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Folks, we're coming to the end of this call. In the chat can you share what next steps you'd like to see for this childcare group? If there are actions you'd like to see this group do? More shared learning? Advocacy?

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Folks, we're coming to the end of this call. In the chat can you share what next steps you'd like to see for this childcare group? If there are actions you'd like to see this group do? More shared learning? Advocacy?

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Challenges from COVID - providers, under-enrollments Health Care for the field

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Challenges from COVID - providers, under-enrollments Health Care for the field

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We've gone from a situation where we had virtually no childcare spaces to now (with covid) everyone is under-enrolled. We're so concerned about how many early learning centers will close due to this  and then we will be even worse off when people go back to working. What strategies are happening to address this?

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We've gone from a situation where we had virtually no childcare spaces to now (with covid) everyone is under-enrolled. We're so concerned about how many early learning centers will close due to this  and then we will be even worse off when people go back to working. What strategies are happening to address this?

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Together with partners and funders, we've helped create or preserve affordable homes for more than 48,000 families by leveraging over $2.8 billion in capital throughout Washington and Oregon.

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Whatcom CF: considering revolving loan fund and/or small capital grants

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Whatcom CF: considering revolving loan fund and/or small capital grants

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Dept of Commerce Funds-geared at expanding potential capacity for ECEAP (state preschool slots)

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Dept of Commerce Funds-geared at expanding potential capacity for ECEAP (state preschool slots)

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ELF funding is open to nonprofits, public entities, K-12 schools and districts, tribes and for-profit businesses. The type of eligible applicant depends on the requirements of the current funding round being released as indicated below. Nonprofit and for-profit business applicants must be registered in the State of Washington. All applicants must be able to meet all applicable licensing and certification requirements under specific RCWs and WACs pertaining to the early learning and childcare services proposed in the facilities to which the funding will be applied.

Grants made by the ELF program are for reimbursement of capital projects only. Capital costs may include acquisition, design, engineering, third-party construction management, and construction and capitalized equipment costs associated with building early learning facilities. If funding is provided for the acquisition of a building or land, the acquisition must have the resulting outcome of a facility that increases early learning opportunities for children from low-income households.

(English) The Imagine Institute is available to provide language assistance in the applicants preferred language. Please contact The Imagine Institute at 206-492-5249 or email CCSG@imaginewa.org

(Spanish) El Imagine Institute está disponible para brindar asistencia lingüística en el idioma preferido de los solicitantes. Comuníquese con The Imagine Institute llamando al 206-492-5249 o envíe un correo electrónico a CCSG@imaginewa.org

(Somali) Waxay Imagine Institute diyaar kuula tahay in ay bixiso caawimaad luuqadeed codsadayaasha arjiga luuqada ay doorbidayaan. Fadlan la Xariir Imagine Institute ee 206-492-5249 ama emayl CCSG@imaginewa.org
Note: Official grant applications, contracting processes and reimbursement processes are all in English.

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Community Capital Facilities - Early Learning Program

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Early Learning Facilities Program The Department of Commerce manages funding awarded through direct appropriation and competitive processes that establish new capacity for early learning providers. The Early Learning Facilities (ELF) program supports Washington's commitment of developing additional high quality early learning opportunities for children from low-income households.

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As we think about supporting building a network of culturally-specific, place-based early childhood facilities - are the strategies to support providers to stay in place and serve children (and guard against the gentrification that often follows school and early learning improvements).

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As we think about supporting building a network of culturally-specific, place-based early childhood facilities - are the strategies to support providers to stay in place and serve children (and guard against the gentrification that often follows school and early learning improvements).

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Please use this column to log requests for future session topic and/or link resources that may answer related questions

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Please use this column to log requests for future session topic and/or link resources that may answer related questions

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Question: how can we shift policy focus from organizations already doing policy work to adding policy work to organizations providing services?

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Question: how can we shift policy focus from organizations already doing policy work to adding policy work to organizations providing services?

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Question: this is a great conversation and brings up a question about what "quality" is and who defines it

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Question: this is a great conversation and brings up a question about what "quality" is and who defines it

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Question: What can community philanthropy do to be better listeners, to better identify and see our blind spots and how our inherited systems of doing business prevent real engagement especially by folks of color.. Are there one or two things you have seen funders do that actually shifted the system and created openings for a different conversation

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Question: What can community philanthropy do to be better listeners, to better identify and see our blind spots and how our inherited systems of doing business prevent real engagement especially by folks of color.. Are there one or two things you have seen funders do that actually shifted the system and created openings for a different conversation

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House Bill 1278- Providers part of Curriculum Design

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House Bill 1278- Providers part of Curriculum Design

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The unofficial title for today is "Truth from the Ground"

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The unofficial title for today is "Truth from the Ground"

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Pipeline of leaders in early learning field: WA Early Learning Policy Fellowship

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Pipeline of leaders in early learning field: WA Early Learning Policy Fellowship

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House Bill 2566-Community Pathways to Certification

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House Bill 2566-Community Pathways to Certification

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What does it mean to be both "at the table" and "eat the food"? In this context, for early learning field.

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What does it mean to be both "at the table" and "eat the food"? In this context, for early learning field.

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Recently released report from WA State Child Care Collaborative Task Force 

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Recently released report from WA State Child Care Collaborative Task Force 

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WCCA provides a unified voice for center owners and directors, and is committed to actively working on behalf of Washington State's early learning centers. WCCA advocates to improve access to services for families while finding equitable and sustainable methods to support the workforce.

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Washington Childcare Centers Association - WCCA

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WCCA provides a unified voice for center owners and directors, and is committed to actively working on behalf of Washington State's early learning centers. WCCA advocates to improve access to services for families while finding equitable and sustainable methods to support the workforce.

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Self-Sufficiency Standard for families across Washington State

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Self-Sufficiency Standard for families across Washington State

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*What is needed to support equity and advocacy?
*What Community Philanthropy needs to know now?
*Where are there opportunities in the not too distant future?

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Join Zoom Meeting

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Introduction

"We see people who won't take a promotion or who quit because they lose benefits. People who won't take the opportunity to work full-time. This is detrimental to their long-term stability and to the business's stability, who deal with churn and turnover." - Tricia Canavan, CEO, United Personnel

Across the country, businesses striving to fill their workforce needs are turning to hard-to-employ and chronically underemployed parents. Business and government leaders face aging demographics, slow population growth, low unemployment rates and industry-specific workforce shortages as they attempt to increase, or at least sustain, economic growth and competitiveness. States are intensifying efforts to connect industry's workforce needs with available workers to get more people on a sustainable career path, leading to a stronger economy.

