Public Policy

Take action now through PACCA's
Legislative Alert Center

You can make a big difference in just 5 minutes. That's all it will take to learn the issues and send a letter to your elected officials. The actions of our government have an enormous impact on the future of our children and history teaches that every vote can matter. 

To easily communicate with your elected officials and find out where they stand on the issues, visit our Legislative Alert Center.

(July 23, 10)

Congress Must Finish and Fund the Child Nutrition Reauthorization! 

Both the Senate Agriculture Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee have passed versions of a bill to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act. With 1 in 4 children struggling with hunger and 1 in 3 obese or overweight, the Child Nutrition Reauthorization could not come at a more critical time.

But now the work is on hold.  Why? Nothing else can happen until the leaders in Congress make this reauthorization a real priority on the calendar! If a Child Nutrition bill is not passed this summer, millions of children will miss out on improved access to the nutritious food they need to learn and grow. The programs in the Child Nutrition Act (including CACFP, WIC, school breakfast and lunch, and others) are set to expire on September 30.

Today, urge Congress to pass a strong child nutrition bill. Help us to tell Congress to finish and fund the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization!

(July 12, 10)

FMAP ALERT – Keep the Heat on Congress 

Pennsylvania’s FY 10-11 budget is based on $850 million in federal funding that Congress has not approved. If there is no movement in Congress before the end of July, the Governor and legislative leaders will start makings cuts.

If Congress does not extend FMAP, this could mean massive cuts to programs like Pre-K Counts, the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, Child Care Works, Keystone STARS, and Nurse Family Partnerships.

Why would early childhood programs be affected? All of our early childhood programs are either entirely funded or partially funded by state dollars. While policymakers support these programs – none of them are required to be funded under state and federal laws.   So, they can be cut.  Other programs cannot. If Pennsylvania has to fill an $850 million gap it will have to come from programs like early childhood, education, etc…

Send a thank you to Senators Casey and Specter for their past support and ask them to be proactive with leadership to make FMAP a priority!

(June 21, 10)

Act now -- Massive budget cuts predicted without new revenue

Last week was a real game-changer as efforts in the State House of Representatives to pass a bill to generate revenue to avoid massive budget cuts failed.

Now House and Senate budget negotiators are looking at cuts to help balance the budget.  If they rely on cuts alone, they will need to slash $1 billion from the House-passed budget bill.  No one is talking about increasing funding for programs now. It’s all about CUTS – upwards of $1 billion in cuts!

Tell your legislators to protect early learning programs as they struggle to balance the state budget.

(June 17, 10)

Help Get Families Working Again! Sign the Petition to Support Investments in Quality, Affordable Child Care Today!  

The Administration proposed a $1.6 billion increase in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in their FY2011 budget request. This investment would help families across this country by improving the quality and affordability of child care and making it possible for parents to go to work.

Show your support for increased investment in child care. Sign the petition today!

(June 15, 10)

Action Needed Immediately: Follow-up to Action Day

State budget action is heating up and the likelihood of a budget without cuts seems less possible each day.

The House is trying to take a more balanced approach and is considering a revenue package. This could help provide funds for programs like child care, Head Start and Pre-K Counts. 

Over 650 early childhood education advocates traveled to Harrisburg last week filling the Capitol. Throughout the building people heard their chant to Close the Gap! Raise Revenue! Fund Early Childhood!

If you attended Action Day, click here to send a letter to your House Member TODAY!

If you were unable to attend, you can still make a difference. Click here to send a letter to your House Member TODAY!

(June 10, 10)

Child Nutrition Action Days June 10-11

As a child care provider, you know the importance of the healthy meals and snacks you serve each day to the children in your care.

Did you know that nearly one in four children in the U.S. faces hunger, and that there are families in every Congressional District considered “food insecure”?

Did you know that the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) supports child care providers and serves 3.1 million children each day?

For many children, the meals served in child care might be the best (and in some cases, the only) meals they get.

The House of Representatives is about to work on the Child Nutrition Act (the Senate Agriculture Committee passed their version last March).

Take Action! Make sure they pass and fund the Child Nutrition Act!

(June 9, 10)

Today is Early Childhood Action Day!

Today in Harrisburg, hundreds of early learning advocates will be at the Capitol, rallying on the steps of the Rotunda and meeting with policymakers calling for continued investment in Child Care Works, Keystone STARS, Pre-K Counts and Head Start -- investments in child care and early education are the KEYS to our commonwealth!

