1.Kristen
After engaging with the textbook reading, it has been noted that in many instances, families do not have access to affordable and quality care for their children. However, in order to fix this issue, the government must focus on investing in programs and care for these young children (Morrison et al., 2022). It is crucial that children are in an early childhood program that is developmentally appropriate and suitable for their needs. After learning about how federal and state government influences affect early childhood classrooms in this module, I have gained a better understanding on how the federal budget reflects policy priorities. This reveals the value placed on special needs services for early childhood, preschool, technology, and the distinction between discretionary and mandatory spending. It is sometimes said that a budget gives the truest picture of policy, and I believe that is true because how an organization spends money shows the main priorities. Although this is new information for me, it was interesting to see the increase or decrease in the budget over the recent years.
First, in the Department of Education Fiscal Year 2024 President’s Budget, special education has been seen to have an increase in the amount of money appropriated for state grants, infants and families, and preschool. For example, $932,000 was set for IDEA C grants, which fund special needs services and early intervention for infants and families (U.S. Department of Education, 2023, p.5). This represents a significant increase from the previous years and highlights the federal government’s commitment to supporting young children. Thus, this budget is aimed to help families early on and before children enter preschool or kindergarten. Moreover, when it comes to preschool programs, the 2024 budget shows about a 19.67% increase (U.S. Department of Education, 2023, p.5). Although this is a slight increase, it still suggests that there is potential value placed on preschool education. An additional piece of information that stood out to me was that there was an increase in money set for “technical assistance and dissemination” (U.S. Department of Education, 2023, p.5). This indicates that money is being allocated to help schools, educators, families, and providers improve when it comes to supporting children with disabilities, which is so important. For example, this can be done in ways like training, sharing strategies and practices, as well as resources for family support. The next area of the budget I reviewed was technology, specifically in special education. This includes educational technology, media, and materials. The budget shows that there has been a slight increase over the years (U.S. Department of Education, 2023). This information is valuable because technology is growing in early childhood. It is essential schools and programs are becoming more prepared with materials and resources to support young children in their early childhood environment (Morrison et al., 2022).
After examining this budget, I have noticed differences in discretionary and mandatory spending. There were only about 40-50 lines marked mandatory while the rest were discretionary. Thus, it is clear that many of the education programs are discretionary, which means they are not guaranteed funding and must be re-approved each year. This suggests that technology, preschool, and special education may face uncertainty in being approved or have reduced funding. An elimination of this funding would have a significant impact on families, students, and educators. Overall, my knowledge about budget decisions have been strengthened after this module.
References
Morrison, G. S., Woika, M. J., & Breffni, L. (2022).
Early childhood education today (15th ed.). Pearson.
U.S. Department of Education. (2023).
Fiscal year 2024 President’s budget: Education budget highlights (PDF).
2. Sophia D
In my school district, pre-K is available, but I was constantly reminded during my time there that a grant funds it. That grant determined what was available to students in the program, how much teachers were paid, and whether there was sufficient funding to keep the program running. There was always this underlying knowledge that if the grant ever disappeared, the pre-K program would disappear with it. Because of that, I developed an early understanding of how funding directly impacts both my students’ experiences and my job. There’s a real awareness that when cuts are made in education, the quality of the experience suffers. Money plays a huge role in education, maybe not something we think about every day, but every time it’s brought up, you’re reminded just how much it matters.
The U.S. Department of Education FY24 President’s Budget is a complex document that shows us how much money different educational institutions receive. The main aspect that stood out to me was the “cat codes” for each category, specifically, the programs that were discretionary vs. mandatory. What I noticed was that special education, school improvement programs, and technology are all discretionary (U.S. Department of Education, 2023). This means these budgets go through Congress annually and need budget approval. Since they are not mandatory programs supported under a specific law, federal funding may not be the same each year. If there are cuts to these programs, the quality of education is then impacted.
For example, the textbook emphasizes the importance of Head Start. This is a governmentally funded program that supports low-income students. It provides services for learning, health, and family, helping young children grow and develop to achieve long-term success. It states that the annual budget for this program is about $8.9 billion; this money serves millions of students and their families (Morrison et al., 2022). Although the federal government ensures that funding is provided to maintain and support an effective program, the fact that the text states it is annually funded suggests, when compared to the U.S. Department of Education budget, that it is discretionary funding. That raises the concern that if funding were to be cut, it would have an immense impact on families, students, and staff.
References
Morrison, G. S., Woika, M.J., & Breffni, L. (2022).
Early childhood education today (15th ed.). Pearson.
U.S. Department of Education. (2023, March 9).
Fiscal year 2024 President’s budget: Education budget highlights [PDF].