"Benefits cliffs"-or "the cliff effect"-are a hurdle for businesses and workers alike. The cliff effect refers to the sudden and often unexpected decrease in public benefits that can occur with a small increase in earnings. When income increases, families sometimes lose some or all economic supports. These can include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), school nutrition programs, health care, child care assistance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and housing. Often, wage increases result in a net loss of income or only a small overall increase. Sometimes the cliff effect looks more like a slope or plateau, but it is still a disincentive to work. When lost benefits outpace a wage increase, many families "park" or fall off the cliff's edge, stalling progression in their jobs and careers.

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An Anchor or a Ladder?

For families, the cliff effect can create an anchor into, rather than a ladder out of, poverty. They lose more than they gain when they take a job or receive a raise and their safety net is simultaneously weakened or eliminated. For businesses, it often means perpetually recruiting, hiring and training for the same entry-level positions. To the detriment of all, the workforce shortage is not filled, families do not exit social support systems, and economic growth is stymied. This effect is seen by some, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as an effective marginal tax rate on low-income earners because they do not realize the full dollar-for-dollar value of their earnings.

The interplay of public benefits policies across agencies and between levels of government can have the unintended consequences of limiting economic opportunity and disincentivizing work. In most cases, federal law establishes program eligibility criteria and benefit levels. Then federal agencies promulgate rules and regulations to implement the law. Next, states, and sometimes counties, create their own laws and regulations to guide program fulfillment and service delivery. The complexity is often compounded when looking at benefits across multiple programs, agencies and levels of government, which are not often aligned.

The Cliff Effect in Marion County, Indiana

This example, from the Indiana Institute for Working Families, illustrates the effect that modest wage increases have on annual net resources. The individual in this example is a single parent with one preschooler and one child in school, with wages starting at $8 per hour and increasing to $24 per hour. The red line across the middle demonstrates the point at which income equals the costs of basic necessities. This parent experiences three cliffs, with the most dramatic cliff coming with a wage increase of 50 cents, from $15 to $15.50 per hour. The total impact is a 25% decrease in annual net resources, dipping well below the break-even line.

Motivated to create economic opportunity for workers and their families and address workforce shortages, state and federal leaders are taking steps to untangle this complex knot. They are working together to understand the net effect of overlapping policies on individuals, families and employers and seizing the opportunity to remove unintended bureaucratic barriers to employment.

Interest in mitigating the cliff effect is rising across sectors and supporting families' economic transition to work and into higher-wage jobs. This report summarizes lessons learned from significant efforts in New England to address benefits cliffs. With the understanding that solutions will vary based on the specific mix of federal and state policies in each state, this offers a menu of policy options for addressing worker shortages that also improve family outcomes.

A Regional Focus

New England is emerging as a leader in developing policy solutions to the cliff effect. The six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) are tackling benefits cliffs in policy, agency culture and frontline practice as part of a nationally recognized regional two-generation initiative. A Whole Family Approach to Jobs: Helping Parents Work and Children Thrive is a partnership between the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Region 1 at HHS. Partners include businesses, parents, philanthropy, executive and legislative agencies, and community organizations. Primary funding has been provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The initiative was designed to help participating state leaders develop program, policy and system solutions that help parents achieve greater economic stability through employment, while supporting their children's well-being and optimal development. The initiative brings together public- and private-sector stakeholders from workforce development, human services, early childhood, educators and others to address the social determinants of health and identify policy opportunities, lessons learned, and challenges faced by states seeking to implement whole-family approaches to economic opportunity for low-income parents. With shared values of putting the family in the center, maximizing opportunity and removing obstacles to economic stability, the six states have studied the cliff effect, individually and together.

Recognizing the growing challenges that benefits cliffs present for families and business, the six states convened a work group to examine how these cliffs affect families in the region. The group also considered legislative and regulatory options and other strategies to address benefits cliffs at the state and federal levels. Discussion centered around the following principles and strategies:

Using a two-generational framework to help parents work and children thrive.

Keeping families at the center of policy making.

Maximizing opportunity for children and families.

Leveraging public investments in employment-related services that support families.

Incentivizing work.

Boosting individual effort and responsibility.

Promoting efficiencies in government systems.

The work group conducted a nationwide environmental scan to identify administrative policy changes and legislation that have been enacted to address benefits cliffs. Short-term solutions primarily fell into three categories: 1) phasing out benefits slowly, extending certification periods or using sliding fee scales, 2) raising eligibility limits or changing exit/loss of eligibility standards to enable a longer stay on benefits while working, and 3) providing monetary incentives for continued employment or allowing more earned income to be retained.

Long-term strategies aim to revitalize employment opportunities by: 1) increasing educational and work supports through job-training and skill-development initiatives, 2) expanding educational funding, and 3) asking employers to increase investment in early stage workers.2

The work group confirmed that policies with similar goals are not effectively aligned within or across agencies and branches of government. These unintended misalignments confound parents seeking sustainable employment and the state agencies striving to assist families.

Insights from the work group mirror findings from a 2018 survey of state human service leaders as part of the HHS Reimagine Aim for Independence Initiative.3 Regarding the administration of benefit programs, 52% of state leaders identified variation in federal eligibility requirements across programs as a top challenge. They identified the following options for further consideration:

Streamline verification of eligibility and improve coordination of eligibility standards across programs.

Standardize definitions to be used across programs.

Create a universal intake process or master client database to screen people for multiple needs and programs at once.

Fund state efforts to build a data system that can connect across agencies.

The New England states, through the working group and their individual efforts, have implemented research, practice and policy changes that taken together offer a range of solutions for states to consider. Three states, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, are directly addressing benefits cliffs, though all six states have taken steps to understand and address the cliff effect in some way.

A Regional Focus: New England State Action

Maine

Maine's Whole Families Working Group engaged Stepwise Research in 2018 to assess the prevalence and impact of benefits cliffs. The study examined the interplay among 13 state and federal programs. Child care and health benefits had the most extreme cliffs. In other instances, the group found downward slopes across the benefit systems, negatively impacting the parent's fiscal interest and capacity to work outside the home. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) at the state and federal level was shown to be an effective policy lever to ease the cliff effect.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services increased its monthly food supplement for working families from $15 per month to $50 per month by using $7 million annually in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to supplement SNAP benefits. Maine will also increase access to transitional Medicaid for families entering the workforce.

