Legislative Update

Major Philanthropies Call for Greater Role for Early Learning in Education Reform Plan

Four major philanthropic organizations are calling on the Obama Administration to include a more prominent role for early learning in one of its signature reform efforts, the Race to the Top Fund.

The Pew Charitable Trusts, the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, The Buffett Early Childhood Fund and The W.M. Kellogg Foundation have jointly written a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan that states: "In our opinion, the Race to the Top guidance misses a central opportunity to embed early learning into the Administration's education reform agenda."

Specifically, the groups' request for the Race to the Top guidance to call for states to implement longitudinal data systems that include children in pre-k, pre-k — 3 teaching credentials and expanded pre-k funding to improve struggling elementary schools, among other reforms.

The philanthropies believe that these changes will "motivate states to design and implement their reforms starting with high-quality pre-kindergarten, assuring a much greater likelihood of success for America's children and schools."

The full comments on increasing the role of early learning in the Race to the Top program are available by clicking here.

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