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Loranne Ausley
Former Senator | Tallahassee, FL

Brighter Futures Early Learning Scholarships

Idea Category: Education, Equity & Opportunity

Problem

Early Learning is arguably more important than college, yet most new parents are not prepared for the exorbitant cost of quality child care for their young children. The cost of child care also limits parent choice as higher quality programs are out of reach for many. This means those families must choose from lower quality programs that may not be preparing their children for educational success. State and federal governments already support robust scholarships and financial aid programs for post-secondary education. What if these same options were available for quality early learning? The difference that a quality early learning experience has on a child’s overall and long-term educational, social and physical wellbeing is a proven and undisputed fact. Children who access these educational programs return this investment through higher learning achievement, higher employment levels and less economic burden as they become adults.

Solution

An early learning scholarship program that sets aside quality child care slots for children who need it the most: Parents that have hit a “fiscal cliff”, making just enough money to knock them out of most existing child care subsidy programs; Foster parents who currently must pay out of pocket expenses for child care; Teen moms working to earn a high school diploma; and Parents experiencing homelessness. These “scholarships” should be focused on making sure every child has access to a quality early learning experience so that they can be ready for kindergarten and achieve success in school. This program would leverage existing systems and expand support for families, which will give them the ability to make the best educational choices for their children at the most critical age, regardless of their income.