SNAP UPDATE

Last Thursday, the U.S. Senate passed its version of the Farm Bill (which includes SNAP) with a bi-partisan vote of 86-11. Both CT senators voted in favor of the Farm Bill. Many harmful amendments were filed for the bill, but ultimately, only one amendment came up for a vote and was tabled, essentially rejecting the amendment. Both Senators Blumenthal and Murphy voted in favor of tabling the amendment as well. The Senate bill protects SNAP benefit levels and eligibility. The U.S. House bill, which passed the week prior in a more partisan fashion, seeks to put stricter work requirements in place. The next step is a conference negotiation for the House and Senate-passed versions of the bills. More information will be coming out regarding conference negotiations and what we can do to get more of the Senate version represented, but for now, please take the time to thank Senators Blumenthal and Murphy. Thank them for supporting the Farm Bill and for voting to reject the amendment to the bill. 

CSCCE Releases Workforce Index

If you missed the release last week, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the University of California at Berkeley released its 2018 Early Childhood Workforce Index. The index provides a current appraisal of workforce conditions and policies across states. To read the report, click HERE. CT NewsJunkie notes that "Connecticut, along with the rest of the nation, has much work to do if it wants to increase the pay of its early childhood workforce." To read the article, click HERE.

New Report Addresses Summer Care Struggles

The Center for American Progress notes in a new report that many American families face struggles in accessing and affording quality child care for their children during summer months. The report shows that families can expect to pay at least 20 percent of their household income on child care services during the summer. Although according to The Center for American Progress, Connecticut lands itself in the middle of the pack, at 25 out of 50 states, for cost. They note it will cost approximately 18%, or $3,757 for summer care. Nevada is the most expensive state and Wisconsin is the least expensive state (DC is also rated in this report).

Kristof: America is Guilty of Neglecting Kids: Our Own

In a recent New York Times opinion piece, columnist Nicholas Kristof notes it's not just children crossing the border. This country systematically shortchanges tens of millions of children, including those born right here in America. Two researchers have found that three million children in America live in what is considered "extreme poverty," with a cash income of less than $2 per person per day, which is the global metric to measure for extreme poverty. To read the full opinion piece, click HERE. 

"Choose Wonder:" One-Day Early Childhood Conference 

A professional development opportunity is available through a one-day conference, hosted by the Gessell Institute. "Choose Wonder" will include workshops and keynote speaker Dr. Kathryn Hirsch-Pasek, author of "Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children."  The conference is July 20, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Yale School of Medicine's Donald J. Cohen Auditorium, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven. For more information or to register for the conference, click HERE.

Continuing Education Scholarships Available

If you're an early childhood educator looking to further your education, the CT Office of Early Childhood has its scholarship registration open at this time. The OEC is tentatively covering requests to March 1, 2019. More information is available through the CT OEC Early Childhood Professional Registry. You must have a registry account to apply. More information is available at "Scholarship At-A-Glance."

Support for the Alliance comes from of our members and our funders: The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, Connecticut Health Foundation, Connecticut Community Foundation, Children's Fund of Connecticut, CT Early Childhood Funder Collaborative, a project of CT Council of Philanthropy; The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut; Community Foundation of Greater New Britain; Community Foundation of Greater New Haven; and The Fund for Greater Hartford.