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GOVERNORS ARE CALLING FOR INVESTMENTS IN EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION  
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Anna Lovejoy
March 15, 2024
Center for American Progress
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_ Child care is both hard to find and increasingly expensive for
families. The average price of licensed child care for a U.S. family
is nearly $11,000 per year, which is 33 percent of the median
household income for single-parent families. _

A child care worker cares for a baby in Boston, March 2020. (Photo
credit: Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe // Center for American
Progress),

 

And in 2018, approximately half of the nation’s population of
children under age 5 lived in a child care desert
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The child care workforce is underpaid and undervalued
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threatening the child care supply as providers seek employment in
fields that pay more
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The nation’s governors are responding to this crisis. A Center for
American Progress analysis of 2024 State of the State addresses finds
that more than half of the nation’s governors highlighted child care
and/or pre-kindergarten—28 of the 38 governors who had given
addresses [[link removed]] as of
February 22, 2024. Sixteen of these governors were Democrats and 12
were Republicans, clearly showing that early care and education is a
bipartisan issue. Overall, 25 governors mentioned child care in their
speeches and 12 mentioned pre-kindergarten. Nine governors mentioned
both. CAP’s previous State of the State analysis
[[link removed]] found
that in 2023, 22 of 36 governors—13 Democrats and nine
Republicans—highlighted child care and pre-kindergarten, with 15
governors mentioning child care and 11 mentioning pre-kindergarten.
This shows that the importance of early care and education has only
increased for the nation’s governors.

President Joe Biden also recognizes this importance. In his 2024
State of the Union address
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he mentioned expanding access to pre-kindergarten for 3- and
4-year-olds as well as making child care more affordable. Governors
also have mentioned early care and education as a priority for working
families. They are proposing improved compensation for hardworking
child care providers and expanded access to child care and preschool
opportunities so that more children can enroll in affordable programs.
 

 

What governors are saying about early care and education

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO)
[[link removed]]: “Over
the last five years, we’ve blazed new trails in Colorado in early
childhood education with the creation of free, full-day kindergarten
and free universal preschool—saving Colorado families thousands of
dollars and giving our children the best possible start in life. …
[T]his work has propelled Colorado from 26th to 8th in the country in
preschool access in just one year!”

GOV. NED LAMONT (D-CT)
[[link removed]]: “Our
budget provides the biggest commitment to childcare in our history, an
additional $90 million next year alone, providing additional pay for
early childhood educators and higher reimbursement for our centers and
family care homes.”

GOV. J.B. PRITZKER (D-IL)
[[link removed]]: “I
propose we stay on plan and increase Smart Start funding by $150
million in year two to create 5,000 more preschool seats, continue
growing childcare, and reach thousands more families with critical
early childhood services. And I also ask that in this budget we begin
the first phase of consolidating state government’s early childhood
programs into one agency called the Department of Early Childhood.”

GOV. ERIC HOLCOMB (R-IN)
[[link removed]]: “We
must expand our childcare workforce to help working moms and dads in
Indiana.”

GOV. ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY)
[[link removed]]: “[I]t’s
time to pass universal pre-K for all our 4-year-olds. We are
rightfully concerned about learning loss. So, we should address it
where it begins. In the last academic year, only 46% of kindergartners
were considered kindergarten-ready. Instituting universal pre-K the
right way … means investing in both pre-K and our child-care
providers. That’s why my budget proposal provides record funding to
help our child-care providers in their transition to serve both
younger children and provide after school programs. Funding both,
together, can be transformational. If we pass universal pre-K plus our
child-care plan, an additional 34,000 Kentucky children will receive
pre-K services and thousands of additional child-care spots will open
up.”

GOV. WES MOORE (D-MD)
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month, the Comptroller released a study outlining the affordability
problems Maryland families face every day. Her report highlighted that
as the cost of child care INCREASES, overall female employment
DECREASES by 5%[.] And it’s why our proposed budget includes the
single largest increase in funding for child care in Maryland history.
It’s going to support 45,000 Maryland children this year.”

GOV. GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI)
[[link removed]]: “Last
year, I proposed Pre-K for All by the end of 2026, saving families
$10,000 a year and giving every child a solid academic foundation.
Together, we are changing our definition of education to include
pre-K, and last year, we expanded free pre-K to 5,600 more kids. And
you know what? This year we’re going to go a heck of a lot further.
In our next budget, let’s deliver pre-K for every single 4-year-old
in Michigan, 2 years ahead of schedule. When we get this done, no
matter who you are, where you come from, or how much you make, your
child can enroll in pre-K and be set up for success.”

GOV. MIKE PARSON (R-MO)
[[link removed]]: “This
year, alongside Senator Arthur and Representative Shields, we are
again proposing three new child care tax credit programs. These
programs will help improve access and affordability for families
seeking child care across the state of Missouri. Additionally, we are
continuing funding for the expansion of pre-kindergarten programs.
These are commonsense measures that are good for business, great for
families, and best for all Missouri children. … [T]his year we are
proposing a $52 million dollar investment in Missouri’s child care
subsidy program.”

GOV. JIM PILLEN (R-NE)
[[link removed]]: “With
input from our working group that focused on workforce development
over the past six months, we have come forward with proposals in
childcare & early childhood education, housing, and general
education.”

GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ)
[[link removed]]: “[I]n
the spirit of lifting the financial burdens weighing on our families,
let us redouble our commitment to bringing universal pre-K to all of
New Jersey. To ensure that every family—regardless of their economic
status—can afford to send their child to a safe, enriching
environment during the day. So far, we have helped more than 14,000 of
our state’s children enroll in a pre-K program. And we are just
getting started. Because making New Jersey the best place to raise a
family means ensuring every child has the support they need to reach
their full potential. And every parent has the freedom to work, go to
school, or take care of other family members.”