In 2019, Maine enacted a bipartisan package of bills, referred to as the Invest in Tomorrow package ( LD 1772, LD 1774). The new laws are intended to address in significant ways the state's benefits cliffs. Together, the package eliminates the gross income test for TANF, invests $2 million in whole-family pilot programs and increases the income disregard in TANF to support parents' transition to work. It also authorizes an increase in TANF funds for transitional food assistance and establishes a working group to align programs and improve accountability for better outcomes for families.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts is in the process of reforming its TANF program. The emphasis of reform efforts are on simplifying and aligning program rules and requirements for working families, better incentivizing and supporting employment and employment-related activities, and easing the cliff effect during transition to economic self-sufficiency. In 2019, the state is poised to pass a budget that will eliminate the asset test on a family's first vehicle and provide child care assistance, for the first time, to kinship caregivers. Supporting kinship caregivers with child care subsidies can support economic mobility and family preservation.

These reforms build on significant changes in TANF policies implemented during the 2019 fiscal year. They include increasing the cash asset limit from $2,000 to $5,000 per household and offering to disregard 100% of participants' income for six months when it falls below 200% of the federal poverty level. Taken together, these changes smooth transitions to work, sustain families when inevitable emergencies occur, and enable workers to begin accumulating financial assets.

"I hear from employers that folks can't take on extra hours or a wage increase because they're afraid of losing their housing, child care or other supports. We want to hand them a pole vault stick to get over the cliff." - Jeff McCue, commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance

Massachusetts' Learn to Earn Initiative takes a comprehensive approach to providing unemployed and underemployed parents receiving public assistance the supports, skills and credentials they need to gain and retain employment. To help families identify how wage increases affect benefits, Massachusetts' Department of Transitional Assistance, along with other agencies administering public benefits, developed CommonCalc, a benefits calculator for staff working with clients receiving TANF, SNAP and other public benefits. The tool helps case managers and community providers work more effectively with clients and to help them understand the impact of earnings and plan for their exit from public benefits. To promote self-determination, frontline staff coach clients to maximize opportunity rather than benefits.

Learn to Earn is also funding local pilot partnerships that are testing new models to encourage and support sustainable employment among public benefit recipients. The initiative is working two strategies: 1) through a cross-agency working group charged with identifying policy, regulatory and statutory changes to mitigate cliff effects, and 2) by supporting local flexibility and innovation at the pilot sites, it is testing policy changes and identifying solutions that can be scaled statewide.

Through the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's Working Cities Challenge, the city of Springfield has modified its financial literacy curriculum to highlight and plan for cliff-related barriers to employment. This whole-family curriculum is embedded in many local workforce development training programs and delivered to Head Start family service coordinators and coaches to help clients mitigate changes in net financial resources before they occur. Springfield is engaging employers to identify strategies to ease the impact of cliffs for their employees and in public policy.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire's proposed 2019-2020 budget contains a plan from Governor Chris Sununu (R) and the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). It addresses benefits cliffs, develops a benefits calculator for public use, and explores solutions to closing the cliff effect.

DHHS is also restructuring its divisions and bureaus to prioritize prevention and economic stability as well as improve frontline interactions with clients. In addition, the Division of Economic and Housing Stability was created in 2018 to " promote a more holistic, multi-generational and integrated approach for individuals, children, and families that may be in need of an array of supports and services." The new organization brings together many human services functions, including workforce, child care, child support and housing-all aimed at creating pathways to self-sufficiency.

New Hampshire's cliff effect initiative complements the Community Collaborations to Strengthen and Preserve Families grant program from the federal Children's Bureau at the Administration for Children and Families. The grant program focuses on strengthening families, building parents' capacity for self-sufficiency, and ensuring children are in safe and nurturing environments. The initiative also aligns with statewide initiatives addressing affordable housing vouchers and planning for high-quality preschool, the federal State Opioid Response grant, increasing quality initiatives at Family Resource Centers, and the state's new 10-Year Mental Health Plan.

Connecticut

Focus groups conducted by the Connecticut Association of Human Services offer compelling examples of how benefits cliffs limit Connecticut parents' ability to move ahead economically. As one parent who participated in the focus group described:

"It's like being pushed over the cliff, not falling. You have to work to qualify, but then working too much can cost you your Care4Kids? The same goes for food stamps and HUSKY, and with those we're barely getting by [...] And because you're not allowed to save anything up, to have money in your bank account, you have nowhere to land."

In addition, the state's Two-Generational Advisory Board held a public forum to inform legislators, state agencies, parents and others about opportunities to address the cliff effect. The board created a work group charged with swiftly developing a study of the cliff effect, and potentially a cliffs calculator. It also devised policy changes to mitigate the potential cliff effect of the 2019 minimum wage increase passed by the legislature in HB 5004. The work group includes agency commissioners, legislators and advocates.

In 2019, Connecticut's Office of Early Childhood modified its child care subsidies to smooth the impact of benefits cliffs. Other efforts by the office to boost employment for parents through a whole-family approach include a child care voucher program to help qualifying low-income parents attend community college.

In 2019, Connecticut passed SB 1080, which bolsters existing two-generational legislation by charging the administration with bringing together agencies to develop a plan to help families overcome barriers to economic success. The legislation requires the plan to include indicators of quantifiable and verifiable systems change to disrupt cycles of intergenerational poverty and advance family economic self-sufficiency and equity. To achieve those goals, the plan likely will include multi-agency efforts to address cliffs across numerous state benefits programs.

Rhode Island

Through the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's Working Cities Initiative, the city of Newport is working with stakeholders to identify solutions to benefit cliffs in housing assistance. The complexity of housing assistance policies and the cliff effect were highlighted at a meeting of the Rhode Island team. Families discussed how housing assistance programs each have their own rules and structures, creating a complex interplay that is difficult for residents and case managers alike to understand.

Vermont

Vermont has been working for years to address TANF benefit cliffs. In 2013, the earned income disregard was increased from $200 and 25% of remaining earnings to $250 and 25% of remaining earnings, allowing families to keep more of their TANF benefits when they go to work. The Reach Ahead program at Vermont's Human Services agency provides a transitional food benefit and other support services to help working clients put food on the table after they exit TANF and the state's postsecondary education program.

In 2017, the Vermont General Assembly established a study committee to examine proposals to increase the state's minimum wage and the impact that would have on public benefits for low-income families. The committee ultimately recommended increasing the state's minimum wage, while also including a provision in the legislation to shift the eligibility for the state's child care subsidy at the same rate to reduce the likelihood that low-income families would lose their child care support.

