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Your Voice is Needed
Take Action: Ask Congress to Reinstate the Expanded Child Tax Credit The economic shockwaves of the COVID-19 pandemic exposed many of the ways American institutions fail to meet the needs of children and families across the country. The expanded Child Tax Credit, which provided direct payments to more than 35 million families, helped alleviate the strain of mass unemployment and rapidly rising household expenses. But due to Congressional inaction, the expanded Child Tax Credit expired on December 31, 2021. This leaves 36 million families across the United States without vital support, even as COVID-19 cases continue to surge and inflation reaches a 40-year high. |
| Allowing families to continue covering essential expenses provides their children with the stability they need to thrive. Together, we can send a strong message to Congress that working families need and deserve the support and stability afforded by the expanded Child Tax Credit.
Join us in urging Congress to work quickly to make the expanded Child Tax Credit permanent and refundable. |
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Start Early Welcomes Yvette Sanchez Fuentes
Introducing Start Early’s New Vice President of National Policy Start Early is pleased to announce Yvette Sanchez Fuentes as Vice President of National Policy. In her role, Yvette will lead the organization’s national strategy to advance both the Start Early and Educare Learning Network policy agendas and strengthen partnerships with peer organizations and federal agency staff. Yvette’s depth and breadth of experience will undoubtedly shape and catalyze the National Policy Team’s work working closely with partners to advance the
Start Early Policy Agenda and the Educare 5 policy priorities.
Start Early’s current Vice President of National Policy, Margie Wallen, is retiring after 20+ years of steadfast advocacy for children and families! Interested in helping us celebrate her? Please reach out to Beth Savitzky, Program Manager, at [email protected]. |
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New Resources From Start Early
Upcoming Webinars on Pre-K Systems ImprovementHopeful new federal investments have the potential to transform early childhood systems across the country. As we continue to monitor activity in Congress, Start Early is excited to offer resources and learnings from the Partnership for Pre-K Improvement (PPI). This project launched in 2017 to learn with states about how to build quality, equitable early childhood systems. The unique approach of the PPI fosters partnerships across program, advocacy and research organizations in support of a common vision for early childhood systems improvement. Learn more about the project
, and access a free toolkit for state early learning agency leaders, researchers and advocates. |
Register for Our Upcoming Webinars to Continue Exploring the Partnership for Pre-K Improvement Toolkit:
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Phase 1: Engage Stakeholders & Build Partnerships for Equitable, High-Quality Pre-K Systems, Thursday, Feb. 10, 1-2 p.m. ET
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Phase 2: Building Equitable, High-Quality Pre-K: Assess the System, Thursday, March 10, 1-2 p.m. ET
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Phase 3: Implement, Improve & Advocate for Equitable, High-Quality Pre-K Systems, Monday, April 18. 1-2 p.m. ET
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Looking for Additional Resources & Support for Your Quality Improvement Efforts?
Start Early also offers early childhood systems consulting that can support partners to ensure that prenatal to age five systems are high-quality, resourced to be sustainable, and designed to serve children and family from historically marginalized communities. Email us for additional information. |
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New Recommendations From Start Early & Ed Trust
Improving Inclusion Services for Children With DisabilitiesStart Early and the Education Trust recently outlined the current state of inclusion efforts for children with disabilities and offered recommendations for improving those services through critical policy changes and investments. Read more. |
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Recent Op-Ed by Start Early's Michelle Bezark:
History Shows How to Fix Abysmal U.S. Maternal and Infant Mortality Rates Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Start Early and Northwestern University Michelle Bezark recently explored opportunities posed by the upcoming reauthorization of the federal Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. Read her op-ed in The Washington Post. |
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