In early February, Governor Pritzker announced Smart Start Illinois, his administration’s proposal to make the largest investments in early care and education that the field has seen in a generation. The proposal includes $100 million in funding to build new and expand current child care facilities, an additional $50 million for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and $130 million to enhance wages for the workforce through child care contracts.

Although Start Early is grateful for the Governor’s renewed attention to child care to begin his second term – we simply cannot stop at Smart Start’s investments because in the long-term, this funding is not sufficient to create a robust child care system that works for all children and families in Illinois. Far too many families across the state cannot access child care, much less high-quality care, due to its exorbitant cost and the lack of available classroom slots. According to Start Early’s Infant & Toddler Child Care Roadmap report, licensed child care centers have the capacity to care for only 17.4% of the state’s infants and toddlers.

The earliest years in a child’s life are the most critical years for brain development, yet infant/toddler child care is by far the most difficult type of care to secure in Illinois. It is the most expensive form of care due to low teacher-child ratios (1:4) and it’s often not seen as desirable work because of its physical nature and very low pay. In fact, infant/toddler teachers throughout the state are typically paid less than their peers. Teachers who care for our youngest learners deserve better and unless we raise teacher salaries, we will not have the workforce to increase child care slots.

On April 18, Start Early along with our partners at Child Care For All, COFI, Illinois Action for Children, Raising Illinois, SEIU, and We, the Village brought over 300 advocates down to Springfield to advocate for Illinois’ youngest learners. Advocates shared policy briefs outlining the impact that Governor Pritzker’s Smart Start Illinois initiative would have on our early childhood systems as well as Raising Illinois’ Babies Can’t Wait postcards highlighting the struggles & successes Illinois families have had with Early Intervention. We were honored to be joined by Governor Pritzker himself, as well as Lieutenant Governor Stratton, who both addressed advocates in the Rotunda as part of the day’s events.

The Washington State Legislature adjourned “Sine Die” just after 10 p.m. Sunday, April 23.

Following is a recap of key actions since our Friday morning release of “Notes From Olympia.”

Release and Passage of 2023-25 Budgets

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the Operating, Capital and Transportation budgets over the weekend. The Capital and Transportation budgets passed with broad bipartisan support, while the Operating budget passed on a party-line vote in the House and saw 8 Republicans joining Democrats to vote for passage in the Senate.

Of particular interest to loyal “Notes from Olympia” trivia readers, the final Capital budget does include funding to restore the skylights above the Senate and House chambers in time for the Legislative Building’s centennial celebration in 2028.

Start Early Washington updated its budget comparison document on our resources page to reflect the final early learning related budget items. Despite concern of a potential economic downturn as well as multiple competing demands, the adopted budgets contain significant investments for a number of early learning programs.

Lawmakers worked incredibly long hours to craft this budget and would no doubt appreciate hearing a “thank you” for prioritizing early learning investments. Legislative email addresses all share the format of firstname.lastname@leg.wa.gov. Specific emails can be found on the legislative website.

Updates on Outstanding Bills

We’ve updated our bill tracker on our resource page to include this weekend’s bill activity. Remember, bills that did not advance in 2023 can be revisited in 2024.

In what turned out to be the final bill vote for the 2023 legislative session, the House voted to concur in Senate amendments to 2SHB 1550 on a 60-37 vote, sending the legislation relating to Transitional Kindergarten to the Governor’s desk. Earlier in the evening, the Senate adopted a striker to 2SHB 1550 on a 39-10 vote.