In 2018, Vermont passed HB 236, which increased asset limits for TANF from $2,000 to $9,000 and excludes deposits in child savings accounts and retirement accounts. Both measures were taken to mitigate against loss of benefits when families try to build asset cushions for their families. Assets accumulated from earnings by participating families, as well as any earned income tax credit, are now excluded when determining continuing eligibility for TANF. The statute also removes children's higher education savings accounts from asset limits when determining eligibility for a child care subsidy.

Policy Options

Policies aimed at mitigating or eliminating benefits cliffs have interrelated goals that together support workers, families, business and bolster economies. The Whole Family Approach to Jobs work group identified a menu of policy options for both state and federal consideration. The state policies are organized into five overarching state policy strategies: 1) mapping benefits cliffs and pathways to financial self-sufficiency, 2) aligning eligibility levels, 3) making work pay, 4) increasing family economic security through asset development, and 5) fostering culture and system changes in the public and private sectors.
1. MAPPING BENEFITS CLIFFS

Self-Sufficiency Standards

Benefits Calculators

2. ALIGNING ELIGIBILITY LEVELS

Asset Limits

Income Disregards

Alignment of Rules Across Programs

3. MAKING WORK PAY

Tax Credits for Working Families

Career Pathways

4. INCREASING FAMILY ECONOMIC SECURITY THROUGH ASSET DEVELOPMENT

Escrow Accounts

Individual Development Accounts

5. FOSTERING CULTURE AND SYSTEM CHANGES IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS

Employer Engagement

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Goal Setting, Career Planning and Coaching

Student Access to SNAP

Mapping Benefits Cliffs and Pathways to Financial Self-Sufficiency

One of the first steps in addressing benefits cliffs is to understand where and how they happen. States have taken various approaches to understand the interaction between wages and benefits cliffs, including defining a self-sufficiency standard to understand what families need to earn to transition away from benefits altogether. Calculators can help caseworkers and families understand when they would reach a benefit cliff. These efforts have been driven primarily by state legislators, governors, and TANF and SNAP directors.

Self-Sufficiency Standards

A financial self-sufficiency standard is defined as the income necessary for a family to meet its basic needs without public or private assistance. Some states use 200% of the federal poverty guideline; however, most have taken a more nuanced approach and factor in the varying costs of living by geography, household size and ages of children.

Forty-one states and the District of Columbia have self-sufficiency standards specific to their circumstances. Seven states-California, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming-are using self-sufficiency calculators. For a 50-state perspective, the Center for Women's Welfare at the School of Social Work at the University of Washington publishes a self-sufficiency standard for each state that considers the age and composition of the family and includes the costs of all major budget items.

Benefits Calculators

Benefits calculators help caseworkers and families receiving benefits identify cliffs on an individual or family level and how increases in income could impact benefits. By illuminating how employment-related income impacts public supports, benefits calculators help families make informed decisions related to their family well-being, especially when paired with career coaching and access to workforce training and education. They also help frontline employees and government officials understand the interplay of benefits and income. The results help identify cliffs, as well as the policy or practice levers that could be pulled to prevent or mitigate the cliff effect.

The Children's Defense Fund of Minnesota, with the Dakota County Department of Human Services, developed a family stability indicator that allows clients, caseworkers and policymakers to enter income, benefit and tax credit data. The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance, in collaboration with several other state agencies, developed CommonCalc, a benefits calculator for use by case managers and others working directly with clients to understand the impact of earnings on benefits. In addition, the Urban Institute maintains a net income change calculator that can be used to understand cliffs based on state and federal statutes and regulations.

Aligning Eligibility Levels

Lack of understanding and transparency related to program eligibility thresholds is a major reason families experience a sudden reduction or complete loss of benefits. For some programs, eligibility is set by federal statute and is fixed. For others, states have flexibility to define eligibility through income and asset definitions. States have looked at options to lessen the impact of federal policies and allow for asset development. These include increasing the asset limit for families receiving TANF or SNAP; disregarding the value of vehicles owned, a defined amount or type of income, and increases in income for a limited time; and aligning rules across programs.

Asset Limits

Asset limits cap the total value of assets an individual or family may hold and remain eligible for a program. TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, and sometimes housing programs, have asset limits. Limits are typically set through state or federal statutes. They vary by program, with some allowing vehicles, savings accounts and restricted access accounts (e.g., education savings accounts, individual development accounts and retirement accounts) to be disregarded for eligibility purposes. Asset limits sometimes unintentionally limit ownership of automobiles, create disincentive to save money for emergencies, or make families ineligible for the very benefits that enable a successful transition to work. Increasing or removing asset limits allows for asset development without impacting receipt of benefits.

Forty-seven states have asset limitsfor TANF, ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 (Georgia, Indiana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Texas) to $9,000 to $10,000 (Delaware, Minnesota, Oregon and Vermont). In five states and the District of Columbia, the amount differs when there is an elderly or disabled person in the family receiving TANF. Eight states (Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Virginia) have no asset test or asset limit for TANF eligibility. In 2018, Massachusetts increased its asset limit from $2,000 to $5,000 for TANF. Vermont increased its asset limits for TANF from $2,000 to $9,000 in 2018 with HB 236.

In addition to accruing overall assets, 41 states allow assets to accrue in restricted accounts without impacting the receipt of benefits. Individual development accounts are the most common example of this. Individual development accounts are restricted to postsecondary education, the purchase of a first home or capitalization of a small business. Some states also allow retirement and education savings accounts to accrue. The amount that can be accrued in designated accounts without impacting benefits varies greatly. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia match the amount invested by the account holder.

Ten states (Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hersey, New Mexico, North Carolina and Utah) and the District of Columbia exempt all vehicles in a household. Eighteen states exempt a limited number of vehicles per household, licensed driver or adults in the household, while 13 states specify a dollar amount to be exempted based on the value of the vehicle(s) in the household.

Income Disregards

Employment-related income alone often does not cover basic needs for families. Consequently, policies that enable workers to continue receiving public benefits while their income increases are seen by some policymakers as a way to simultaneously increase employee retention and family stability. For businesses, such policies help keep employee turnover in check and mitigate the negative effects of worker shortages. For workers, income disregards help them stay in the workforce and provide for their families.