GOV. DOUG BURGUM (R-ND)
[[link removed]]: “$66
million alongside of the federal funds went into the North Dakota
child care initiative. … What’s happening with that investment,
now more than 4,800 working families have received help with childcare
costs just in the first six months of this biennium, more than 300
childcare business have benefited from grants and incentives … When
we talk about trying to solve our issue with 30,000 jobs open, we put
a huge dent in it with this child care thing because we got 5,000
people that maybe came back into the workforce.”

GOV. JOSH SHAPIRO (D-PA)
[[link removed]]: “That’s
why this budget invests in Early Intervention and childcare, because
our kids deserve the support they need to grow and develop before they
enter school … On top of that, my budget … invests another 30
million dollars in Pre-K programs to help recruit and retain the
teachers who get our kids off to a great start.”

GLENN YOUNGKIN (R-VA)
[[link removed]]: “We
launched historic efforts to transform our overwhelmed behavioral
health system, our childcare system—critical for working families
… By innovating with a digital wallet, ensuring no working family
loses access, prioritizing parent choice and cutting red tape for
families and providers, we are delivering a best-in-class model for
early learning and childcare. These are the building blocks that are
at the center of the future of the Commonwealth.”

GOV. JIM JUSTICE (R-WV)
[[link removed]]: “I’m
proposing a Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit where folks that are
struggling with daycare can at least write them off your taxes against
your revenue. We need this and we need this very badly and we need it
right now.”

GOV. TONY EVERS (D-WI)
[[link removed]]: “Wisconsin
faces a looming child care crisis—costs to working families are
skyrocketing, we don’t have enough child care providers, and the
providers we have are struggling to keep the lights on. And the
effects are intuitive—if a kid no longer has child care or a parent
can’t afford it, someone’s going to have to stay home with them.
Folks, lack of accessible, affordable child care is a statewide
workforce issue. Without continued investments in Child Care Counts,
our workforce will suffer mightily: 2,110 child care programs are
projected to close. 87,000 kids could be without child care. We could
lose over 4,880 child care jobs. That’s about a half a billion
dollar economic impact on our state.” 

Over half of Kansas families in search of child care cannot find an
open slot—forcing many parents to quit their jobs. And the shortages
are worst in our rural areas. That’s bad for our children, stressful
for our parents, and, at a time when every business is desperate for
workers, it slows down our economy.Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, in 2024
State of the State address

In January 2024, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) proposed
[[link removed]] investing
more than $56 million to increase the number of child care slots
available in her state and to better compensate the child care
workforce. Included in this amount is $30 million for the construction
of new child care facilities and $5 million for a pilot public-private
partnership. In her State of the State address
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Gov. Kelly also proposed consolidating a number of early childhood
programs into a single Office of Early Childhood.

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Last year, we delivered nearly half a billion dollars to stabilize the
sector. And we made it easier for families to get financial help. This
year’s budget will keep that funding in place. And we’ll go
further.Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, in 2024 State of the State
address

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) is focused on expanding
pre-kindergarten and lowering child care costs
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Her fiscal year 2025 budget requests
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the “Gateway to Pre-K” agenda, which aims to:

* Deliver universal and high-quality preschool to 23,000 4-year-olds
in 26 select communities, or Gateway Cities, by the end of 2026.
* Provide an additional 4,000 families child care financial
assistance by increasing income eligibility from 50 percent to 85
percent of the state median income.
* Continue providing Commonwealth Cares for Children grants, which
provide funding for programs to improve quality, pay for facilities,
and compensate staff.
* Sign an executive order that recognizes child care’s importance
to the Massachusetts economy.

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Enrollment in our full-day, four-year-old kindergarten program for
children in poverty continues to grow with 17,437 children now
enrolled in a public school, private school, or childcare center.South
Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, in 2024 State of the State address

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) has a long-term objective
to expand his state’s 4-year-old kindergarten (4K) program
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eliminating the income threshold. As a first step, he included in
his proposed budget
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million in funding to add an additional 2,500 slots. His budget also
includes $3 million to provide training in evidence-based foundational
literacy skills for 4K teachers.

Conclusion

Governors are clear: Early care and education is a priority for
working families across the country. With Congress failing to act,
governors are heeding the call to invest in child care and
pre-kindergarten as work supports for families and enriching
opportunities for young children. As state policymakers continue their
legislative sessions this year, they have an opportunity to follow
their governors’ leads and take action to make early care and
education more accessible and affordable for families.

_[ANNA LOVEJOY [[link removed]]
is the director for Early Childhood Policy at American Progress. Prior
to joining American Progress, she worked as a senior associate and
program director at the Center for the Study of Social Policy. She
also directed work as a consortium partner at the National Center on
Parent, Family, and Community Engagement, where she oversaw the
education on best practices for engaging families in Head Start, Early
Head Start, and child care programs. She has experience working on
policies that address equity and promote family economic mobility.
Previously, Lovejoy served as a program director for early childhood
education at the National Governors Association, where she provided
technical assistance and policy guidance to governors and their early
childhood policy advisors. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in politics
from Princeton University.]_

_The Center for American Progress is an independent nonpartisan policy
institute that is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans
through bold, progressive ideas, as well as strong leadership and
concerted action. Our aim is not just to change the conversation, but
to change the country._

* early childhood education
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* Child Care
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* Child Care Workers
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* Affordable child care
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* Education
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* Pre-K
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* families
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* Early Childhood and Education
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* Pre-Kindergarten
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* government policy
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* government programs
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* State budgets
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* Federal Budget
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* Universal preschool
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