The 74 Million – Carolyn Phenicie
“Democrats and early learning advocates are focused on protecting small gains for early childhood education included in the Senate’s No Child Left Behind rewrite as they work toward a final deal with Republicans often skeptical of a federal role in preschool programs. The Senate’s version of the bill would provide grants to help states and schools increase the quality of existing early childhood programs, target those programs to low- and middle-income families, and better coordinate the many existing streams of federal and state dollars for preschool programs. Events in recent months, notably, the resignations of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and House Speaker John Boehner, make it far less likely a final bill can be negotiated by the end of the Obama administration. Duncan put the odds at 50/50 before the election of new speaker Paul Ryan. The Senate’s top education committee Democrat, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, negotiated an early education amendment with Sen. Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia, and it was included during committee consideration.”(more)