Early Childhood, Press Releases
Peter Clark
Statement on Gov. Abbott Opening Child Care

State must closely monitor health concerns and provide federal funds to providers

Statement on Gov. Abbott Opening Child Care
Blog, Child Health
Peter Clark
Over a Million Texans May Lose Insurance Under ...

By now, we all know that Monday’s CBO report estimated that the Senate health care bill ("BCRA") will increase the number of uninsured Americans by 22 million. And now we’re starting to see some estimates of what that would look like in Texas.

Early Childhood, Blog
Texans Care for Children
Local Research on Texas Pre-k Grants Provides ...

Districts urged the Legislature to provide adequate and predicable funding for boosting pre-k quality.

Early Childhood, Testimony
Andrea Brauer
Sunset Advisory Commission Report of the Texas ...

Testimony to the Sunset Advisory Commission

Texans Care for Children, among other suggestions, recommends Establishing an Office of Learning at the Texas Education Agency.

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Ensuring the Success of HB 4 and Texas Pre-k Students

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Testimony to the Senate Education Committee

HB 4 is an important step forward, and grant applications show that school districts strongly embrace it. However, there is more work to do to ensure that pre-k students and HB 4 are successful. Legislators should continue to support pre-k quality improvements across the state, in districts of every size and every region; ensure that per-student HB 4 funding is sufficient to produce strong gains in the classroom; and align other state early childhood policies with the early learning goals of HB 4.

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The Research is Clear: High Quality Pre-k Pays Off

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Research shows effective pre-k programs improve school readiness and academic achievement, reducing the need to provide special education services and helping more students advance to the next grade level on time. To harness the power of pre-k, Texas should build on the state’s new High Quality Pre-k Grant Program to improve the quality of and access to pre-k.

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Aug. 23 Children's Policy Series Forum: Building Healthy Foundations for Young Kids

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Please join us on Tuesday, August 23 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm for the next edition of the Children's Policy Series, a new effort to break down the artificial walls between children's policy issues and bring Texans together to identify policy strategies to improve child well-being. The August 23rd forum will look at Building Healthy Foundations for Young Kids.

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Improving Student Performance by Targeting Non-Academic Barriers to Learning

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Testimony to Senate Education Committee

Ample research demonstrates that non-academic factors influence students’ academic performance. Students are more likely to succeed in school when they are emotionally and physically healthy, feeling safe, and engaged and supported, yet Texas data show that many of our students report significant challenges in these areas. Fortunately, there are several concrete steps legislators can take to address these challenges and improve students’ academic performance.  

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Redesigned Women’s Health Programs Are Good News for Texas Moms and Babies, But Improvements are Needed Moving Forward

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We all want children to be healthy, succeed in school, and grow up to be our next generation of great teachers, helpful co-workers, and effective leaders. The first step is ensuring healthy pregnancies and healthy births. One of the most effective strategies to improve health outcomes for moms and babies is to make sure moms receive the care they need before, during, and after pregnancy. 

 

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Improving the Health of Young Texans: Minimum Standards for Child Care Centers

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Testimony to Department of Family and Protective Services

Every kid deserves a healthy start in life. Parents and early care and education providers agree that infants and children deserve to learn in a safe environment and benefit from healthy food, active play, and limited screen time. With the majority of children spending much of their day in early childhood programs, such as child care centers, stronger state minimum standards must be in place to ensure safe environments for children and help these programs deliver what is best for children to maintain a healthy weight and achieve lifelong health.

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Recommendations for Improving Texas’ Child Welfare System

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Testimony to the House Human Services Committee

Several studies and the findings in the recent court case show that one of the key steps the Legislature must take is reducing CPS staff caseloads so that dedicated, hard-working employees can effectively keep children safe. Texas must also ensure children in foster care have the support they need to overcome past trauma, grow up healthy, succeed in the classroom, and develop into self-sufficient adults. Texas should provide comprehensive services to children in foster care, so they can reach their potential.