Earned income disregards allow certain types and amounts of income to be excluded for purposes of determining eligibility and benefit levels for support programs. State and federal leaders are enacting policies that enable income disregards to reduce or eliminate the cliff effect that can happen with small increases in income. Income disregards also help beneficiaries' transition to work by covering work-related expenses. Child support and wages are examples of income that can be disregarded in some states. Recipients of child support can disregard a portion of that benefit when determining eligibility for TANF. Similarly, noncustodial parents can exclude child support paid from income when determining eligibility for SNAP.

In 2018, Massachusetts implemented an earned income disregard of 100% for the first six months of employment while receiving TANF, as long as the family income is not over 200% of the federal poverty level. Maine enacted similar legislation in 2019. Twelve states have an earned income disregard for determining continuing eligibility for current TANF recipients. The remaining 38 states and the District of Columbia have no net-income test for determining eligibility after initial enrollment.

Alignment of Rules Across Programs

TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, child care and housing programs each have their own criteria for determining eligibility and calculating income. Policy changes to align rules across these programs could help mitigate benefit cliffs and reduce complexity for clients and frontline staff.

A 2017 report from the United States Government Accountability Office details how the rules for EITC, Medicaid, Housing Choice Vouchers, SNAP, SSI and TANF differ. The GAO examined how federal rules vary regarding eligibility for benefits, how income and assets are treated, and the type and amount of benefits received. The report visually maps the complex federal system that administers these programs, which includes seven congressional committees for six programs, administered by six federal agencies within four federal departments. In addition to the challenge of untangling the federal human services systems, the potential financial impact of changes on the individual programs also makes it difficult for state and federal leaders to align rules across programs.

Despite these roadblocks, federal agencies and some states are trying to adjust program administration through data-sharing, streamlined applications and eligibility determinations. For instance, states can use data from SNAP to determine Medicaid eligibility and align its eligibility process with other programs serving low-income individuals and families.

Referred to as broad-based categorical eligibility, this is one tool states have adopted to expand categorical eligibility to households that receive non-cash TANF benefits and SNAP benefits. Forty-one states and the District of Columbia have adopted broad-based categorical eligibility within TANF and 34 states have aligned asset limits with SNAP. In some cases, this has resulted in higher asset limits for SNAP.

Making Work Pay

Work supports are policies and programs that help people experiencing barriers to work enter and succeed in the workforce. The most common work supports are tax credits, child care and pathways to work, career and self-sufficiency. Many family-support programs, especially child care, do double-duty as work-support programs.

Tax Credits for Working Families

Federal and state tax credits can help offset a decline in public benefits. States can create refundable or nonrefundable state tax credits to supplement what is available through the federal government. A nonrefundable tax credit means a taxpayer gets a refund only up to the amount owed. A refundable tax credit means taxpayers can receive refunds that exceed the amount of tax owed.

The federal Earned Income Tax Credit(EITC) and Child Tax Credit(CTC) are the most common refundable tax credits available to low-income families. Refundable tax credits provide financial assistance, in addition to reducing or eliminating tax liability for low- to moderate-income workers. During 2018, the federal EITC lifted approximately 9.4 million people out of poverty, including 5 million children. Similarly, the CTC lifts more than 3 million people, including 2 million children, out of poverty each year.

Twenty-nine states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico have state EITCs, and all but six are refundable. State earned income tax credits provide an additional benefit to the federal credit for low-income taxpayers, ranging from 3% to 125% of the federal EITC. For example, in 2018, New Jersey provided $503 million in state EITC, bolstering the $1.4 billion the state received in federal credits.

Maine's benefits cliff study found that the federal EITC and increases to the state EITC would smooth out cliffs with a broad brushstroke, reducing the need to calibrate improvements to the cliffs across a set of benefits.5

Career Pathways

To help workers move to higher-wage jobs, states can identify high-growth occupations and opportunities for wage progression and the relationship to benefits cliffs, then develop strategies to smooth wage transitions.

Numerous states have mapped career pathways, enabling students and workers to see how they can progress step by step to higher-wage, higher-skilled occupations. Minnesota State University's career pathways program is one example of how to map career pathways across a range of occupations. CVS Health's pharmacy technician training program in New Hampshire and Massachusetts offers workers opportunities to train for skilled occupations with clear paths to a variety of jobs with increased earning potential.

Benefits cliff calculators can be used to help employers and employees alike see the impact of benefits cliffs on wages and advancement and make informed decisions.

Increasing Family Economic Security Through Asset Development

According to a 2018 report from the Federal Reserve System, 40% of adults would not be able to cover an unexpected expense of $400, and over 20% of adults are not able to fully pay their monthly expenses. Unexpected situations, such as an emergency car repair or lost wages due to caring for an ill family member, lay bare the precarious financial situation of many families receiving public assistance. In response, states are exploring ways to help families develop financial assets and begin to lay the groundwork for greater economic security for themselves and their children.

Escrow Accounts

Escrow accounts enable families to build assets by accumulating funds as the participant's income increases. Distinct from the traditional real estate escrow, these accounts allow a certain portion of increased income to be deposited into a savings account without impacting benefits or services. Deposits are sometimes matched by federal grants, state appropriations or local philanthropy.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Family Self-Sufficiency programis an example. The program, when authorized by local housing authorities, enables families in public housing, including households with Section 8 certificates, to escrow the portion of any increased earnings that would usually go to increased rent. Escrowed funds can be used for homeownership or further education. Many housing authorities also require financial education as part of their program. The average graduate of the program saw an increase in earnings of $10,000 to $12,000 and graduated with more than $6,000 in unrestricted funds in their escrow account.

Individual Development Accounts

Individual Development Accounts (IDA) allow low-income individuals to save money for education, starting a business, buying a home and other authorized uses. IDAs are operated by community-based organizations or state or local governments in partnership with community-based organizations. Personal investments are matched by community-based organizations through grants from the federal government and other sources. Allowing these investments to grow, while disregarding them as income (see page 10), can help smooth or eliminate the cliff effect.

At least 40 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have IDA programs, though only 12 states and the District of Columbia appropriated state funds for IDAs in 2018. The 12 states are Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire North Dakota, Oregon, Utah and Vermont.

Maine has two programs designed to help income-eligible families save for emergencies or other designated purposes. The Family Development Account Program provides a matched savings account for low-income families to support education or training, purchase a home, or start or expand a small business. Maine's Rainy Day Savings Account program allows income-eligible adults to contribute to a matched savings program that can be used for emergencies, such as car or household appliance repairs, transportation to work or school, or other expenses due to job loss, reduced hours or short-term disability.

