Governor's State of the State

POLICY and ADVOCACY ALERT	Early Care & Learning Council Winning Beginning NY Child Care Aware of America United States House of Representatives United States Senate NYS Governor's Office NYS Senate NYS Assembly 2013 Public Policy Agenda Guideline for using the Public Policy Agenda
1/8/14 2014 State of the State New York State has a long-standing commitment to early childhood education and last year Governor Cuomo launched the State’s first program dedicated to providing full-day pre-kindergarten to children in our highest-needs communities. More than 5,500 children will enroll in full-day pre-k for the first time over the next few months as a result of $25 million dedicated funding for this proven educational program. Today Governor Cuomo stated, “It is time to fulfill the State’s goal of truly ‘Universal Pre-Kindergarten’ access for all children.” At this time, the Governor did not announce the amount of funding that will be attached to reaching this goal. The Governor also called for a $2 billion “Smart Schools” bond referendum to help New York State re-envision our schools from the ground up. Among many other things, school districts will be able to invest in new pre-k classrooms and related capital upgrades. The Governor also stated that highly effective educators are critical to the success of our students. This year, the State will build on the universal implementation of the teacher evaluation system by recognizing and rewarding our most effective teachers. In 2014, Governor Cuomo is proposing the creation of a Teacher Excellence Fund to help more school districts give meaning to these provisions and  encourage excellent teachers to continue in the classrooms where they are needed the most. Highly effective teachers will be eligible for up to $20,000 in annual supplemental compensation through the Teacher Excellence Fund. Stay tuned for more updates and we hope to see you in Albany for Early Care and Learning Advocacy February 10th! Click here to see the dates that the legislature will be in session during 2014. Sincerely, Jessica Jessica Klos Shapiro Public Policy and Communications Coordinator (518) 690-4217 ex. 32
Early Care & Learning Council   230 Washington Ave. Ext   Albany, NY 12203 Phone: 518.690.4217   Fax: 518.690.2887 www.earlycareandlearning.org