In its last meeting before the upcoming budget session, the Legislature’s Joint Education Committee forwarded a bill that could expand early childhood education in some school districts.
Districts apply for grant money through a program called BRIDGES—and are allowed to spend that money on afterschool and summer programming. The new legislation would also allow districts to spend that money on early learning, if they choose.
Wyoming Kids First executive director Becca Steinhoff says it’s a step in the right direction.
“So it gives another opportunity and choice to school districts to say, ‘we prioritize early childhood and we know how important it is, and we see this as another funding opportunity to build this work at the local level,” says Steinhoff. “It’s not a mandate. It’s just one opportunity for districts to consider using that funding for young children.”
Wyoming Kids First is the grant administrator for early childhood funding through the Department of Family Services. Steinhoff says her group awarded 15 community grants since last November.
The legislation doesn’t actually increase funding for early childhood education. Democratic Senator Chris Rothfuss says increases will be needed down the line.
“Unfortunately, this is a year when we don’t have a lot of additional resources to bring to bear, so we had to make do with what we have,” says Rothfuss. “Hopefully, in the future we’ll be able to add resources—new resources to the Pre-K program, and that will really be the key to its success.”
The full legislature will decide the issue in February.