As passed by the Legislature, the bill:

• Codifies Transitional Kindergarten and reconstitutes it as Transition to Kindergarten (TTK).
• Directs the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop rules for the administration of and standards for TTK. Initial rules must be adopted prior to the start of the 2023-24 school year with permanent rules by the 2024-25 school year.
• Provides that only school-district authorized charter schools may immediately offer TTK and the charter commission authorized charter schools may offer TTK beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
• Defines eligibility for TTK as those children who have been determined to benefit from additional preparation for kindergarten and who are at least four-years old by 8/31 of each year.
• Requires, as practicable, TTK programs prioritize children from lowest income families and those most in need of additional preparation.
• TTK is not considered a child-level entitlement.
• Unless excused by parents or caregivers, requires administration of WaKIDS at the start and end of the school year.
• Calls for a local child care and early learning needs assessment prior to beginning or expanding a TTK program. Also directs OSPI and DCYF to develop statewide coordinated eligibility, recruitment, enrollment and selection best practices.
• Provides that TTK programs must follow OSPI developed guidelines related to best practices for site readiness, developmentally appropriate curricula and professional development. OSPI must also develop a process for site visits to provide feedback on these guidelines.
• Prohibits charging of tuition as well as excluding children due to the presence of a disability.
• Allows TTK programs to blend and co-locate with other early learning programs.
• Provides that TTK students will be counted as a kindergarten student for funding purposes, but reported separately (to be able to get an accurate count of the number of TTK students). Funding is equivalent to the prototypical school funding model (including transportation), but is not considered part of basic education.
• Directs DCYF to make administrative changes to better align early learning programs.
• Finally, directs the caseload forecast council to forecast for TTK.

You can track the scheduling of bill signings on the Governor’s webpage. The Governor must act upon all bills that reach his desk by May 15.

Legislative Leadership Change Announced

On Sine Die, House Minority Leader JT Wilcox shared his plans to step down as the House Republican leader. The leadership change will occur when the House Republican Caucus selects a new leader. During an interview on TVW, Representative Wilcox stated he does plan to continue in the House.

Thank you for your partnership with us through the 2023 legislative session. We look forward to continuing our shared work to build more equitable systems for children and families in Washington state.

(Photo Credit: Erica Hallock)

This edition of “Notes From Olympia” will serve as our final weekly newsletter, signaling the end of the 2023 legislative session.

What Is Next?

• Look for an email early next week, which will include final budget details, bill status updates and a recap of the last days of the legislative session.
• We will share an update covering Gov. Inslee’s actions mid-May.
• Our “Notes From Olympia” will continue periodically during the interim to keep you abreast of early learning policy developments.

Trivia!

Which Governor was associated with “The Kick” incident in 1913?

Budget Details

Conference reports for the2023-25 biennial budgets will be released by Saturday of this week and voted upon prior to legislative adjournment. Specifically, the Operating budget details will be released Saturday, April 22, at noon. Because these actions will occur after this week’s newsletter publication, we plan to send out an email early next week including the final budget details as well as a recap of the last days of the legislative session. When completed, the budget summary will be available on Start Early Washington’s resource page.

Legislative Updates

With the Legislature poised to adjourn “Sine Die” Sunday, April 23, this week focused on finalizing actions on outstanding bills while budget writers and the amazing staff worked to put together the Operating, Capital and Transportation budgets.

As of this writing, only one active early learning related bill has not advanced to the Governor’s desk – 2SHB 1550, related to Transitional Kindergarten. We will include a status update in a post-session email. You can also check the status of specific legislation on the legislative website or via Start Early Washington’s bill tracker on our resource page.

As a reminder, you can track the status of gubernatorial bill signings on this webpage. The final day for Governor Inslee to act on bills that reach his desk is May 16.

After gubernatorial action, attention turns to state agencies as they start implementing the policies and related funding included in the enacted bills. Implementation planning can take weeks to months, depending on the issue or program and the extent external parties are involved in development. Additionally, state agencies are beginning to develop decision packages outlining their policy and funding priorities for the 2024 legislative session. The legislative cycle is always in motion!

Comic Relief US (CRUS) is committed to breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Through the power of entertainment, CRUS drives awareness and amplifies the voices of children and families living in under-resourced communities.

