NOVEMBER EDITION

CDA^® Council Policy Spotlight

Welcome to the first edition of the CDA® Council Policy Spotlight, your go-to source for quarterly child care and public policy updates. We're dedicated to sharing timely updates in the early childhood field and critical insights into the child care policy landscape. 

In future editions, you can expect a wide range of topics, from the latest happenings in Congress and state legislatures to building your individual advocate skillset. You’ll see regular contributions from the Council’s policy staff: Haley Brush, Public Policy and Advocacy Manager, and Carla Davila, Strategic Analysis and Policy Research Manager. Whether you're a policymaker, parent, educator, or administrator, this newsletter is for you.  

But we're not just here to educate; we're here to act. The Council for Professional Recognition is launching a robust policy agenda aimed at tackling the issues that are critical to the early childhood field and its workforce. You can read our full policy agenda here. 

Thank you for joining us in the pursuit of a brighter future for child care and the early educators who make it possible. Welcome to the CDA® Council’s Policy Spotlight! 

Federal Congressional Update

On September 30, 2023, Congress reached a bipartisan agreement on a 45-day continuing resolution (CR) and narrowly avoided a government shutdown. This short-term CR gives them until November 17, 2023, to come to an agreement on fiscal year 2024 (FY24) appropriations, also known as federal spending allocations, or they will once again be in danger of a shutdown. Further complicating these negotiations were the ongoing difficulties House Republicans faced agreeing on a Speaker of the House. Now that Republicans have elected a new Speaker of the House, Congressman Mike Johnson, the appropriations process can move forward—but that doesn’t mean a government shutdown is out of the question. In the early childhood education field, a government shutdown would directly impact child care facilities, particularly Head Start classrooms, and could leave families and students without access to quality child care.  

On October 25, 2023, President Joe Biden released his supplemental funding request to Congress, which includes $16B in emergency child care funding to help prevent facility closures and improve wages for child care workers following the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council for Professional Recognition applauds the Biden- Harris administration for prioritizing child care funding and urges Congress to pass this crucial emergency funding for the early childhood field. 

State Spotlight

In Massachusetts, State Representative David LeBoeuf is creating innovative legislation aimed at tackling early educator workforce shortages and related challenges educators face when accessing training. He introduced Bill H3755: An Act relative to rebuilding our early education workforce earlier this year, which he described in recent testimony as “creating early education apprenticeship opportunities in high schools, early education centers, and home-based care settings that enable educators to achieve their Child Development Associate® (CDA) Credential™.” Council COO Andrew Davis joined him to testify in support of the bill at the Massachusetts State House.

If passed, this bill would also reduce costs for CDA® candidates enrolled in public institutions of higher education, create a fund to cover test expenses for other candidates, and allow college administrators to count the CDA towards degree and graduation requirements. The Council for Professional Recognition thanks Representative LeBoeuf for his efforts in supporting the CDA® and urges the Massachusetts State Legislature to pass this important child care workforce bill.

Advocacy Tips

Interested in becoming an advocate and supporting the Council’s work to expand our impact and reach? Below are two ways you can begin to develop your advocacy skills in the early childhood field: 

Learn about Advocacy 

• Who can be an advocate? Any early childhood educator, policymaker, researcher, child care facility director, and anyone else who is passionate about supporting the ECE field!  
• Build your advocacy skills by familiarizing yourself with policy issues that affect the early childhood education workforce. Read our policy agenda here to learn more.  

Share with Colleagues, Friends, and Family 

• Help other colleagues in the early childhood education field keep up to date with the CDA Council’s Policy Spotlight and recruit them to become advocates.

Forward this email to your networks and encourage them to subscribe! 

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