Head Start & Elementary Education

The study involved interviews with families from Nigeria and Pakistan living on Chicago's North Side to examine their experiences and perspectives around accessing Illinois' universal preschool program, Preschool for All (PFA). Researchers conducted focus groups with parents and spoke with PFA providers for their perspective on issues families raised. The findings suggest Nigerian and Pakistani families can face numerous barriers accessing Preschool for All. While some barriers are unique to their immigration status, others are experienced by other low-income and vulnerable families as well. The report concludes with implications for policy and recommendations for future research.

Every parent recognizes the inextricable connections between where we live and the quality of our children’s education. Although public policies have historically contributed to disparities in both neighborhood affordability and school quality, federal programs focused on affordable housing rarely take public schools into account and school officials typically assume that they have no influence over housing patterns. This paper focuses on four principles regarding the vitality and performance of schools and communities, discussing opportunities for constructive policy interventions, summarizing what we know about their likely effectiveness, and recommending next steps for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Education.

This report examines more than 100 programs through which the federal government spends money on children and calculates the amount spent on children under three. These first time expenditure estimates provide a place to start in gauging the priority the nation places on investing in very young children and in comparing expenditure patterns to researchers’ findings about investments that work. For example, despite extensive child development research underscoring the importance of quality early care and education programs for infants and toddlers, especially those in poverty, just 7 percent of federal funding for children between birth and age 2 went toward these efforts in 2007.

Extensive research shows investing in very young children can help build a strong future workforce, improve children's educational success and health, and potentially reduce some of the social ills that drain the nation’s resources and will. What investments does the United States currently make in infants and toddlers?

Despite extensive research documenting the benefits of investing in young children, infants and toddlers are underrepresented in the federal budget. The nation's 12.5 million children under age 3 are 4.2 percent of the population, but they received just 2.1 percent-$44.1 billion-of federal domestic spending in 2007.

To improve early care and education, federal policymaking must focus on improving the quality of care for infants and toddlers, and for the children of working families, Gina Adams, an Urban Institute senior fellow, told the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. Strengthening the focus on quality in the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant is an important strategy to consider.

From high-tech medical information systems to low-tech road building, the House version of the economic stimulus package covers the panoply of public policies and government programs. Children are in there, too. Some elements address them specifically, such as increases in education, Head Start, child care subsidies, and the child tax credit. These are buttressed by provisions to support their families' income, work opportunities, and health care and to bail out state budgets to avoid program cuts. The Senate bill is expected to include less aid for states, schools, and other programs.

This chapter was part of an online effort by the Center for American Progress Action Fund and New Democracy Project to offer expert advice to the new administration as part of its Change for America book project (http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2008/changeforamerica/additionalcontributions.html). Washington’s new leadership, its authors say, should build on the Administration for Children and Families’ assets and focus on the interrelated goals of promoting family economic security and promoting healthy child and youth development. These twin goals can best be achieved through new strate­gic investments, capacity building and innovative partnerships, coordination across offices and departments, and collaboration with states and the private sector.