Reauthorization of NCLB is moving forward

During this Congress, the nation’s federal education bill, known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), will be renewed.  There are many issues being addressed through this process including early childhood issues. An initial draft of the new legislation from the House Committee on Education and Labor has some focus and will include more as the process moves forward.

Many school districts have used Title I of NCLB for early childhood programs including one of the nation’s premier early childhood programs, the Chicago Child-Parent Centers. While nationally only about 3% of children served by Title I are younger than kindergarten age, studies suggest there are a number of high-quality early childhood programs that use Title I funds to provide direct services, salaries for degreed teachers, comprehensive supports, and other services.

As reauthorization NCLB moves forward, it appears that it will include some new provisions around early childhood. CLASP has made a number of recommendations in this area and we hope that any language included in the final bill will maintain the ability of school districts to use Title I, or other NCLB funds, to support children birth through the age of school entry and will expand funding so that school districts and states do not have to choose between funding early childhood programs and funding other priorities for school improvement.