You might know them best from Red Nose Day, their annual fundraising campaign that brings people together to laugh and have fun, while raising money and awareness to ensure all children are safe, healthy, educated and empowered in the U.S. and abroad. Through Red Nose Day, Comic Relief US engages the public and nonprofit and corporate partners to raise funds and invests them back in nonprofit organizations, many of which are community-led with programs focused on tackling the root causes and consequences of poverty and social injustice.

The Educare Learning Network has been a proud partner of CRUS and Red Nose Day since 2018. Since 2000, when Start Early developed the first Educare school in Chicago, the Educare Learning Network has grown into a national network of 25 birth-through-age-five schools in 15 states, Washington DC and the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. We are a network of learning hubs that innovate, evaluate and share best practices to transform the lives of young children in disinvested communities and positively impact the broader early childhood field.

Start Early, the Educare Learning Network and CRUS partner to improve the lives of children and families by investing in Educare schools to create training opportunities and enriching early learning programming that benefits Educare staff, children and families. For the past five years, funds awarded to Start Early have supported professional development, consultation and other learning opportunities for 2,000+ staff members across the Educare Network. Red Nose Day funds have also allowed the 25 Educare schools to develop new and innovative programs in the areas of science, tech, engineering, the arts and math (STEAM); social-emotional learning; family engagement; and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) and have impacted 5,000+ children and their families.

Start Early and the Educare Learning Network feel fortunate for the many opportunities we have as a grantee partner of CRUS to enhance our programming and connect with new audiences. Being part of Red Nose Day has offered Educare opportunities for national media exposure, helping us share the importance of early learning. A great example of this was in May 2022, when an Educare Chicago Mentor Teacher was featured in a segment on the Kelly Clarkson show. This was an opportunity for TV viewers around the country to be introduced to the Educare name and mission, helping the public understand the value of our work and high-quality early childhood education programs. Additionally, the Educare Network’s promotion of Red Nose Day in 2022 was particularly successful as we shared nearly 100 social media posts and other communications during the campaign and reached an audience upwards of 35,000 across multiple platforms and channels.

Since its launch in the U.S. in 2015, Comic Relief US (CRUS) has fundraised over $380 million, with over $324 million raised through its signature Red Nose Day campaign to end child poverty.

Comic Relief US invests in nonprofit organizations, many of which are community-led, with programs focused on tackling the root causes and consequences of poverty and social injustice. CRUS supports initiatives that advance the health, safety, education and empowerment of children and caregivers in communities impacted by intergenerational poverty.

Funds raised through Red Nose Day in the U.S. support programs across all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico and around the world, ensuring all children are safe, healthy, educated and empowered.

Legislators burning the midnight oil during the final days of legislative session
(Photo Credit: Erica Hallock)

Trivia!

What was the cost of constructing and designing the Washington State Governor’s Mansion in 1909?

Legislative Updates

Wednesday of this week was the final cutoff for bills to pass out of the opposite chamber. However, there is an exception to the cutoff deadlines for bills deemed necessary to implement the budget (NTIB). Both bodies put in long hours this week, with the House of Representatives working well into the early morning hours Tuesday and Wednesday. For a recap of the final steps of the legislative process, check out last week’s “Notes From Olympia.”

What to expect in the final 10 days. On Sunday, April 23 the 2023 legislative session comes to a close, also known as Sine Die (a Latin term meaning without a fixed day for future meeting). During the last few weeks of session, many bills will be amended to get them over the final hump. Some of the amendments will be done to reduce the cost of implementing the proposed policy or result from negotiations over policy approaches between the Senate and the House. It is a good idea to continue to check for amendments on bills you care about. You can do so by accessing the most recent bill reports or scrolling down to the bottom of the bill page to see if amendments have been adopted.

For example, House Bill 1525, which would provide child care subsidy eligibility to parents in state approved apprenticeship programs, was amended in the Senate Ways and Means Committee April 8. The amendment is toward the bottom of the page on the left and the adopted action (amended onto the bill) is at the bottom right of the table. An “Effect” section at the end of the amendment describes what the amendment would do.

