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Early Learning Coalition Leadership Council:
Madison Area Accredited Early Childhood Association School Administrators Alliance Wisconsin Association of School Boards Wisconsin Child Care Administrators Association Wisconsin Council on Children and Families Wisconsin Council for Exceptional Children, Division of Early Childhood Wisconsin Early Childhood Association Wisconsin Family Child Care Association Wisconsin Head Start Association Wisconsin Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Association
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2009-11 Wisconsin Legislative Agenda
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Goal: |
To help assure that children under age five from low-income families served by the Wisconsin Shares program have access to quality early learning programs. The Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program serves working families with income under 200 percent of poverty. |
Strategy: |
This initiative would establish quality standards for a strong early learning program, help programs meet that standard, and reward programs meeting the higher standards. |
Rationale: |
Extensive research demonstrates that investment in high-quality early learning programs is sound investment, producing significant short- and long-term benefits, including achievement in school, reduced need for special education, lower crime rates, and higher earnings, with particularly strong results for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and children with special needs. |
2. Great Start Home Visiting
| Goal: | To help new parents and parents with very young children enhance their children's healthy development and early learning. |
| Strategy: | Expand home visiting programs targeted to children at risk that meet research-based standards. |
| Rationale: | Research indicates that well-designed home visiting programs are effective in improving parent-child relationships and enhancing child development and early learning, particularly when targeted to children at risk, including children with disabilities. |
3. Great Start in Collaborative 4K
| Goal: | To provide early learning experiences to more 4-year-olds in collaborative settings |
| Strategy: | Continue 4K start-up grants and provide incentives in the school formula |
| Rationale: | Four-year-old kindergarten (4K) provides strong early learning experiences to young children and is available to all, improving school readiness. Research shows that well-designed pre-kindergarten programs improve student achievement. Delivering 4K through community partnerships offers greater options to parents, strengthens community-based early care and education programs, and provides opportunities for inclusive settings for children with disabilities. |
4. Great Start Tax Credits
| Goal: | To help families pay for high quality child care |
| Strategy: | Establish a tax credit tied to quality, beginning the phase-in the 2011-2013 budget |
| Rationale: | Tax deductions and credits help families pay for child care. Incentives for parents to use higher quality child care will increase the number of children in beneficial early learning programs. This approach has been successful in Maine, Vermont, and Arkansas. |
2009-11 Wisconsin Budget Legislation Results
Links to more information:
Wisconsin Early Learning Coalition's response to the Governor's 2009-2011 budget proposal
Early Learning Coalition Response to Fraud in Wisconsin Shares
Great Start: Early Learning Matters Goals
Early Learning Coalition's Guiding Principles