This is an exciting time for those of us who think a lot about government policies for children and families. As I write in mid-November 2021, the House has passed legislation that would, if also passed in the Senate, make possible the biggest federal investment in children in a generation. The Build Back Better Actopens in new window will fund free, universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-old children across the U.S. According to a 2021 report by the National Institute on Early Education Research (PDF, 13.94MB)opens in new window, only 34% of 4-year-olds and 6% of 3-year-olds attended state-funded preschool in the 2019–2020 school year. Thus, this legislation would take the remarkable step of extending public education down from age 5 to age 3 for all children across the country.
The push to include universal preschool in the bill is the direct result of decades of work by child advocates and developmental psychologists, going back to Edward Zigler’s and Urie Bronfenbrenner’s contributions to the creation of the Head Start preschool program in 1965. Our field has successfully made the case that children learn from birth, not just when they turn 5 and enter kindergarten, and thus can benefit from enriched early childhood education.
There are many other features of the Build Back Better Act that would assist children and families, including:
- providing 4 weeks of paid family and medical leave
- requiring that states extend postpartum coverage through Medicaid or CHIP to 1 year
- capping child-care costs at 7% of family income for low- and middle-income families
- extending the Child Tax Credit implemented as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
- permanently funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
- requiring that states implement 12 months of continuous eligibility for children in both CHIP and Medicaid
I have no doubt that this bill is in part a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic: Parents throughout the country came to appreciate the importance of early childhood education as an ideal environment for children and as a necessary work support for parents.
My year as president of Div. 37 is thus ending on a hopeful note, as our country is poised to take dramatic steps to improve the lives of children and families. It has been my distinct pleasure to serve as president and to work with the wonderful members of our Executive Committee.
I wish you all a restful and safe end to 2021 and hope for an even better 2022.