TKW Consulting

Child programs await deal
Poll; Programs are popular politically
By Mark Fischenich - The Free Press
published: May 12, 2006 01:31 am

State lawmakers and the past couple of governors of Minnesota have been told by wide-ranging groups in recent years there are good reasons for making a higher priority of investing in programs for little kids.

Educators said kids do better throughout school if they’re physically and mentally healthy and ready to learn when they reach kindergarten.

Social scientists reported that pre-school kids who have high quality early childhood education programs and day care are less likely to commit crimes, suffer from addictions or become pregnant as teenagers.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis did a study showing it saves the government money in the long run — in criminal justice costs, social services and special education funding — to spend more on kids when they’re toddlers and pre-schoolers.

Business groups recently joined the chorus, saying spending on early childhood programs is a good investment because it makes for a healthier, more productive workforce later.

This week, politicians were given another reason to support early childhood programs: It’s good politics.“People care about this stuff when they think about it,” said Marc Kimball of the Children’s Defense Fund of Minnesota after the release of a statewide opinion poll. “It’s above the economy. It’s above jobs. It’s above a lot of things.”

The Children’s Defense Fund is part of a new association — the Minnesota Children’s Platform Coalition — that hopes to translate the academic and business support for early childhood spending into support from the Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

The poll of 625 likely Minnesota voters, conducted from May 1 to May 3, found that the health, education and safety of children topped all other issues including taxes, homeland security and immigration. More than 90 percent of respondents said a candidate’s stand on children’s issues would be an important factor in determining who they vote for Nov 7.

The poll was done to help garner support for spending on early childhood programs — one of the major issues to be resolved in the final 10 days of the 2006 legislative session.

The DFL-dominated state Senate put more than $23 million into early childhood programs out of a $127 million supplemental spending bill passed earlier this week. The money would go for Early Childhood Family Education programs and for reducing the waiting list and the co-payments for subsidized child care for low- and middle-income working parents, said Sen. John Hottinger, chairman of the Senate Early Childhood Policy and Budget Committee.

“The House, on the other hand, didn’t do anything,” said Hottinger, DFL-St. Peter.

Rep. Bob Gunther, R-Fairmont, said he wishes more money could be put into early childhood programs. But Gunther, chairman of the House committee that handles child care programs, noted the Senate budget is relying on revenue from the “health impact fee” approved by lawmakers a year ago but that might be thrown out by the Minnesota Supreme Court.

The Senate bill assumes victory in the court case and spends the money, while the House bill holds off, Gunther said.

“I don’t think we should spend money we don’t have yet.”

Pawlenty sits somewhere in between. He put $10 million into early childhood programs in his budget but makes it contingent on program changes.

“The system is not very streamlined,” Pawlenty said. “... We need to fix the system so it works better.”

Hottinger said the Senate has worked with Pawlenty administration officials to address the real problems and to improve accountability, but he sees some of Pawlenty’s proposals as unwise.

Both Hottinger, who is in his final session before retirement, and Pawlenty, who will seek a second term as governor in November, expressed optimism that early childhood programs would be among the winners when a final budget deal is negotiated.

“I think I have a reasonably good chance because it was one of the top three priorities of the Senate this session,” Hottinger said.

Pawlenty, while cautioning that he would not accept increased funding without changes in the system, said he expected a deal to be worked out by a House-Senate conference
committee.

Gunther said the House — which is limiting itself to $88 million in new spending, the bulk of it focused on prisons, sex-offender programs and programs for the mentally ill and dangerous — would insist on fiscal responsibility with any budget deal. Besides, he said, Minnesota funds child care better than all contiguous states.

Kimball, meanwhile, said the Children’s Platform Coalition — an alliance of 30 religious organizations, youth groups, children’s advocates and education associations — will be working to inform voters about which candidates support investments in kids.

“If candidates and lawmakers don’t, they may do so at their own peril,” Kimball said.