Missouri Coordinating Board for Early Childhood FACT SHEET: The impact of the FY2013 state operating budget on Early Childhood in Missouri The passage of the FY2013 state operating budget involved significant changes to early childhood funding: • $10 million in increased funding was appropriated to the Department of Social Services (DSS) to sustain the Child Care Subsidy program. • $14.3 million in General Revenue was cut from the Early Childhood Special Education line in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) budget and replaced with $14.3 million Early Childhood Development, Education and Care Fund (ECDEC). This constitutes a loss in funds for programs serving children and families, since general revenue was decreased for Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) and replaced with monies that had been used for other early childhood programs. • $9.8 million of ECDEC for the Early Childhood Start-up & Expansion Program, the Early Head Start Program, and the Grants for Accredited Providers was eliminated. • The Missouri Preschool Project (MPP) core was reduced from $11.7 million to $8.3 million of ECDEC money and was transferred from DESE to the Office of Administration (OA) at the reduced level. The OA’s MPP budget states that FY13 grant awards are to be no more than seventy-five percent (75%) of the FY12 grant amounts. • $2 million of DESE ECDEC was added to the Parents-As-Teachers (PAT) appropriation (also in DESE), then $1 million of General Revenue was cut from the Parents-As-Teachers line. These changes have a significant impact upon children, families, programs and the early childhood workforce:  The $10 million increase to DSS for its Child Care Assistance Program will sustain access for families to affordable care for their children. This will play a vital role in enabling families to obtain and retain employment, or cultivate skills needed for the workforce.  Parents as Teachers received a $1 million increase, which expands and enhances their ability to provide their valuable education and training services to parents, educators and agencies.  Missouri Early Head Start was reduced from $5.67 million to $2.65 million in the FY13 state budget. Approximately 360 low-income children will lose their spaces in this child development program serving prenatal mothers and children birth to three. Some Missouri Early Head Start staff will lose their jobs, and parents of children who lose their slots will be challenged to find alternate care in order to remain in the work force.  Accreditation Facilitation Funding: Child Care Aware® of Missouri lost $622,014 for FY13, and 7 Child Care Aware® of Missouri staff positions will be terminated, between the State Network Office and the four regional offices of their Network Member Agencies. They will suspend coaching for quality improvement at 130 child care centers, family child care homes and preschools statewide, which serve 5,353 children. In FY12, $3,074,500 was appropriated to DSS and implemented through a variety of Community Partnership agencies for the purpose of funding early childhood accreditation facilitation services pursuant to Section 161.215, RSMo. These funds were not appropriated to DSS for FY13.  The Missouri Preschool Project will have to reduce funding, with no awards for new MPP programs; there had been plans to serve 20 new programs, and approximately 400 additional children, before funding was cut. Staff working in reduced or eliminated MPP programs may lose employment as well. Prior to the funding loss, the plan was to serve at least 185 programs. Programs will have to find alternate funds or face difficult decisions regarding the viability of the program.  T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Missouri scholarship and retention program: Between $300,000 and $756,000 per year in funding for this program was eliminated from the MPP budget. Between 70 and 190 T.E.A.C.H. scholars per year were supported with MPP funding over the past four fiscal years. Almost 40 percent of this funding was paid to Missouri public institutions of higher education, for tuition in child development and early education degree programs. Another 40 percent supported the additional costs of schooling for these students – such as books, work-release time for studying, and travel – and retention bonuses to the students who remained employed.  Start-Up and Expansion: $3,689,400 was appropriated to DSS and implemented through a variety of Community Partnership agencies in FY12 for the purpose of funding early childhood start-up and expansion grants pursuant to Section 161.215, RSMo. These funds were not appropriated to DSS for FY13.  