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Dear colleagues,


We know you are all working tirelessly to ensure our youngest learners and their families have the support and care they need during this difficult time. Our Ounce National Policy Team is thinking of you and is available to provide support as we navigate this crisis together. In the meantime, we have compiled several resources and tools we hope you will find helpful as you continue to work with your families and communities.

Policy recommendations for governors and state leaders

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the lives of children and families across the Unites States, it is more important than ever to make use of all available resources and provisions for relief. We’ve worked with our partners and peers to issue
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guidance for governors and state leaders on how to maximize the impact of the new federal stimulus package funds available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.


Our recommendations include considerations for how states can use this funding to strengthen the early childhood sector beyond the current crisis, creating a more sustainable and resilient early childhood system long-term.
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Read more about our policy recommendations for governors and state leaders.




The CARES Act: guidance for states on how to use new funding opportunities to support early education

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This CARES Act Summary memo includes recommendations for partners and state systems leaders on how best to use this new funding to support early childhood programs and services. This summary offers a more detailed look at the new funding options available to states and can be a useful guide for early education administrators, school superintendents, and other early childhood leaders in your community.




Emergency child care during COVID-19

As state and local governments continue to adjust to the rapidly evolving crisis caused by COVID-19, providing safe child care for our essential personnel is critical. Our National Policy Team has
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crafted a memo for state leaders with an overview of available options for providing emergency child care during this difficult time. The memo also includes examples of how different states have developed policy solutions to address the needs of families, children and providers under the current circumstances.




Join the early childhood community responding to COVID-19

The current crisis has highlighted the urgent need to efficiently connect and share, in real-time, the great work of the early childhood community. That is why our National Policy Team invites you to join our partners and peers on a new online platform, the
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Early Childhood Connector , so that we can more effectively work together to support our children and families during this crisis.


Once you join, you can connect with others to access and share the ideas, resources and best practices being developed as a response to the pandemic. To get a sense of the kinds of relevant and impactful conversations happening within this community,
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take a look at this blog post about the creative solutions being used by program leaders to continue to provide early intervention and special education services for children.


Head Start funding increase – deadline is May 15, 2020

Earlier this year, the Office of Head Start announced that retroactive to January 1, 2020, all Head Start programs will receive additional Quality Funding. This will include a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in addition to funding that programs can use to incorporate a trauma-informed approach into their work. Programs must
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apply for this funding by May 15, 2020. We encourage you to share this important information with your networks. To find out more,
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visit the Office of Head Start page.




Other helpful resources

The Ounce National Policy Team has compiled some
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helpful resources for providers and advocates –from toolkits for home-based providers, guidance on the CARES Act provisions for early childhood programs, additional relief funding for providers, and much more.





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