Vermont offers a matched savings account to assist with the purchase of a first home, pursuit of post-secondary education, or establishment or expansion of a micro business. The match is $2 for every $1 saved.

The federal Assets for Independence Act of 1998 established federal funding for IDAs in states; however, no funds have been appropriated to the program since 2016. An evaluation of the Assets for Independence program showed a 7% increase in participants with liquid assets; an increase in the amount of liquid assets; a reduction in hardships related to housing, health care and other expenses; and an increase in confidence in participants' ability to meet their basic needs.

Fostering Culture and System Change

Undergirding the discussion of benefits cliffs is the importance of changing culture and systems to create greater economic opportunity for families. In the private sector, employers play a critical role in illuminating how benefits cliffs limit employment and career advancement for workers, and therefore also constrain business growth. In the public sector, and in organizations using public funds, understanding how cliffs constrain opportunity can help systems work with families more effectively. Some options below have not yet been tried. They represent the next wave of thinking in addressing the cliffs.

Employer Engagement

Employers facing worker shortages increasingly recognize that some employees are not advancing in their careers because of the negative financial impact associated with loss of benefits. Engaging employers in policy discussions could help build consensus for policy solutions, while also enabling employers to calibrate their wage and benefit packages to accommodate the cliffs.

Partners for a Competitive Workforce, a regional initiative of the United Way of Greater Cleveland, convened employers in roundtable discussions on poverty. Employers began to recognize that poverty and benefit cliffs were important issues for their businesses and are now advocating for greater economic opportunity for low-income workers as part of their business growth strategies.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Legislators could consider using fiscal notes to require evaluation of the long-term budgetary impact of benefits cliffs reforms achieved through new workers entering the labor market and reduced reliance on the social safety net. While no state has taken this step, the Whole Family Approach to Jobs working group concluded that smoothing the cliffs with policy reforms could produce a measurable benefit for state budgets.

In Massachusetts, the Department of Transitional Assistance is studying the fiscal impact of its Learn to Earn initiative and its TANF earned income disregard. Early results from the earned income disregard are showing increased employment rates, which could translate into reduced TANF expenditures and increased state tax revenue over time.

Goal Setting, Career Planning and Coaching

State agencies and family-serving organizations may want to change how their case managers and other frontline staff interact with families. Some states are implementing whole-family assessments, personal and professional goal setting and career counseling with their clients. This approach shifts the overall focus from maximizing benefits to maximizing opportunity. It also prioritizes whole-family outcomes rather than strictly individual outcomes. Parents, businesses and social service leaders alike are finding that career counseling helps clients see how they could reach a point where they are gainfully employed, and public assistance is no longer needed.

In Massachusetts and New Hampshire, frontline staff are being trained to move toward more goal-oriented programming. Nationally, Mathematica is testing goal-oriented coaching for hard-to-serve populations in five locations. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has also developed a set of family-centered coaching tools for adaptation by agencies and organizations that take a similar approach.

Student Access to SNAP Benefits

According to a 2018 reportby the GAO, many low-income college students struggle to meet their basic needs, and some drop out as a result. The report also found that some students are not accessing SNAP benefits because they aren't eligible or they have not considered whether they may be eligible. States have the option to expand access to SNAP benefits for students participating in career and technical education programs if their state plan includes training for adults, typically provided by community colleges. In addition, states can change how they calculate monthly income for students to reflect the up-and-down earnings common among students, thereby helping them maintain their eligibility for food assistance.

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Additional Resources

New England Resources

National Resources

Urban Institute and the Office for Planning Research and Evaluation with HHS, Welfare Rules Database, 2017

Asset Limits for Recipients, Table IV.A.3

Vehicle Exemptions for Recipients, Table L9

Work-Related Activity Exemptions for Single-Parent Head of Unit, Table III.B.1

Work-Related Activity Requirements for Single-Parent Head of Unit, Table III.B.2

Earned Income Disregards for Income Eligibility Purposes, Table I.E.2

United States Department of Agriculture, SNAP State Options Report , 2018

Congressional Research Services, Individual Development Accounts: Background on Federal Grant Programs to Help Low-Income Families Save , 2013

U.S. Government Accountability Office, Federal Low-Income Programs: Eligibility and Benefits Differ for Selected Programs Due to Complex and Varied Rules , 2017

Housing and Urban Development, Family Self-Sufficiency program

Minnesota's Family Stability Indicator

Indiana Institute for Working Families, The Cliff Effect: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back , 2012

Urban Institute Net Income Change Calculator

NCSL Resources

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national conference of state legislatures

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"We see people who won't take a promotion or who quit because they lose benefits. People who won't take the opportunity to work full-time. This is detrimental to their long-term stability and to the business's stability, who deal with churn and turnover."

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-Summative
-Interesting questions
-How self-organize for the rest of the year

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Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a kindergarten program for children, below the age of five, who do not have access to high-quality early learning experiences prior to kindergarten. Additionally, they have been deemed by a school district, through a screening process and/or other instrument(s), to be in need of additional preparation to be successful in kindergarten the following year.

Transitional Kindergarten Administrators’ Best Practices Workbook

The Transitional Kindergarten Administrators’ Best Practices Workbook will share the purpose of Transitional Kindergarten and the steps to get started in building trust with families and supporting them to select the best environments for their children. OSPI will also support your school/ district with connections to the Washington Pyramid Model implementation community of practice. Finally, this workbook sets your district up for success to collaborate with local early learning programs.

Pillars of Transitional Kindergarten

The following “pillars” describe required elements of Transitional Kindergarten.

Pillar I

Transitional Kindergarten programs meet the requirements of full-day kindergarten established in RCW 28A.150.315, including administration of the WaKIDS whole-child assessment, within the first ten weeks.

Pillar II

Classrooms are staffed by certificated teachers and paraeducators who provide a curriculum that offers a rich, varied set of experiences in learning environments that are developmentally appropriate and address the whole child.  It is recommended that teachers have Early Childhood and/or Early Childhood Special Education Endorsements.

Pillar III

Transitional Kindergarten programs are inclusive, socioeconomically diverse, and responsive to the needs of children who qualify for participation.

Pillar IV

Programs must be fully integrated into school buildings, with access to transportation, specialists, recess, lunch in the school cafeteria, and all aspects of the school day available to regular kindergarten students. Attention must be given to the developmental capabilities and needs specific to young children in these settings.

