Early Ed Roundup: Week of May 5 – May 9

Plan Underway to Consolidate California Preschool Programs

California State Superintendent of Instruction Jack O’Connell joined California lawmakers on Tuesday to unveil a legislative package that would combine the state’s five early education and family programs into one, to be called the California State Preschool Program. The new program, which would include the existing California State Preschool Program, Full-Day State Preschool, the Pre-Kindergarten and Family Literacy Program, Pre-Kindergarten and Family Full Day, the General Care and Development Program would have an $816 million budget, making it the largest preschool program in the country. Local government officials praised the plan, which is designed to help streamline services and cut administrative costs. Currently some local educational agencies administer all five programs at once; with the new umbrella program they say they can redirect funding once used for paper-pushing towards instruction.

Bright Horizons Bought Out by Boston Firm

Bright Horizons, a for-profit childcare company that operates more than 600 centers (many employer-sponsored) in the U.S. and abroad, accepted a buyout offer this week from Boston-based Bain Capital Partners. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents Bright Horizons childcare workers, sent a letter to company executives seeking reassurance that the $1.3 billion deal will not lead to cuts in staffing or program quality that would ultimately affect children and their families.

Budget Cut in Connecticut Hits Early Reading Program

Connecticut school districts could lose $20 million in early literacy funding. Last year the state passed a two-year budget plan that funded the decade-old Early Reading Success program for the 2007-08 fiscal year but not for 2008-09. Legislators promised school administrators that they would restore funding for the program this year. But this year, facing a $67 million budget deficit, Governor Jodi Rell and legislative leaders are pursuing a “do nothing” budget–meaning no money for new programs–that fails to fund the Early Reading Success program. Coming on top of cuts in federal Reading First funding, this could mean serious reductions in the early literacy programs and support Connecticut schools can offer, and school officials worry that loss of the Early Reading grants could result in lower student performance.