• Advocacy and Policy News
    Head Start California Advocacy Updates

     
    By: Melanee Cottrill, Executive Director, Head Start California
    Federal Advocacy  
    2023 has been a year like no other when it comes to federal advocacy. The federal budget remains in limbo, with the Department of Health and Human Services currently operating Head Start under a continuing resolution which expires on February 2. Three dueling budget proposals leave Head Start’s funding for the remainder of the October 2023 – September 2024 fiscal year uncertain: President Biden has proposed a 9% increase;

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  • Advocacy and Policy News
    Major Updates Proposed to Head Start Program Performance Standards

    The Office of Head Start on Monday, November 20 issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) with major updates to the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS). This proposal represents the most consequential changes to Head Start since the 2015 reauthorization. The 282-page NPRM details 67 proposed new rules and initializes a public comment period that will close on January 19, 2024.
    We are confident that by working together, we can make our voices heard.

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  • Advocacy and Policy News
    Federal and State Advocacy Updates

     
    By: Melanee Cottrill, Executive Director, Head Start California
    Head Start California exists, in large part, to advocate on behalf of your program. It is my privilege to support such a worthy cause! Here are the highlights of our current advocacy efforts.
     
    Federal Advocacy
    Despite the fracas in the House of Representatives, October was a busy month. We are focused on three bills that would impact Head Start. The House and Senate’s dueling budget proposals are also on our radar,

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  • Advocacy and Policy News
    HSC Joins 70 Head Start Advocates from California in Washington, D.C.

    Over 70 Head Start staff, parents, and even children in late September travelled to Washington, D.C. to send a clear message to Congress: now is the time to invest in Head Start, not cut it. It was my privilege to accompany them, hear and share their stories, and advocate with and for them and you. This vital work was made possible by your membership in and support for Head Start California – thank you!
    The National Head Start Association kicked off the event with an inspirational keynote from the Revered Senator Raphael Warnock,

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  • Advocacy and Policy News
    Advocacy Day Brings More than 100 Head Start Parents & Staff to the State Capitol

    On Thursday, March 23, 2023, 116 Head Start staff, parents and members of the ECE community from 40 different organizations joined the Head Start to the Capitol Advocacy Day in Sacramento. This was nearly triple the turnout from the previous year. The day began with a morning training where participants learned about how to tell their Head Start story to elected officials, how to grassroots advocate at home, followed by a march around the capitol,

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  • Advocacy and Policy News
    Seven Head Start leaders selected to serve on UPK Workgroup

    HSC is excited to learn that early childhood leaders from several agencies with Head Start programs have been selected to serve on the Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) Mixed Delivery Quality and Access Workgroup established by AB 185 SEC. 2. Congratulations to:

    • Jennifer Adcock, Moreno Valley USD
    • Lorena Burrola, Merced County Office of Education
    • Mei Hua Fu, Kai Ming Head Start
    • Deidre D. Jones, Neighborhood House Association
    • Tony Jordan,

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  • Advocacy and Policy News
    Tell Congress to Hold the Line for Head Start in the federal budget

    National Head Start Association is asking as many Head Start directors, staff and parents as possible to reach out to their Senators and Congressional Representatives and ask them to hold the line on funding for Head Start and include a minimum $1 billion increase for Head Start in the FY 2023 Appropriations bill. Please take a moment to send a letter and forward this link to your staff and families!  Send a letter to Congress now!

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  • Advocacy and Policy News
    Senate Bill 1047 provides new opportunities for Head Start providers

    In September, the Governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 1047 (Limón). This bill will extend eligibility for childcare and development programs and the preschool program to families in which a member of the family has been certified as eligible to receive benefits from certain means-tested government programs, including Head Start and Early Head Start.
    This change in law, effective January 1, 2023, has two important implications for Head Start grantees. First, it will be administratively easier to enroll Head Start-eligible children in state-subsidized programs (with the exception of CalWorks 1,

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  • Advocacy and Policy News
    Head Start California Celebrates the Passage of AB 2131

    On September 30, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2131. Sponsored by Head Start California and the Los Angeles County Office of Education, AB 2131 removes the final impediment to implementing a single childcare license for all ages and allows the Department of Social Services to more swiftly implement the new licenses. 
    In 2018, California passed AB 605 (Mullin), which ordered the Department of Social Services to create a single child care license. Previously, child care providers were required to hold separate licenses for different age groups,

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  • Advocacy and Policy News
    Urgent Request: Share your data on the Head Start Staffing Crisis

    The teacher shortage in early childhood programs, including Head Start, has become a national conversation. Head Start California is working with EveryChild California to get current, on-the-ground information regarding the scope of the crisis. Collecting this data now is important, as we prepare for congressional visits in mid-September. We want to give our federal legislators a real-time understanding of the scope of the problem – both the challenge it creates for programs and its impact on parents and children.

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