Funding Early Childhood is the Right IDEA

Join Division of Early Childhood (DEC) flood their inbox campaign by sending an electronic letter to your Congressional leaders through CEC’s Legislative Action Center. Three easy steps and 30 seconds of your time for over 1 million kids. Click here https://www.dec-sped.org/single-post/IDEA, enter your name and address and hit submit! It’s as easy as that!

Join DEC and early childhood advocates from across the nation in asking Congress to invest in early childhood services for young children with developmental delays and disabilities.
In late July, the Funding Early Childhood is the Right IDEA Act H.R. 4107, was introduced by Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (CA-D), Rodney Davis (IL-R) and Jared Huffman (CA-D) (Press Release of Bill H.R. 4107). This bipartisan bill addresses the significant gap in federal funding for IDEA Part C and 619 Preschool Grant Programs. With 15 co-sponsors, this bill increases authorization levels over 5 years for these crucial programs and would bring us back to per-child peak funding, considering inflation. An identical Senate bill is expected to be introduced this fall.

The IDEA Early Intervention and the Preschool Special Education Programs currently serve over 1.16 million children, about double the number of children served in 1991. Although states and local communities continue to serve more and more children in IDEA early childhood programs, federal funding has not kept pace. Adjusting for inflation, per-child funding for both Preschool Special Education and Early Intervention have decreased from their respective peaks by more than 64%.

We are urging members of Congress to co-sponsor and support the House bill Funding Early Childhood is the Right IDEA and sponsor or support the Senate bill this fall.
We need everyone’s voice to help get funding for services back to peak levels for over 1 million children. #FundEarlyChildhoodIDEA