With the Utah Legislature calling a virtual special session this week to address the impacts from COVID 19, it seems a good time to update the bills that the Early Childhood Alliance was tracking in the regular session that concluded last month. You can find our updated legislative tracker here. Spoiler alert: only three of the bills that we tracked passed: (1) HB 30, which increased penalties for overpayment of childcare subsidies from the Department of Workforce Services : (2) HB 99, which provides additional funding for a grant program for optional extended-day kindergarten targeting at-risk students and requires assessment outcomes to improve in order to be eligible for subsequent distributions, and (3) HB 114, which expands professional development to focus on early literacy and numeracy skills and requires local education agencies to establish an early learning plan that includes early literacy and early mathematics components.
As state and federal legislatures continue to address the community needs, it is important to continue to speak up for the littlest amongs us. Please continue to let your elected representatives know how important early childhood is to you and why you think it is a worthwhile investment.