While you may not be able to be in Harrisburg, you can still join us! It’s easy.

Send a message to your House and Senate members today telling them that we cannot afford to cut our way out of our current financial challenges and urging them to explore all revenue options.

(May 24, 10)

House to take action on Budget shortfall. We need to protect early childhood investments! 

The state faces a budget shortfall of $1.3 billion for the current year and next year looks even worse. The Pennsylvania General Assembly has responded to this recession-driven budget crisis with CUTS - so far, to programs like Pre-K Counts and Head Start. We are hearing that there are still more cuts to come.

Click here to send a message to lawmakers that ECE is an important investment!

(May 14, 10)

Sign-on TODAY to Prevent ECE Cuts 

Pennsylvania could end the year $1.5 billion behind revenue projections. Cuts alone are not the way out of this economic crisis. We must explore all options to balance the budget -- including raising revenue. Help us gather more than 1,000 supporters on early childhood investments to send a message to House and Senate leadership.

Please add your organization or program to the list of endorsers today!  We will accept names until close of business on Wednesday, May 19, 2010. 

Click here to read the sign-on letter and Take Action!

(May 6, 10)

Urge Congress to Fund Child Care and Other Early Childhood Programs 

The Obama Administration's budget proposal for next year includes important increases in funding for child care, Head Start, and child nutrition programs. These programs serve our most disadvantaged children, enable parents to get and keep a job, and promote good nutrition early in life.

Congress must fully fund the President's budget proposal to ensure that our children, families, and nation reach their full potential.  

Write to Congress today to make clear the importance of a $1.6 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, a $989 million increase for Head Start and Early Head Start, and a $1 billion increase for child nutrition programs.

(Apr. 20, 10)

Take Action! Ask Your Representative to Support Increased Funds for the Child Nutrition Act!

The deadline for you to take action has been extended to Tuesday April 27!

At the end of March, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed a bill to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act. While the bill calls for a significant new investment in child nutrition programs, it's less than half of what the Administration called for earlier this year and definitely less than what is needed to reach young children with healthy meals and snacks that we all know make a huge difference. We need to work together to encourage Congress to find more dollars to invest in these crucial programs, including CACFP.

We have an opportunity in the House of Representatives this week! Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) are preparing to send a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking her to prioritize $1 billion a year for the Child Nutrition Act. And they need our help – the more Representatives who sign that letter with them, the more attention it will get. Will you help us? Ask your Representative to sign the letter today!

The more Representatives who sign that letter, the more powerful it is. (Please click here to read the letter: http://frac.org/pdf/dear_colleague_april2010.pdf)

(Mar. 22, 10)

Early Learning Challenge Fund is dropped

Last week, The Early Learning Challenge Fund was eliminated from the Budget Reconciliation bill that included health care and student loan reform. 

Unfortunately, the Early Learning Challenge Fund, an initiative that would have challenged states to create a new framework for our early childhood system, was dropped from a bill that would make major changes in the student loan system.  This is a bitter disappointment to ece advocates who have been working on this bill since last summer.  But this battle is not over. We’re not ready to give up and neither should you.

Despite the Challenge Fund loss, the voice of early education community is stronger and our relationships with the Administration, key Congressional legislators, and the media deeper than ever as a result of all of our work thus far. 

Where do we go from here? We need to dust ourselves off and begin again. Tell Congress and the Administration that we need to find another way to enact the Early Learning Challenge Fund as well as the President's other early childhood priorities. This includes the $1.6 billion in the Administration’s budget for new investments in child care and the nearly $1 billion for increases in Head Start.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said of early education in a press conference last week: “The president is absolutely committed on this issue, I’m absolutely committed, and we’re going to find another vehicle to help the early learning community.” Let’s be sure to hold him at his word.

Thank you for your hard work and investment in early childhood education. Please stay tuned for next steps.

(Mar. 15, 10)

Take Action: Call Senator Casey and Senator Specter NOW
Important update about the Sessions-McCaskill Amendment

Last week, Thursday March 11th, we asked you to contact Senators Casey and Specter to urge them to vote no on an amendment that we expected would be offered by Senators Sessions (R-AL) and McCaskill (D-MO), which would freeze discretionary spending for four years (through FY13). 
 
The amendment was to be attached to the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill, which was to be taken up by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Thursday. 
 