Missouri Head Start State Collaboration Office (MHSSCO): Between $29,167 and $54,167 in state funds for this program was eliminated. Operations and staff may have to be reduced as a result of these cuts. This will adversely affect MHSSCO’s services to low-income pregnant women and children birth to age five and their families, as well as MHSSCO’s ability to contract with and support several agencies such as the Missouri Head Start Association. PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS Missouri Early Head Start provides services to promote academic, social and emotional development, and provides social, health and nutrition services for income-eligible families. Missouri Preschool Project promotes high quality early care and education programs for children one or two years before kindergarten eligibility. All funds are distributed directly to preschool programs, and MPP programs are provided in public school districts and by private licensed providers in preschool classrooms and are designed to be developmentally appropriate for preschool age children. Child Care Aware® of Missouri serves as a community resource on child care throughout the state. They help families find quality child care, preschool and after-school programs for their children. They work with child care program owners, directors and teachers to improve the quality of their programs. They provide business and civic leaders with information on the value and importance of child care and collaborate with them to make child care safe and enriching for children. The Department of Social Services Child Care Assistance Program enables families to obtain and retain employment, or the skills necessary to obtain employment, with the ultimate goal being to break the cycle of poverty. Child care is to be considered an on-going benefit in support of the family’s efforts to obtain or maintain self-sufficiency. Once a family is approved and a child is authorized for child care benefits, child care should continue as long as the family continues to meet the eligibility requirements. The Missouri Child Care Assistance program provides assistance with payment for child care on a sliding fee basis for eligible parents/guardians. Start-up and Expansion makes competitive awards to start up a new child care program or expand an existing program in order to increase the number of licensed child care slots for infants and toddlers. Funding is awarded on the basis of the number licensed slots being added. Awards are targeted to child care providers serving children receiving child care subsidy from the Department of Social Services (DSS). T.E.A.C.H. MISSOURI is an educational scholarship opportunity for early childhood providers in licensed child care center-based, group-based and family child care programs. The scholarship is part of a nationwide effort to increase quality in child care and early learning programs by increasing the educational qualifications of the teachers in the field. Missouri is one of 20 states offering this very successful program. Missouri Head Start State Collaboration Office is charged with facilitating and enhancing coordination and collaboration among Head Start agencies and other state and local entities that provide comprehensive services designed to benefit low-income pregnant women and children from birth to age five and their families. To achieve the goals of the Collaboration Office, the Office coordinates and leads efforts to bring diverse entities together to work on behalf of the state and local early childhood systems. Parents as Teachers (PAT) helps organizations and professionals work with parents during the critical early years of their children’s lives, from conception to kindergarten. Grounded in the latest research, Parents as Teachers develops curricula that support a parents role in promoting school readiness and healthy development of children. Early Childhood Development, Education, and Care Fund Information Statutory Statutory Differences Statutory Differences Requirements Allocations FY12 between Allocations TAFP FY13 between (based upon Appropriations Statutory (based upon Appropriations Statutory Approp Requirements & Approp Amt) Requirements & Amt) Appropriations Appropriations Total $31,770,813 $31,770,813 $0 $34,860,889 $34,860,889 $0 60% of Total used for Competitive Grants to be split between DESE and DSS: 80% of above 60% $15,249,990 $15,336,244 $86,254 $16,733,227 $28,248,973 $11,515,746 to DESE (ECSE, PAT, MPP) 20% of above 60% $3,812,498 $3,689,400 ($123,098) $4,183,307 $0 ($4,183,307) to DSS (Startup & Expansion) 10% to DSS for Early $3,177,081 $3,074,500 ($102,581) $3,486,089 $0 ($3,486,089) Head Start 10% to DSS for $3,177,081 $3,074,500 ($102,581) $3,486,089 $0 ($3,486,089) Accredited Provider Grants 10% to DSS for Stay- $3,177,081 $3,074,500 ($102,581) $3,486,089 $3,074,500 ($411,589) At-Home Parents 10% Undesignated $3,177,081 $3,521,669 $344,588 $3,486,089 $3,537,416 $51,327 (Purchase of Child Care & various other small approps) Total $31,770,813 $31,770,813 $0 $34,860,889 $34,860,889 $0