There are many critical policy issues in current early care and education debate: increasing funding to support quality programs; increasing the number of qualified teachers; overcoming the barriers to collaboration between Board of Education school-based programs and community based programs; meeting the needs of working families as well as families in transition from welfare to work; guaranteeing that universal care will be available to all children; standards and licensing for staff and centers; mental health of children from environment of poverty or violence; and insuring that a two tier program does not emerge as Universal Pre-K grows in relation to community based programs. This is especially important with regard to unionization and pay parity for the same work done in community based or school based programs.
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