Our national partner, the Early Care and Education Consortium, report that while the Committee had hoped for a quick discussion and vote on the bill, which is a must-pass measure, it was instead met with Senators offering a host of unrelated amendments to the bill, one of which included the Sessions/McCaskill measure. As a result, progress on the bill was stalled and by the end of discussions last week, neither the Sessions/McCaskill amendment, nor the bill itself, had yet to come up for a vote.
 
While both Chairman Rockefeller (D-WV) and Ranking Member Hutchison (R-TX) are attempting to get the extraneous amendments dropped from debate around the bill, it still looks at this point in time that the Sessions/McCaskill measure will still come up for a vote when the Committee resumes their work on the reauthorization bill early this week (Monday evening or, more likely, Tuesday morning).
 
If you have not done so already, please contact the Senator Casey and Senator Specter and ask them to vote NO on the Sessions-McCaskill amendment.

Call Senator Casey 202.224.6324 and Senator Specter 202.224.4254 on Monday, March 15th!
 
If you have made the call, thank you! We’ll keep you updated when we have more information.

(Mar. 11, 10)

Take Action: Call Senator Casey and Senator Specter NOW

Important alert about the Sessions-McCaskill Amendment.  They are voting this afternoon.  This amendment would likely make it exceedingly difficult to increase funding for CCDBG and Head Start and potentially lead to cuts.

Call Senator Casey 202.224.6324 and Senator Specter 202.224.4254 today!

The Sessions/McCaskill amendment to freeze discretionary spending for four years could come up for a vote again this afternoon (Thur. March 11) as the Senate debates the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill.  While it failed by one vote (59-41) last week, there’s a risk it could pass today. 

The amendment would:
• Lock in funding levels for nondefense and defense appropriations for four years, through fy 2014. 
• Require 67 votes in the Senate to pass an exemption to the cap. 
• Limit emergency spending (for example, to deal with disasters like Hurricane Katrina) to $10 to $11 billion per year – and authorizing even that limited amount of emergency spending would take 60 votes.

This amendment would make it virtually impossible to secure additional appropriations for child care and other urgent needs.

The most effective strategy is to hold on to the 41 “NO” votes from last week.  The Senators Casey and Specter  voted “no” last week and we need them to vote NO again.  Please call them NOW to thank them for voting No last week -- and urge them to vote “No” on the Sessions-McCaskell Amendment when it comes up for a vote again.

(Mar. 4, 10)

March Fourth on March 4th
“Families Earning, Children Learning”

Today thousands of advocates are joining together to "March Forth" in support of increased funding for child care, Head Start and child nutrition. This year’s action theme — “Families Earning, Children Learning” — reminds Congress of the importance of these programs for children, parents and our economic recovery.  

Take action today by calling your Members of Congress. 

Here's why you should take action right on March 4th:

Your Members of Congress have started to work on the federal budget, which determines a large chunk of funding for child care and early education programs, along with other programs that matter for women and families. By contacting your members of Congress, we can make sure that Congress knows that the increased investments proposed in the President's budget are necessary.

The more calls and e-mails they get, the more pressure Congress will feel to support these vital programs. So please help spread the word by forwarding this message to friends, family and colleagues.

Thanks for Marching Forth with us! 

(Feb. 19, 10)

The funding process in Congress starts now!

Tell Congress to Fund Child Care and Head Start Now! 

On February 1, the Administration kicked off the annual federal funding process with the Budget Proposal for FY2011. You may have heard the great news: the Budget Proposal includes a $1.6 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), and a $989 million increase for Head Start/Early Head Start!

This is just the beginning
It is GREAT news that these investments are included in the Administration's Budget Proposal. But now it's up to Members of Congress to make the decisions to make these proposals a reality! 

The CCDBG money in the Budget Proposal is in two parts - only half of it ($800 million) would move through the appropriations process, so right now we're focusing on that $800 million. Stay tuned for news about the rest of the child care money!

It all starts now!
The funding process in Congress starts now. Each and every member of the Senate and House of Representatives must think about their own funding priorities - those things most important to them because they are most important in their home states and districts. Will child care and Head Start be a priority for your Members of Congress?

Take action TODAY to send an email letting them know that child care and Head Start are a priority in their hometowns! Tell them to prioritize funding for CCDBG and Head Start: parents can't work without child care, and early care and learning programs matter for young children!

Thank you!

