Last week, the joint finance committee of Delaware lawmakers approved Gov. Jack Markell’s request for $22 million in new money for child-care and early learning. The new dollars are to be spent as follows:
- $9 million to increase child-care subsidy reimbursements to providers, the first increase in six years;
- $10 million in incentives for child-care providers that meet state quality ratings of 3, 4 or 5
- $3 million to support providers in their efforts to meet the state quality requirements.
In 2006, Delaware education advocates lined up under the banner of Vision 2015 to develop a plan for the state’s education system, with a strong focus on improving early-childhood education. In a press release, the Rodel Foundation, a major player in the Vision 2015 effort, called the new investment “a major development in the state’s education priorities and a huge step forward for those of us working to advance ECE.”