Education. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Survey: WV voters support investing in local public schools, teachers

A new postelection survey found voters across the political spectrum said they support investing in public schools and teachers. The findings from …

A University of California Berkeley report revealed early educators working only with infants and toddlers are paid about $8,000 less per year than those working exclusively with children age 3-5, not yet in kindergarten. (Mangpor2004/Adobe Stock)

Mississippi child care workers struggle with poverty wages

A new report showed child care workers across the nation, including in Mississippi, are struggling with poverty-level wages. The report revealed the …

America's schoolteachers report spending nearly 30% of instructional time repeating information because of poor listening skills. (JacobLund/Adobe Stock)

NM's schoolchildren, adults could benefit from 'active listening'

If the election season made one thing clear, it is neither side can hear what the other is saying and one expert believes it is because most of us …

The Too Small to Fail initiative has reached more than 175,000 parents with valuable text message reminders and tips, encouraging them to talk, read and sing with their young children during daily routines. (WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobe Stock)

Literacy initiative to implement 250 new early-education activations in PA

The early childhood development initiative "Too Small to Fail" is expanding in Pennsylvania to boost children's brain and language development…

A report from the University of California-Berkeley found Tennessee has more than 480,000 children ages 0-through-5, but has an early childhood teaching workforce of only 33,800. (Drazen/Adobe Stock)

Study reveals Tennessee child care workers face poverty wages

Child care workers across the nation, including in Tennessee, are struggling with poverty-level wages according to a new report. It revealed in …

Ind. Dept. of Education ILEARN Spring 2024 test results show reading proficiency for third through eighth grade spanned from 38% to 42%. (Adobe Stock)

Online reading tool boosts IN students' reading abilities

Reading scores for Indiana's grade school students have reflected below average readiness levels on the state's recent achievement tests. Educators …

On average, child care providers make less than people who walk dogs for a living, according to Care for Kids. (Adobe Stock)

Utah child care advocates demand change ahead of Election Day

Utah child care providers, parents and children's advocates say the state's child care crisis is getting worse and they hope voters will take the …

One in six Iowa children faces hunger. The Save Our Children Action Network said it wants to see candidates in the upcoming election support increases in SNAP benefits. (Adobe Stock)

Critical Iowa kids' issues hang in election balance

The Save the Children Action Network is asking Iowans to support candidates in the upcoming election who invest time and political muscle in solving c…

The 2022 National Survey of Children's Health revealed 44% of children in Kentucky had experienced one or more adverse childhood experiences. (Adobe Stock)

Study: Most high school students say they have had a traumatic experience

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show three of every four high school students nationwide said they have experienced at le…

The State of Early Care and Education report from Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children suggests providing additional opportunities for professional development and career advancement for Pennsylvania's child care and early education workforce. (Halfpoint/Adobe Stock)

Report makes recommendations to solve PA's 'historic' child care crisis

Pennsylvania is facing what children's advocacy groups call a historic child care crisis, leaving thousands of young children without access to early …

The average yearly salary of a New York State childcare worker is around $38,000, But the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Living Wage Calculator showed the living wage salary for a single person in the state is more than $55,000. (Adobe Stock)

Report: NY still has immense barriers to accessing child care

New York families are still dealing with child care barriers despite improvements. A new report found more than half the state is a child care …

More than 35% of Massachusetts families with young children could not afford enough diapers during the pandemic, even with federal stimulus payouts, according to a 2022 Health Equity study. (Adobe Stock) <br /><br />

Federal funds expand successful MA diaper distribution program

A federal pilot program distributing diapers to Massachusetts families in need is expanding. The program has already distributed more than two …

High prices and a high turnover rate of child care providers are not only affecting families but the state's economy. Census data show more than 15,000 people are not employed because they're caring for a child at home. (Adobe Stock) <br />

Child care, early education top NH voters' concerns

Advocates for children in New Hampshire said the state needs elected officials who will put kids' futures first. With biennial budget negotiations …

The ratio of early childhood educators in Wyoming to children ages 0-5 is nearly 12 to 1. (Adobe Stock)

WY child care programs lack support, close 'almost weekly'

Pandemic-era federal aid for early childhood educators expired last month and Wyoming lawmakers this year failed to pass a bill which could have helpe…

Nearly 67,000 schools participate in Farm-to-School programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Monkey Business/Adobe Stock)

Ohio schools bring local farms to lunch trays with USDA funding

This October, Ohio schools are celebrating National Farm to School Month by serving local produce in their meals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture …

The first $500 million collected from Washington state's capital gains tax goes toward child care and education. (BGStock72/Adobe Stock)

WA voters to decide on future of funding source for child care, education

Washington voters are deciding on the fate of the state's capital gains tax this election. The tax supports child care and schools. If passed…

During the 2022-2023 school year, 289 charter schools opened in the U.S. and in the same time period, 163 closed. (Adobe Stock)

Charter school longevity in WI isn't making the grade, report finds

Wisconsin has one of the higher closure rates in the U.S. for charter schools, according to a new report, which lays out the challenges of staying …

Even as families are forced to pay high prices for childcare, those dollars are not reaching early childhood educators who do not earn a living wage in any U.S. state. (Adobe Stock)

Study: Colorado child care workers earn poverty wages

Workers responsible for nurturing and educating young children during their most critical years of development struggle with poverty-level wages…

The Hazleton Area School District received a grant for more than $99,000 to implement a sustainable agriculture program in its career center, providing local, nutritious food to students and addressing health disparities in its community. (Adobe Stock)

Program builds bridge between PA's local farms, school cafeterias

Schools in Pennsylvania are recognizing October's National Farm to School Month by serving local produce in their meals. The U.S. Department of …

Nearly 67,000 schools participate in Farm-to-School programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Michael Chamberlin/Adobe Stock)

Program helps build bridge between local farms, school cafeterias

This October, schools in Georgia are celebrating National Farm to School Month by serving local produce in their meals. The U.S. Department of …

During the 2022-2023 school year, 289 charter schools opened in the U.S. and in the same school year, 163 closed. Michigan's charter school closure rate ranges from 35% to 44%. (Adobe Stock)

Report: 1 in 3 Michigan charter schools fails

A new report analyzing nationwide school closures shows in Michigan, about one in three charter schools fails. Michigan has the largest number of …

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