(Jan. 25, 10)

President Places Priority on Child Care

The White House issued a press release related to initiatives the President will propose this week to assist families in this economy.  Specifically with regard to child care, the President will propose doubling the value of the child care tax credit AND increasing the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) by $1.6 billion, the largest one-year increase for child care in 20 years.  To read a copy of the President's press release, click here.
 
It's exciting to see the President putting a priority on child care.  Now is the time to build on the President's budget proposal and insist that Congress reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) in order to improve the quality and availability of child care nationwide. You can expect to hear more from us on this in the coming weeks.
 
As a reminder, the President is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, January 27, at 9:00pm (EST).  The President will propose his FY2011 budget on Monday, February 1.  We will share information on both as soon as possible to ensure that all of us have the most up to date .

(Jan. 20, 10)

Help Support Access to Nutritious Meals for Young Children with the CACFP Action Kit!

Throughout the month of January, PACCA and ECEC are urging child care providers to take action to show your support for the reauthorization of the Child and Adult Care Food Program in Congress this year.  We need to get the message out from hometowns about the importance of nutritious meals in child care, in this economy and every day.

The ECEC has created the CACFP Action Kit! We encourage you to tailor the CACFP Action Kit to include the variety of action steps that make the most sense for your organization. 

Ask Your Officials to Support Nutritious Meals for Children!

Congress is back in session and beginning to turn their attention to several pieces of legislation. One of the most important for child care and early learning providers is the Child Nutrition Act. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY 21) have introduced legislation that would take a big step forward in improving access to nutritious meals in child care. But we need your help! Take action to support the legislation!

(Dec. 9, 09) 

Take Action! Tell President Obama to invest in early childhood programs!

As a child care provider, you know what it takes to serve children and families each day, and you know that parents can't work without child care. To make sure that the FY 2011 federal budget includes the funds that these programs need to support children and families, the early childhood community is joining forces to contact the White House.  The federal budget is crucial to sustaining important early childhood education programs.

On Wednesday and Thursday, December 9th and 10th, advocates from across the country will contact the White House to ask them to increase funding for early childhood programs in the 2011 budget. 

Please take action today by contacting the White House. There are two ways you can contact the President:

1. Leave a message for President Obama on the White House Comments line! 

• Call (202) 456-1111 (You may need to call more than once if you get a busy signal.) This is the line for an "answering machine" at the White House - you'll have an opportunity to record your message but you won't talk with a "live" person.
• When it is time to record:
  o My name is ________ and I'm a child care provider in (City), (State).
  o Please help children get the strong start they need to succeed in school by including a $3.7 billion increase for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, another $3.7 billion increase for Head Start and Early Head Start, $400 million for IDEA Preschool and $500 million for infants and toddlers with disabilities and special needs in the FY 2011 budget proposal.
• Thank you.
• That's it! Hand up the phone knowing you made a big difference today. 

2. Send President Obama an e-mail!

• Click here to send a message supporting investments in early childhood programs.
Please forward this message to your friends and coworkers so they too can take action on Wednesday and Thursday, December 9th and 10th. The more people who take action, the more our voices will be heard in this very important budget process.

(Nov. 9, 09) 

The Child Nutrition Act, which includes important initiatives like CACFP, school lunch and WIC, is up for reauthorization in Congress.

Really, How Much Longer Will We Have to Wait?

We thought they had a deal, but Pennsylvanians are still waiting for a state budget! The longer the legislators wait, the more it hurts families, children, and child care providers! We sent another “video message” to the General Assembly reminding them who is waiting for their action: Check out this video to see exactly WHO is waiting on a decision! 

Take Action!
You can help us let the General Assembly know how important it is that they FINISH THE STATE BUDGET! Click here to send an email with the video message to your legislators today!   

Remind them that parents can’t work without child care!

The Pennsylvania Child Care Association and the ECEC thank their members for contributing to this video, and for their tireless work each day supporting children, families, and the economy.

(Sept. 24, 09)  - PACCA is hearing that specific final details of the budget proposal won't be released until after the leaders have finished briefing the other members of the legislature.  Many of the details are still being worked out. While there have been some positive indications about the budget numbers for our programs, we need to wait to be sure before we make an announcement.

Press Conference Announced a Budget Agreement (Sept. 21, 09)

Lawmakers still have a lot of work to do before the budget process is complete.  The proposal should take about one or two weeks to draft and pass.  The budget bill must first clear the joint legislative conference committee and then pass both chambers without amendments.  Several state laws including the fiscal code, the welfare code, and the law governing casino gambling will have to be rewritten or amended as part of the budget agreement.  "The agreement itself is the easy part," House Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans said. "This deal will not fall apart. But we have to do the mechanical parts of it." 