In addition to wrapping up bills, the Legislature must finish, publish and pass the 2023-25 biennial Operating, Capital and Transportation budgets. Typically, the budget details and bills are released and voted on in the last few days of session. Now is the time to advocate for any additions or changes to the budget, as the Legislature will take an up-or-down vote (no amendments) once it is public and ready for action next week.

Bill Tracker: Key Early Learning Bills

As the legislative session progresses, our resource page will be updated with a weekly bill tracker. Please note that legislation changes quickly, so the version on our website may not represent a bill’s latest version as it is published the Thursday of each week.

In my work, I interchangeably use the terms “Hispanic” and “Latinx/e” to refer to individuals whose cultural background originated in Latin American and/or Spanish-speaking countries or are descendants of persons from those countries. I want to acknowledge that Hispanic or Latinx/e individuals in the United States represent diverse countries of origin with unique histories and cultures. Hereafter, I will use “Hispanic” to describe this population.

Over recent decades, the racial-ethnic demographic composition of children in the United States has rapidly shifted, with Hispanic children largely contributing to these changes. Only 9% of U.S. children were Hispanic in 1980; today, over a quarter of children are Hispanic, and by 2050, it is predicted that nearly one in every three children will be Hispanic. This represents a dramatic increase in the number of those who are eligible for early care and education (ECE). In response to this rapidly growing population, new lines of research have emerged to inform and advance practices and policies that support Hispanic children and families’ well-being.

Recent studies consistently demonstrate that participation in high-quality ECE programs is beneficial for Hispanic children’s academic, developmental, and family outcomes; and in some instances, such programs serve as a protective factor in mitigating adversity or negative experiences among Hispanic children and families. As this evidence continues to mount, some researchers have shifted their priorities to focus on linkages between Hispanic children and families’ enrollment in ECE and their well-being in the challenging landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tumultuous nature of the pandemic has corresponded with new studies unpacking hardships experienced by Hispanic children and families; these studies are often grounded in a deficit viewpoint. While researchers are building a much-needed knowledge base, the use of a strengths-based view is essential for uncovering protective factors, like engaging in ECE programs, that may serve as a buffer for Hispanic children and families from the challenges of the pandemic.

In contrast with other ECE research and the mostly bleak narratives circulating in the media about the negative effects of the pandemic on child and family well-being, results from these descriptive analyses of Educare Learning Network data found that Hispanic children and families demonstrated a variety of social-emotional related strengths. Findings and data from this sample may not generalize to other Hispanic children and families given that these children and families are enrolled in Educare—a model Early/Head Start program demonstrating higher than average program quality. However, changing the narrative and highlighting positive findings related to child and family well-being during the pandemic can potentially inform Early/Head Start and other ECE programs’ efforts to effectively support Hispanic children and families. These descriptive findings cannot yet speak to why this sample of young Hispanic children and their families did not demonstrate declines in these indicators of well-being or how child and family well-being will look in the long run; but they can help emphasize the importance of high-quality ECE and contribute further evidence that positive experiences in the early years may provide a buffer to the challenges faced by children and families, including those resulting from the pandemic.

Find information about research and evaluation within the Educare Learning Network at EducareSchools.org.

Start Early believes that the early years of a child’s development are critical to their ability to thrive in life, and that all children have the right to environments that support their healthy development. The impacts of climate change undermine the development and physical safety of young children and threaten the relationships and environments that shape their earliest years. If those who care for young children are key partners in designing for the future, we can mitigate these effects, while simultaneously strengthening and investing in our early childhood systems and communities.

THE CHALLENGE

As climate change progresses, frequent extreme heat, weather events and humanitarian emergencies will create the kind of toxic stress that impedes family wellness and children’s growth, development, learning and physical and mental health.

