Youngkin is pushing House of Delegates Republicans to invest more money to expand early childhood education in Virginia in a push for the final budget to more closely mirror the plan laid out by the Democrat-led Senate.
The Virginia budget has been a hotly contested issue for both state republicans and Youngkin himself, which is why his positioning on this is so notable, as he has typically backed the House’s budget plan, which includes more tax cuts, leaving less money for spending priorities. According to WAVY, the Senate’s plan includes more than $44 million in new funding for early childhood and preschool programs compared to $6 million proposed by the House, according to a budget breakdown from The Commonwealth Institute.
In an interview after a tour of River’s Bend Children’s Center in Chester, where he also signed a proclamation honoring those who work in the field, Youngkin made the case for accelerating the growth of public-private partnerships in early childhood education.
“I’m committed to a bigger investment and I do believe that’s what we’re going to see come out of the budget when it comes to me…If you are kindergarten ready, you will be life ready and, on top of that, for our workforce to get moving in Virginia, we have to have reliable, quality care for our children…I do believe that more than the House is required and so I’ll have a chance to sit down and talk to folks as they’re working down the stretch of the budget to make sure we have plenty,” Youngkin said. “I believe this is trending towards the Senate position.”
“This is a moment where delay is hurting our children, it’s hurting our teachers and it’s time for us to get moving,”
The Virginia budget has been a hotly contested issue for both state republicans and Youngkin himself, which is why his positioning on this is so notable, as he has typically backed the House’s budget plan, which includes more tax cuts, leaving less money for spending priorities. According to WAVY, The Senate’s plan includes more than $44 million in new funding for early childhood and preschool programs compared to $6 million proposed by the House, according to a budget breakdown from The Commonwealth Institute.
Karin Bowles, vice president for strategy with the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, elaborates that the Senate proposal provides additional funding for mixed-delivery grants. She said that’s when public dollars are used to help eligible parents pay to enroll their children in private programs. Bowles said that flexibility gives parents more choices and allows them to pick programs that meet their scheduling needs.
“We know that families across the Commonwealth are really struggling to find childcare, whether it’s a lack of supply in their community, which is often called a childcare desert, or whether it’s the right type of setting for their family based on their work schedule and their family needs and preferences. So this additional funding is critical to make sure Virginia families have all the options that they need,”
Recently, Youngkin has been making child care in Virginia a priority. Between signing the “Literacy Act” into a law, and creating the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman to oversee Social Services, child care is clearly at the forefront of his list of priorities, so it will be interesting to see how the Virginia budget shapes out with this as one of his main focuses.