We do not expect specific details of the proposal to be released until after the legislative leaders have had a chance to brief the members on the agreement.  A budget conference committee meeting has not been scheduled yet.  The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on Wednesday afternoon, and the House is expected to reconvene sometime this week.

No Member action is requested at this time.

House to Vote on Challenge Fund Legislation this Week! Take Action Today! (Sept. 15, 09)

Child care providers, you know what it takes to provide high-quality care and learning every day. The investments proposed in the Early Learning Challenge Fund would make a huge difference in the opportunities states can create for programs like yours to thrive. Opportunities include support for professional development, program rating systems with incentives and rewards, and more!

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on this legislation THIS WEEK! Your U.S. House Representative needs to hear from you now about how important this investment really is to helping states direct resources toward improving and maintaining quality.

Take Action now by sending an email to your U.S. Representative asking for support for the legislation, and support for the work you do.

For more information, click here: http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/earlylearning/elcf-factsheet.html

For more information, click here: http://www.ececonsortium.org/federal_ece_legislation.php

Thank you!

How Much Longer Will We Have to Wait? (Aug. 28, 09)

Pennsylvanians are still waiting for a state budget! The longer we wait, the more it hurts families, children, and providers! Check out our members video to see exactly WHO is waiting on a decision! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRq9NxhRSIg

Take Action!
Help us let the General Assembly know how important it is that they move to complete the budget. Send an email with the PACCA/ECEC video to your legislators today! Remind them that parents can't work without child care! Take action now!

The Pennsylvania Child Care Association (PACCA) and the Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC) would like to thank their members for contributing to this video, and for their tireless work each day supporting children, families, and the economy.

Budget stalemate, important survey, action plan for last week of August 

(Aug 13, 09)  - The budget impasse continues.  Negotiations have stopped for the moment. The direct impact of the delayed budget is being felt now, as providers wait for payment and families wonder how much longer they'll be able to access child care.  We are hearing that by September 90% of the CCIS agencies will be unable to pay child care providers their Child Care Works subsidy if a budget is not passed.  Nearly 70% of CCIS agencies will shut down completely by September without a budget.  For more information on the budget impact, see the attached one-page summary from OCDEL. The situation for providers changes daily, therefore, the date of information is noted for each item. 

We're working with OCDEL and the PA coalition to find out details about the impact. Stories from your centers are valuable - please share your news with PACCA by emailing wendy@pacca.org or by calling 717-657-9000 and asking for Terry or Wendy. 

OCDEL is also circulating a survey asking providers who participate in Child Care Works and/or Keystone Stars to share some details on the impact of the budget delay. Please encourage your centers to participate in this survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=pe2tNO_2bPIxb12Piy6bLYwg_3d_3d.  The survey deadline is August 14.

More action is needed. We need to stimulate statewide activity on the community level in support of the ECE investments proposed by the Governor in his Executive Budget and to promote understanding of the economic consequences of the budget stalemate on employers, parents, children, and programs.   To do this, PACCA is helping to organize, “ECE Works in PA Day" -- August 28, 2009.  We will supply a kit of tools, templates and instructions, including a letter for parents and their employers to sign and a fun way for children to make their own "business cards" to send to Senators.  We're trying to reach every member of the State Senate. We need you once again. It's our widespread presence that makes a difference. 

PACCA will send you the this information shortly.

Payments Stopping from CCIS

If the PA Budget does not pass soon, subsidized child care payments may stop by August 20th in many counties.   See Rally information below.

Click here for 8.7.09 News release on the Child Care Crisis

CCIS organizations are not receiving funds from OCDEL until the state budget passes (the Commonwealth has no authority to spend funds on bills incurred post July 1), which means child care providers may not receive payment or perhaps a partial payment. Some CCIS organizations may have lines of credit but those funds will most likely not reimburse providers entirely. The invoice providers sent to CCIS for June's care, provided to children whose families receive subsidies, will or has been paid.  But following payments are contingent on the state budget passing.  PACCA is encouraging providers to call your local CCIS to find out how they are planning to handle payments. Some CCIS’s have either floated lines of credit or other county assurances that they will cover child care subsidy.

What can you do?