Pillar V

Transitional Kindergarten programs work in collaboration with and do not adversely impact enrollment in community-based preschool programs, including Head Start, ECEAP (the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program), tribally-led early learning programs, and those operating in licensed child care centers and licensed family homes. Districts participate in coordinated outreach, referral, and placement to assure best fit and appropriateness of services based on each child and family’s need.

2021-22 TK Resources

TK Survey

If your district is planning to implement Transitional Kindergarten (TK) this school year, please complete this TK survey at your earliest convenience. This profile will let OSPI know of your intention with TK and will let district administrators know when TK WaKIDS data is due.

TK Worksheet for Coordinated Recruitment & Enrollment and Budget Planning

OSPI created this TK Worksheet for Coordinated Recruitment & Enrollment and Budget Planning with the DCYF-OSPI-AESD Coordinated Recruitment & Enrollment Task Group, to help in establishing Coordinated Recruitment and Enrollment with other early learning programs.

ESD WaKIDS/TK Regional Coordinators

ESD 101–Spokane
Kimberly Lyman
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator

ESD 105–Yakima
Kathleen Lenihan
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Dana Floyd
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Maggie Mendoza
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator
Cynthia Juarez
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator

ESD 112–Vancouver
Cari Wood
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Sara Rushlo
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Jackie Brock
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator
Samantha Stevens
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator

ESD 113–Tumwater/Olympia
Kerri Blankenship
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinators
Jana Brock
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Josie Komorowski
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator

ESD 114–Bremerton
Laura Batcheller
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Kristen Sheridan
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator
Kim Crummey
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator

PSESD 121–Renton
Courtney O’Catherine
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Apurva Wikstrom
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Aeryn King
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Whitney White
P-3 Professional Learning Consultant
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator

ESD 123–Tri-Cities
Jennifer Ann Kelly
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator

NCESD 171–Wenatchee
Jane Fox
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Jan Dosh
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Janelle Bersch
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator

ESD 189–Anacortes
Rae Allen
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Sarah Southard
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator

OSPI
Julie Dean
Washington Pyramid Model Implementation Specialist
Gretchen Stahr-Breunig
WaKIDS/Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Coordinator

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Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a kindergarten program for children, below the age of five, who do not have access to high-quality early learning experiences prior to kindergarten.

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What can we (as community philanthropy) be doing better?
Who for, and so what?

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We often hear about the desire to professionalize the field. What are the upsides to this approach? Who does it push out?

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We often hear about the desire to professionalize the field. What are the upsides to this approach? Who does it push out?

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What happens when there are profound disconnects between what is experienced on the ground and what ends up being built and implemented at the system level. How can Community Philanthropy support, partners, or influence bringing equity to reduce that gap?

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What happens when there are profound disconnects between what is experienced on the ground and what ends up being built and implemented at the system level. How can Community Philanthropy support, partners, or influence bringing equity to reduce that gap?

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Lois Martin, Community Day Center for Children

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Lois Martin, Community Day Center for Children

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Vice-President, Washington Child Care Centers Association (www.wachild.com)

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At Community Day Center for Children Inc, we offer a whole environment specially tailored to help little people grow into healthy, happy bigger people. Most parents find it stressful to leave their children when they have to be away for work or other obligations. Community Day Center for Children Inc makes sure you're completely comfortable and confident in the quality of care we'll provide for your child in your absence.

Community Day Center for Children Inc is a very special place. It is a place where children can be children, and adults can feel secure leaving their most precious little people under our loving, attentive care.

We provide a range of services to address the special needs of kids, and a variety of fun activities to keep your child comfortable and happy during the time you have to be away. We treat every child who comes to visit with us like one of our own, and the little ones flourish in our understanding, encouraging environment.

Please browse the rest of this site to learn more about us, then give us a call or come see us to try our service. You'll find we love your child almost as much as you do!

Quality Child Care Since 1963.

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At Community Day Center for Children Inc, we offer a whole environment specially tailored to help little people grow into healthy, happy bigger people. Most parents find it stressful to leave their children when they have to be away for work or other obligations.

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i.e., Social Impact Bonds

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ECEAP (pronounced "E-Cap") is the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program funded by Washington State for children 3 and 4 and, in some locations, infants or toddlers who are younger than 3 years old.

Head Start is funded by the federal government for children ages 3 and 4 and, in some locations, pregnant women and children birth to age 3.

Both ECEAP and Head Start include:

Free early learning child care or preschool to support child's development and learning. In some locations, Head Start may also offer home-based services.

Family support and parent involvement.

Child health coordination and nutrition.

Services responsive and appropriate to each child's and family's heritage and experience.

Children who attend ECEAP and Head Start learn to manage their feelings, get along with others and follow classroom procedures. They build the beginning skills for reading, math and science. The programs work closely with parents to support their children's health and education and to meet family goals. They help families access medical and dental care and social services.

Children in this type of high-quality program nationwide are:

Healthier when they start kindergarten.

Less likely to be in special education or repeat a grade in school.

More likely to graduate from high school and go on to college.

Less likely to become pregnant as a teen or become involved in a crime.

More likely to be employed and to earn more as an adult.

More About the Programs

Enrollment

Most children are eligible for ECEAP and Head Start based on their age and family income. Up to 10% of ECEAP and Head Start slots can be filled by children above the income requirement who have multiple support needs, including:

Environmental factors such as homelessness, family violence, chemical dependency, foster care, or incarcerated parents.

Developmental factors such as developmental delay or other special needs.

In addition, children with disabilities who qualify for special education services and/or previously participated in certain birth to age three programs are also eligible for ECEAP.

After eligibility is determined, children are prioritized for enrollment as space is available in their communities. While ECEAP and Head Start have similar eligibility criteria, there are some differences:

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Department of Children, Youth & Families

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ECEAP (pronounced "E-Cap") is the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program funded by Washington State for children 3 and 4 and, in some locations, infants or toddlers who are younger than 3 years old. Head Start is funded by the federal government for children ages 3 and 4 and, in some locations, pregnant women and children birth to age 3.

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Early Achievers improves the quality of early care and learning in Washington State. What does that mean for families seeking child care?

Early Achievers provides evidence-based information about facility quality to help families find high-quality child care and early learning programs.

Participation is free for providers so there is no additional cost to families.

By participating in Early Achievers, early learning professionals show a commitment to improving quality so you can feel confident about your child care choice.

