Obama's Commitment to Early Ed. Cheers Advocates, Despite Setback
Failure of Proposed Grant Program Forces Some to Regroup
A year ago, President Barack Obama’s budget pledge to make early-childhood education one of his top priorities created enormous excitement among advocates who had long pushed for greater federal investment in that area.
The president had spoken eloquently on the benefits of high-quality preschool and of preparing all children for success before they enter kindergarten. States planned long-delayed improvements in the quality of early-childhood education, looking forward to a possible $8 billion in federal grants in the fiscal year 2010 budget.
The excitement has cooled a bit. President Obama’s historic remaking of the country’s health-care system and the related measure overhauling student loans last month ultimately failed to include money for his proposed Early Learning Challenge Fund, which would have provided competitive grants to help states both create and improve the quality of services for at-risk children from...
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