1. Call your local CCIS to find out how they are planning to handle payments.

2. Keep up the urgency to pass a responsible budget by sharing your story! What is the trickle down affect of the budget impasse? Have you considered what this could mean to your program? Will child care providers need to lay off staff? Will you need to cut children from programs?

• Providers need to tell the story of how the impasse is affecting them.
  
   How the budget delay is affecting the operations of your program:
   Have you had to lay off staff or are you close to laying off staff?
   Have you had to reduce your number of classrooms or close classrooms altogether?
   Your plans for PA Pre-K Counts if the budget delay lasts longer than August 15? September 1?
  
• Parents need to share what will happen if they lose access to early education services? Where will their child go while they are at work?  How will their child's early learning be impacted?
  
• Businesses need to share how loss of early education would affect their bottom line. Encourage businesses who have a number of employees accessing early education services to share with their legislators how it will hurt their business if their employees lose access to these vital services.

3. Write a letter to the editor or contact your legislator. For media contact and legislator information click here.   Please see the attached news release, Child Care Programs will Experience a Cash Flow "Crisis "

In addition to letting our legislators know the impact of the budget impasse on our staff, children and families, here are two opportunities to take action in the coming week:

1) Tuesday, August 11, 12:00 p.m.
In the Southeastern PA district of Senator Dominic Pileggi, one of the state’s leading voices in the battle budget and chief proponent for budget cuts

Rally to SAVE PENNSYLVANIA COMMUNITIES!

Featuring speakers from education, child care, business development, housing, prevention services, health, children’s healthcare, disability rights, community development, the arts and more!

Let’s raise our voices for a STATE BUDGET that’s supports – not hurts -- Pennsylvania!

For more information, contact sheilas@pccy.org, 215-563-5848, ext. 12

BUDGET UPDATE (Aug. 3, 09)

You Did It Again – You Stopped the House From Passing a Bad Budget

You did it! Thousands of emails, calls, and faxes were received by Rep. Kotik and other House members today pushing them to support House Democratic leaders and avoiding passing a budget that is bad for kids

You are the best – we couldn’t do this without you.  You work hard everyday to make kids’ lives in our state much better and when it seems you have nothing left – you do more. 

We avoided another crisis, but this effort continues. This budget fight isn’t over yet. Today’s actions will allow the governor to pay state employees but policymakers must head back to the negotiating table.

Unfortunately, our programs are left in limbo including basic education, Pre-K Counts, child care, Head Start, CHIP, child welfare and more.

Without your help we would not have gotten this far. However, we can and must maintain momentum and energy. We must continue to fight for investments in children and families.

Take a deep breath. You did a great job! Again, thank you!

We will send you more information as the budget process moves forward and ask for your continued action to assure a budget that meets the needs of Pennsylvania’s children.

BUDGET UPDATE (Aug. 3, 09)

Amendment in the House Could Force Bad Budget - Act Immediately 
 
The House will be asked to consider an amendment today that suspends the House rules and pushes a budget amendment that is bad for kids.  Child Care Works and Pre-K Counts, among other things, get deep cuts in the proposed amendment. We need to contact members of the House immediately to urge them to vote "no" on this today!

BUDGET UPDATE (July 27, 09)

The State Senate insisted on its amendments to the budget bill (HB1416) which were non-concurred in the House.  This action forced the budget bill into a Conference Committee.

The Senate appointed its conferees to the Conference Committee; they are: Senators. Pileggi [R], Corman [R], and Costa [D].  The House has appointed Representatives Eachus (D). D. Evans (D) and Smith (R).

Please urge these leaders to protect ECE investments and early childhood education. Click here to locate leader information.

Budget moves to leadership, act NOW to protect ECE!  (July 27, 09)

As the legislature heads in to final negotiations of the state budget, key legislators need to hear that these early childhood programs are critical to our state. Parents can't work without child care!

This is where it counts - this will be the final decision for funding for our programs.

Please let the Leadership know that investments in early childhood programs are critical for the state. The message remains, fund Child Care Works, Pre-K Counts, Keystone Stars and the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program.

The Leaders need to hear from real center staff and real families about the importance of this funding so children have good care, so parents can go to work, so the state can get the economy back on track.

You can make a difference now! Take action through our Legislative Alert Center

Deep Cuts Proposed to ECE Programs - We need your help to win it back! (July 15, 09)
 
We need your help to secure funding for the ECE investments and to win back the investments in Pre-K Counts.