For infants, young children and pregnant people, their physical characteristics and particular circumstances make them more susceptible to the health effects of climate change, including illness and disease, injury and premature death and threats to mental health (according to the Centers for Disease Control). That vulnerability is also more severe for groups that have historically been under-served and those who are more vulnerable to heat and severe weather, including frontline and fenceline communities, BIPOC communities, refugees, people with lower incomes, people living with disabilities, and those at the intersections of these groups.

The changing climate will create new demands on both mental health resilience in the face of adverse childhood experiences brought on or worsened by extreme weather and physical infrastructure resilience in the neighborhoods, homes, centers and health care settings where children are cared for.

These challenges – and the need to respond to them – place additional burden on already-overworked and under-resourced caregivers and early childhood systems.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As the impacts of climate change expand and worsen, we must look to the strengths and protective factors offered by our early childhood system to support young children and their families in the context of a changing climate. Start Early is a champion for quality early learning and care, focused on closing the opportunity gap for our youngest learners. It is increasingly clear that we must expand our idea of what it means to care for young children to address the new and increased mental and physical health challenges that many of them are experiencing or will experience in the years ahead.

The challenge of climate change is daunting, but well-resourced, accessible early childhood systems are key in helping young children and their caregivers prepare and adapt.

Early childhood providers, health care providers, home visitors, doulas and others who support families are often the first stop and most trusted resource for young parents seeking information and help. Parents and providers also have valuable expertise on what young children need and how our support systems can help (or hinder) their development. These partnerships and insights will be critical to supporting the safety and resiliency of young children in the years ahead as programs and systems plan for the future.

In order to center the needs of young children and their families in climate adaptation and resiliency planning, Start Early President Diana Rauner is co-chairing the Early Years Climate Action Task Force, a group of cross-sector partners co-convened by Capita and This is Planet Ed (the Aspen Institute). The Task Force is in the process of developing the first-ever U.S. Early Years Climate Action Plan, which will include recommendations for how the country can help young children, birth-to-age 8, flourish in the face of climate change. Be the first to know when we share the final plan this fall.

Gorgeous cherry blossoms brighten the Capitol campus
(Photo Credit: Erica Hallock)

Trivia!

Washington state was admitted to the Union in 1889. How many years did it take for the state to adopt an official state flag?

The Homestretch: What to Expect at the End of the Legislative Session

Monday was budget day in the House of Representatives with debate, consideration of amendments and ultimate passage of the Operating and Transportation budgets. As a reminder, the Washington Fiscal Information website contains links to the budget bills and their details. And Start Early Washington’s resource page includes a comparison of the various early learning budget-related proposals released to date.

As we near the final weeks of the legislative session, the Legislature faces deadline after deadline in rapid succession. After the April 4 fiscal committee cutoff earlier this week, attention quickly pivoted back to Floor activity as lawmakers worked to debate and pass bills that originated in the opposite chamber in advance of the April 12 deadline. At the same time, budget writers continue negotiations to reconcile differences between the two bodies’ approaches prior to the scheduled April 23 adjournment. Legislators, staff and lobbyists are all fatigued, but an end is in sight and the beautiful cherry blossoms throughout the campus are inspiring.

Legislative Lowdown

I have seen a lot of questions recently about the process for a bill to become a law during these frenetic final days. As we all know, this process is far more complex than Schoolhouse Rock led us to believe. The legislative website contains a full description of this process.

Here’s a quick synopsis:

Bills not amended in the opposite chamber. Bills that pass out of the opposite chamber without any amendments move directly to the Governor. For example, if the Senate approves a bill exactly as it left the House, the bill moves straight to the Governor’s desk.

Bills amended in the opposite chamber. Bills amended in the second body must return to its original chamber so that entity can decide if it will “concur” with the other body’s changes. Bills amended in the opposite chamber are placed on the Concurrence Calendar in the House and the Concurring Calendar in the Senate (it would be interesting to learn why the slight difference in the naming of these calendars).