Choosing child care is an important decision. Families deserve to know their children are receiving care that promotes their unique skills and cultures, and supports the development of the whole child.
Early Achievers Information for Providers

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Department of Children, Youth & Families

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Early Achievers improves the quality of early care and learning in Washington State. What does that mean for families seeking child care? Early Achievers provides evidence-based information about facility quality to help families find high-quality child care and early learning programs. Participation is free for providers so there is no additional cost to families.

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Expanded Learning Opportunities, groups like School's Out WA would be a great resource/model for incorporating equity

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Shifts in demand in the industry (languages, format, hours of operation, etc?

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Multnomah County's highest earners will foot the bill for a universal preschool system that prioritizes access for Black, Indigenous and other communities of color, as voters supported the measure.

The county-backed Preschool For All initiative won majority support in partial returns, with 64.2% of voters backing it as of 9:50 p.m.

The preschool measure is a 1.5% tax on incomes of more than $125,000 per year and joint filings topping $250,000.

In 2026, the tax will scale up to 2.3% on incomes over $125,000 and joint filings above $250,000. The higher brackets of $250,000 for single filers and $400,000 for joint filers will incur an additional 1.5%.

The measure, which county Commissioner Jessica Vega Pederson spent the past two years gathering support for, is a compromise between her Preschool For All campaign and a citizen initiative that would have set a 3.9% tax on incomes of more than $165,000.

The county will work preschool providers to increase capacity.

The measure's backers expect the preschool tax will lead to "universality" by 2026.

--Eder Campuzano | 503-221-4344 | @edercampuzano | Eder on Facebook
Eder is The Oregonian's education reporter. Do you have a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email ecampuzano@oregonian.com.

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Universal preschool measure passes, meaning new income tax for Multnomah County's highest earners

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Multnomah County's highest earners will foot the bill for a universal preschool system that prioritizes access for Black, Indigenous and other communities of color, as voters supported the measure. The county-backed Preschool For All initiative won majority support in partial returns, with 64.2% of voters backing it as of 9:50 p.m.

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NW Public Broadcasting piece about McCleary

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NW Public Broadcasting piece about McCleary

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McCleary Case: A Short History Of A Long And Complicated Washington School Funding Fight - Northwest Public Broadcasting

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Earlier this month the Washington state Supreme Court brought to an end to a school funding fight which began more than a decade ago. What's the history of the very important decision? Continue Reading McCleary Case: A Short History Of A Long And Complicated Washington School Funding Fight

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Post from the Washington Education Association about the McCleary decision

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Post from the Washington Education Association about the McCleary decision

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The state Supreme Court ruled in June, 2018 that the state is finally in compliance with the court's 2012 McCleary decision. Because of McCleary, state funding for K-12 basic education has increased by billions of dollars, including billions for competitive and professional educator compensation. In 2016-2018, WEA members in school districts across the state negotiated historic pay increases for both certificated and classified education support professionals.

Protecting school funding in a time of deficits

The McCleary decision protects funding for basic education, which can only be cut for academic reasons-- not for budget reasons. Our schools, however, are so much more than basic education. As we face the pandemic and a recession, now is not the time for austerity. More than ever our students need additional supports for mental health, social work, nutrition, and housing. We support a more equitable tax structure to ensure we continue to support our students.

History of the McCleary Supreme Court case

WEA and many of our locals have been major supporters and funders of the McCleary court case since the beginning more than a decade ago.

In its January, 2012 McCleary decision, the state Supreme Court ordered the state to fully fund K-12 public schools as required by Article IX of the Washington Constitution:
"It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex."
In McCleary, the Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature had failed to fulfill its constitutional obligation to our state's 1.1 million students. The court also retained jurisdiction in the case and ordered the state to report back on its progress in complying with the court's order.

Two years later, the court found the Legislature in contempt for its failure to establish a plan for fully funding K-12 public education by Sept. 1, 2018. The Legislature failed to provide a plan, and the Supreme Court responded by fining the state $100,000 a day.

Along with dozens of local associations, school districts and other plaintiffs, WEA has been been at the forefront of the funding fight since WEA members approved a special dues assessent in 2004. The McCleary case was filed in 2007, and a superior court judge ruled in support in 2010, followed by the Supreme Court's decision in 2012.
Here are links to all McCleary court decisions and reports.
For more information

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McCleary victory: Billions for Washington K-12 public schools and students

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What is McCleary? Billions of dollars in state funding intended for teachers and school employees have been sent to schools, but a few districts are trying to divert the money intended to attract and keep the quality educators our students deserve.

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How do we address all the different audiences? Families! How do we keep that centered?

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How do we address all the different audiences? Families! How do we keep that centered?

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"if you are in the fight for racial justice and equity....[child care] is your fight"

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"if you are in the fight for racial justice and equity....[child care] is your fight"

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How Child Care Became a Centerpiece of the 2020 Election

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72 percent of young voters want Congress to provide funds to child care providers who are facing financial ruin during the pandemic.

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Financial Modeling for Child Care

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Let's Grow Kids in VT; a resource from the Rural Childcare group meeting on 11/11/20

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Let's Grow Kids in VT; a resource from the Rural Childcare group meeting on 11/11/20

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We are a smart, energetic, and fun group of people who are passionate about our work and fully committed to our mission and Vermont's Child Care Campaign.

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This site has a great library of pieces from Center for American Progress about child care

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This site has a great library of pieces from Center for American Progress about child care

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Rasheed A. Malik is the senior director of Early Childhood Policy at American Progress. His work focuses on child care infrastructure and supply, the economic benefits of child care, and bias and discrimination in early childhood policy. Malik's research has been featured in or cited by The New York Times, Vox, The Washington Post, NPR, Slate, CNNBusiness, and CNBC, among others.

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Lindsay Boswell, Yakima Valley Community Foundation
Gina Anstey, Consultant
Mares Asfaha, Philanthropy NW
Ted Lord, The Giving Practice

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We're hearing from a lot our local childcare providers that part of the money picture is needing funds to make capital improvements to meet existing standards - particularly for home providers. Can you talk about improvements to the actual physical environment could create a better environment for workers/owners/children?  Are there game changers related to making places more magical (and, of course safe)? Do you see this as an overall sector need?

# data[].attributes.subject
We're hearing from a lot our local childcare providers that part of the money picture is needing funds to make capital improvements to meet existing standards - particularly for home providers. Can you talk about improvements to the actual physical environment could create a better environment for workers/owners/children?  Are there game changers related to making places more magical (and, of course safe)? Do you see this as an overall sector need?