The House of Representatives could vote on a budget as early as tomorrow that could make drastic cuts to child care and Pre-K Counts.

Both House Democrats and Republicans have proposed to restore the Head Start Supplemental but that is where the good news ends..

House Republicans propose to slash child care funding by more than $50 million. When you add up the cuts proposed by the House and Senate Republicans - nearly 15,000 additional children could go without child care subsidy.  This is likely to push our statewide waiting list to nearly 30,000 children and put TANF and former-TANF children on the waiting list for the first time in history. House Republicans include the Senate Republican proposal to cut Pre-K Counts in half!

House Democrat's restore funding for child care but they fail to restore pre-K to the funding available in the last school year and include the Governor's proposed increase for the coming year.  

The House Democrat's Pre-K Counts proposal is about $15 million below the Governor's request!  This will leave nearly 2,000 preschoolers without service this fall and drive the waiting list for Pre-K Counts up to nearly 10,000.

Click here to urge your House member to contact their leaders to increase funding for Child Care Works and Pre-K Counts. Talking points and phone numbers will be provided.

We cannot go backward when our children have taken such great leaps forward! We must keep Pre-K Counts and the other ECE investments on the table as budget negotiations continue.

We need you to CALL your House member NOW!

URGENT – ECE Funding in Jeopardy (July 13, 09)

The House is likely to run a budget bill this week that will SLASH programs across the board including early childhood programs to bring the budget into balance and avoid any new revenue proposals or tax increases. We need you to reach out to your House members NOW.

What's at Stake:

Cuts will be detrimental. S.B. 850 will:

• Remove 6,000 children from PA Pre-K Counts and there are currently 7,800 children already on waiting lists for 09-10 school year with the expectation that 12,000 children will be served
• Remove 2,800 children from the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program
• Remove 7,700 children from Child Care Works when there are over 16,000 children already on the waiting list 
  

Tell them to vote NO on S.B. 850 or any bill that cuts early care and education. Tell them how cuts to PA Pre-K Counts, the Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, funding for Child Care Works and Keystone STARS would impact you, your neighbors, your employees, and the future of this state!

Thousands of Pennsylvania's children and families depend on these programs. Please take action today.

Take action now through PACCA's
Legislative Alert Center

On Wednesday July 8th,
we need your support!

Rally and Press Conference in Harrisburg
Capitol Rotunda, 11:00 a.m. 

If you can not join us in Harrisburg,
we urge you to call Your Legislators! 

Governor Rendell announced yet another round of specific program cuts to try to balance the budget. But the Governor knows that child care investments for our state are crucial, and he proposed maintaining funds for our programs! BUT IT IS NOT OVER YET.

Legislators are meeting now, scrambling to put a budget in place. Will they agree with the Governor and maintain funds for Child Care Works, Keystone Stars, PreK Counts and the Head Start Supplemental? Or will they undo years of progress, and tell children and families they can no longer participate in these programs? And with so much in play, will the Governor maintain his support?

On Wednesday July 8, please let your legislators know that you know what's best for children and families in your community!

Take action

We Think We Can Do Even Better for Kids in PA!  (6/01/09)

This is it!  The heat of budget negotiations is upon us. Legislators are back in Harrisburg and will be in session until the budget is resolved.  The outlook is not good.

Did you know that the Senate's version of the budget would cut 6,500 kids from Pre-K Counts programs and cut 2,800 more from the Head Start Supplemental Assistance program?

What does that mean? Next September, Pre-K Counts classrooms and classrooms funded by the Head Start State Supplemental would only serve half the children they do today! Entire program classrooms may be closed down if this version of the budget is final. But there's still time!

Together, we know we CAN do better for kids! We must make our voices heard - over and over again.  Others are working very hard to be sure their issues rise to the top for legislators we must do the same for ECE.

It is time to shift the train into the next gear... don't stop now! You can take action below right now.

We Think We Can Do Better for Kids! (5/27/09)

The Memorial Day holiday is over and it's almost June and that means STATE BUDGET DECISION TIME! All of us have been working hard to secure passage of a budget that puts kids first but some in Harrisburg are trying to derail us.

WE THINK WE CAN DO BETTER FOR KIDS!

Did you know that the Senate’s passed version of the budget would kick 7,700 children receiving subsidized child care out of the program?

For every 20 children currently receiving subsidy, 1 could lose care. The child care subsidy waiting list could grow to over 24,000 children!  What would that mean for your child care program and your families?