What happens if the first body disagrees (or fails to concur) with amendments made in the opposite body? When the original body does not concur with the amendments made in the opposite chamber, the originating body can request that the opposite chamber “recede” from its amendments. If the second body agrees to recede, the bill proceeds to the Governor.

If the second body does not agree to recede from its amendments, one of the bodies can ask for a “conference committee” representing members from both the Senate and House to work to resolve differences. (In legislative lingo, you may hear the statement that a “bill has gone to conference.”). If the conference committee is able to agree, it will produce a conference report that would then go before both chambers. Importantly, conference committee reports cannot be amended after adoption. If both bodies approve the conference committee report, the bill moves to the Governor. If one of the bodies does not approve the conference committee report (or does not take a vote), the bill fails.

After the votes are taken, do bills go to the Governor? Not quite. After bills pass third reading in both chambers, they must first be signed by the Speaker of the House, the Chief Clerk of the House, the President of the Senate and the Secretary of the Senate prior to transmittal to the Governor. This process is called enrollment. Prior to recent advancements in technology, the signed, paper bills were physically submitted to the Governor’s office. It is, of course, now done electronically, but there can still be a lag before it reaches the Governor.

Does the Governor have a time limit for acting on bills? Engrossed bills must be acted on by the Governor within five days of receipt unless the bill passes the Legislature with fewer than five days before adjournment. In that case, the Governor has 20 days to act on the bill (excluding Sundays). For the 2023 legislative session, the five-day cutoff is April 17. This means that bills that reach Governor Inslee’s desk by April 17 must be acted upon within five days.

The Governor may sign, veto or line-item veto parts of bills and usually executes at least a few vetoes every year for various reasons. It is possible for the legislature to override a Governor’s veto, but it does not happen often, particularly when the Governor and the legislative chambers are led by the same party.

The Governor’s website includes schedules of expected bill actions. Note that bill signings are no longer open to the general public but can be view on TVW.org.

Bill Tracker: Key Early Learning Bills

As the legislative session progresses, our resource page will be updated with a weekly bill tracker. Please note that legislation changes quickly, so the version on our website may not represent a bill’s latest version as it is published the Thursday of each week.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s proposed Smart Start Illinois initiative calls for a historic investment of $40 million for the Early Intervention (EI) program in FY 24 to increase provider reimbursement rates, address service coordination challenges and accommodate growing caseloads.

Illinois’ EI program provides a range of critical family-centered developmental and social-emotional services, including speech and language, occupational and physical therapies and social work services to nearly 27,000 infants and toddlers with developmental delays, disabilities or certain medical conditions across the state to ensure they have the best chance for healthy development. EI services have been shown to improve developmental outcomes for young children, support families to better meet their child’s developmental needs from an early age and reduce future educational costs to our communities and the state by minimizing the need for special education services. Nearly half of children who participated in Early Intervention are functioning within age expectations by pre-K, and of those who exit functioning below age expected levels, 75% substantially increased their rate of growth by pre-K.

Research shows that the first three years are a critical time to intervene because it is when a child’s developing brain is most capable of change, and we know that EI services are most effective when provided earlier in life. Despite this, infants and toddlers with delays and disabilities and their families are currently experiencing historically high service delays and barriers to accessing the Early Intervention system at every step of the process. This includes thousands of families waiting to complete the intake/evaluation and Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) development process, and many more waiting to receive services after their IFSPs are created as waitlists for services have nearly doubled from FY 22 to FY 23.

Without access to the EI services they are legally entitled to, infants and toddlers with delays and disabilities are falling through the cracks each day and many age out of EI while still waiting for services to be initiated. There has been a historic groundswell of advocacy among families and the EI provider community through grassroots organizing, with thousands of petition signatures collected and letters sent to legislators, and over a hundred postcards from families sharing their experiences. As one parent shared, “My son is currently waiting for services to start. He isn’t able to communicate with us. He isn’t able to tell us when he is hungry, thirsty or in pain. It’s very frustrating for him.”