The 19th Highlights Dem Govs’ Leadership on Childcare and Early Childhood Education
The 19th Highlights Dem Govs’ Leadership on Childcare and Early Childhood Education
A new article from The 19th highlighted how Democratic governors across the country are delivering for working families by making historic investments in childcare and early childhood education.
The report highlights how Democratic governors with new legislative trifectas in states such as Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan and Minnesota, have worked to hire teachers and childcare providers, raise pay for care workers, and expand tax credits to help more working families afford desperately needed childcare.
Democratic leadership on this critical issue also extends to states with divided government. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has called these investments a “triple play” that “should unite all of us” and a critical step toward investing in our future, supporting working families, and helping businesses attract and retain workers.
Read more here and see below to learn more about how Democratic governors are leading the way to make childcare and early childhood education more affordable and accessible.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly:
- In her first executive order of her second term, Gov. Kelly established the Early Childhood Transition Task Force “to determine how state government could better provide kids from birth to kindergarten with high quality care throughout the state.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer:
- After launching Caring for MI Future last year, Gov. Whitmer announced that “687 child care entrepreneurs have opened new child care programs and an additional 1,829 center- and home-based programs have expanded to service more children—lowering costs and expanding access to quality child care for Michigan families.”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore:
- In the first bill signing of his tenure as Governor, Wes Moore signed the Family Prosperity Act of 2023 into law, which “lifts at least 34,000 Maryland children to the next rung on the economic ladder and combats the root causes of child poverty” by extending and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit to give some breathing room to more working families and help families cover the cost of childcare.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz:
- As part of his historic One Minnesota Budget this year, Gov. Walz signed into law a nation-leading Child Tax Credit, along with hundreds of millions of dollars to expand early childhood education for children ages three and younger and boost funding for Head Start, and funding to make child care more affordable and accessible for Minnesota families.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham:
- In 2023, Gov. Lujan Grisham extended the Child Tax Credit, helping 214,000 New Mexico families save up to $600 per child.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy:
- In 2023, Gov. Murphy announced $120 million in grants for preschool facilities. Since he took office, more than 160 New Jersey school districts have set up preschool programs, creating seats for more than 12,000 early learners.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper:
- In his 2023 budget, Gov. Cooper called for “$1.5 billion in new funding for child care and early childhood education needs, including $500 million for grants to help maintain access to affordable early childhood education and $200 million to increase child care subsidies for rural and lower wealth communities.”
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