Take action now to urge your legislators to actively express support for subsidized child care and other early childhood education investments!

Together, we know we CAN do better for kids!  We have friends in the legislature who know that child care subsidies help keep families working and help children learn. The budget is negotiated by a few members and now is the time to make sure House and Senate leaders support us.

Thank you for all the visits and phone calls. Keep up the great work don't stop now! Click here for more ideas on how to engage your staff and parents. 

We have only a few weeks until the budget must pass and Pennsylvania’s kids are counting on us!

Thank you!
The Pennsylvania Child Care Association

We need you to call your representative today! (5/21/09)

Action Needed from Grassroots!  The House Appropriations Committee is meeting today and tomorrow.  Directors, staff and parents call your Representative and tell them that the budget passed by the Senate is not good for children, families, providers or the state economy.  Tell them they must do better.

Background information
In February the Governor proposed his budget, this month the Senate proposed their budget called Senate Bill 850; SB 850 has passed the Senate and is in the House Appropriation Committee.  SB850 is terrible young for children, devastating to families and threatens ECE provider operations.  SB 850 would:

• Force Pennsylvania to forfeit $60 million in ARRA* funds for child care services
• Cut 7,700 children from Child Care Works who are already receiving subsidy plus force Pennsylvania to create a waiting list for TANF/former TANF families for the first time. 
• Jeopardize continuous quality improvement of child care programs through Keystone STARS; T.E.A.C.H. scholarships could be cut.
• Cut 1,700 children from infant/toddler Early Intervention services, even though Pennsylvania is required to serve every child eligible for Early Intervention.
• Cut 6,500 children from Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, which is 50% of those currently served. OCDEL indicates that in cutting 50% of the Pre-K Counts funds the budget will cause entire classrooms to be closed.
• Cut 2,800 children from Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program, which is 50% of those currently served. (Please note: no new children will be served in Head Start as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -ARRA).
• Cut 850 families from the Nurse-Family Partnership, which is close to one-quarter of those served.

Call your representative! Take Action now.

Current ECE Budget Status - Now is not the time to quit! (5/14/09)

The Pennsylvania Senate passed their version of the budget on May 4 and returned to their districts. They will be back in Harrisburg in June for final negotiations- and they need to hear from you between now and then! We will all be working together to send emails, host Senators at our child care programs, and participating in meetings in district offices. Every voice counts!

The House has not made final decisions about their version of the budget- there is still time to do the right thing!

Thank you to those who participated in Early Childhood Action Day!

Nearly 500 early childhood advocates traveled to Harrisburg on May 12 to meet with legislators about the need for continued support of early childhood education investments in the 2009-2010 budget and the value of these investments for Pennsylvania's future.

Many other advocates who could not come to Harrisburg participated in a "virtual" Action Day, sending letters and faxes to their legislators.

While Early Childhood Action Day has passed, your support is still essential.  We're asking that advocates meet with their legislators and program staff invite members to their centers to show them the value of early childhood education programs.

Oppose Budget Bill that Slashes Children's Programs (5/4/09)

The Pennsylvania Senate has introduced their own state budget proposal for 2009-2010.  The Senate version makes deep cuts to early childhood programs. We need to let the legislature know that this isn't going unnoticed. The Governor indicated in his proposed budget that it was going to be a tough year with many cuts, but the cuts the Senate proposed are at the expense of our most vulnerable constituencies at a time when they most need the help. Pennsylvania needs a budget that gives relief to the middle class and provides for services for our needy.
 
We often tell children to "use your words."  Now it's time for us to "use our words" and let our state Senators know that this budget (SB 850) is the WRONG direction for Pennsylvania. Their budget will:

• cut 7,700 children from access to child care subsidy while 15,000+ children are on the waiting list- that's thousands of parents who will not be able to go to work because they don't have child care;
• cut funding for quality programs like Keystone STARS and the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Education Scholarship Program; and
• eliminate the Governor's proposed increase in funding for Pre K Counts plus cuts the existing funding to this program by fifty percent.

This funding helps parents work, children thrive, and child care programs increase quality, all while helping teaching staff improve their professional development and their wages.
 
Take action now to send a message to your Senators letting them know you are watching the budget decisions. Urge them to oppose SB 850. And, more than ever we need you to come to Early Childhood Action Day on May 12 to tell the House they need to do better on their version of the state budget. This isn't over yet, and every voice counts! 

Take action