Education stands to win big in the U.S. Congress’s social spending bill. After a months-long impasse, a mutually-agreed framework among lawmakers in Washington may signal an agreement on critical investments in American students as young as 3-years old to those engaged in post-secondary pursuits.
While the $1.75 trillion social spending bill includes investments in items as far-ranging as clean energy tax credits, an extension of the child tax credit, Medicare expansion, and housing, the bill’s education-related items would invest approximately $450 billion in the early childhood and higher education sectors. This presents Congress with an opportunity to make a major investment in our future.
What Education Investments are Currently in the Social Spending Bill?
1. Affordable, High-Quality Child Care for Parents in the Workforce
The bill will limit child care costs for families to no more than 7% of income, for families earning up to 250% of state median income. It enables states to expand access to about 20 million children. To qualify, parents must be working, seeking work, in training, or taking care of a serious health issue. This is a long-term program, with funding for six years.
13.6% of Kentucky families report job insecurity due to a lack of child care and Kentucky families at the end of 2020 indicated 46% have quit jobs, declined jobs, or greatly changed their jobs due to a lack of accessible child care and early education services.
2. Universal preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds via a Mixed Delivery System
The bill will expand access to free high-quality preschool for more than 6 million children via a mixed delivery model inclusive of already existing child care and early learning centers. This is a long-term program, with funding for six years.
A child’s participation in high-quality early learning programs results in higher rates of proficiency in reading and mathematics by the third grade. And children who participate in high-quality preschool programs are 40% less likely to drop out of school and 50% less likely to be placed in special education.
3. Education Beyond High School and Workforce Development & Investments in Education Equity
The bill will reduce costs and expand access to education beyond high school by raising the maximum Pell grant, increasing the maximum amount to $7,000. Pell Grants are a critical financial aid component for students with significant financial needs. The Council for Postsecondary Education (CPE) reported that over 50% of high school graduates in the class of 2011 had to take out a loan for their postsecondary schooling. The Prichard Committee has advocated for making postsecondary opportunities more affordable. Pell Grants are one tool for Kentuckians in this endeavor.
The bill will also provide support to Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU). Kentucky is home to two HBCUs. Simmons College is a private college located in Louisville. Kentucky State University, the state’s largest HBCU, is a public university located in Frankfort.
The bill also invests in workforce development, including community college workforce programs, sector-based training, and apprenticeships. This could work in conjunction with the recent Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) Competitive Workforce Initiative focused on education and training for students entering targeted sectors. This also supports CPE’s 60 by 30 goal, which aligns with the Prichard Committee Strategic Plan Goal of improving the number of high-quality postsecondary graduates and credentialed Kentuckians to 55% by 2025.
Negotiations among lawmakers in Washington are ongoing and are expected to continue through at least the next two months. Tell our leaders in Washington to invest in the education of the commonwealth’s youth!
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