Craddle to Grave

The Parents Save our Schools March in Washington to show oppossition to Obama's Race to the top scheme will be this coming weekend, this week the National Governors Association will be meeting---early this morning I received an email with a link to a piece Gretchen had posted on the Missouri Education Watch Dog,  It's a long read there's actually the piece Gretchen wrote as well as the piece from from Louisiana. 
Posted with permission

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Cradle to Grave Agenda is closer than ever, Read this Action Alert from Louisiana if it Dosen't Frighten you nothing will

I received the following email today. You must act NOW to stop the total takeover of education by the Federal Government. This expansion of Race to the Top into Early Childhood truly makes our children "cradle to grave" human capital the Federal Government will track. Even if your state did not receive RTTT money, it is receiving (as Missouri is) mandates disguised as Federal grants.

Folks, the following information shows you how quickly the states' sovereignty is disappearing and your civil liberties are becoming extinct. You MUST contact your legislators and demand they act constitutionally. We truly are becoming a tracked population by our Federal Government and our states are becoming powerless due to federal control.

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The National Governors Association meets this week, so if you have family and friends in other States, please send this to them as it effects us all.


UPDATE: Your calls and faxes have had a positive effect! Please, use this weekend to educate family, friends, and neighbors on this issue; because our children and grandchildren need us to stay in this fight.

It is urgent you call your governor and ask that he/she refuse to participate in Race To The Top: Early Learning Challenge AND that the governor speak against it and speak-up FOR our families at the NGA meeting. As always, encourage as many as possible to do the same.

This week the National Governors Association will be meeting---they have a committee specifically to put all of this in place! Let the governor know that we are educated AND that this issue will NOT go away.http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/The-People-LLC/149423105082273

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This from a previous email (ThePeopleLLC) as a reminder of what we are fighting.

Dear Friends & Family,

If you are unfamiliar with the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) Anti-bias curriculum, I encourage you to become familiar with it. It is the basis for teacher training, curriculum, and accreditation for our current system of childcare. I am sure that, once you get a look at this curriculum, you will understand why we are fighting to get it out of our state. The following is a link which will give you a peek into what NAEYC followers refer to as "the bible":
http://www.edwatch.org/updates07/033007-NAEYC.htm

The examples are not even the worst that this "bible" has to offer.

I want to share the alert which has been sent out by the Greater New Orleans Tea Party. The reference to "HR 82" is regarding a resolution which the Tea Parties in Louisiana were recently instrumental in getting passed-- despite the fact that opposition was so strong intially that we had to "discharge the committee" late in the session to accomplish this. The final vote was a landslide, however: 67 yeas to 20 nays. Many Democrats, including Black Caucus members, joined us at the end. This resolution deals with the same concerns that we ask for you to
express to your congressmen today:

Thanks to Rep LaBruzzo's HR 82 and hundreds of Louisiana Patriots....... we are on the way to stopping the forced "unionization" and federalization of Day Care providers in our state.


HOWEVER, the progressives are continuing their attempts to control and federalize Early Childhood Education (ages 0-5 ) and families at the national level with identical bills in the House and Senate:
S 1156 and HR 2331

****** Thank goodness Rep. Scalise has offered to inform other legislators on The Hill; and, that his office is working with us to stop this attempt. It is imperative that we send him thanks and encouragement in taking this lead, because he'll need our support against the progressive machine just as Rep. Labruzzo did--
What these bills do:

• Amend the ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965)
• Form a coalition between DHHS, Dept of Education, SEIU, NAEYC .... and others
• Extend MORE Federal control over the lives of American families through their children
• Provide FEDERAL (taxpayer) dollars to Early Childhood Education "Day Care providers".
• States will "compete" for grants using FEDERAL guidelines through "Race To The Top"
• Feds pay 50 % of costs...... states must pay the other 50 % "in cash"
• NO $$$ amount mentioned in either bill. NO CBO cost estimate -Fed $$$ goes to programs serving the "poor and disadvantaged" (up to 200% of poverty level) and those that are "community based"
• Incorporates parts of Obamacare which allow FEDS to enter private homes to observe children
• Designates "funds" to be used for "full day" care, educational equipment,NAEYC standards and teacher training, transportation of students, "professional"training for teachers and day care workers
• Creates disadvantage for "free market", privately owned Day Care Providers
• Once a state accepts Fed $$$..... it MUST spend at least as much as it spent in the PREVIOUS year(!!); thus, trampling on "states' rights" and increasing states' costs

RACE TO THE TOP: ECE
Pre-K: Race to the Top is attached to the Patient Protection Act (Obamacare) through its provision for "home visitation" (Sec. 511. Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs). Home Visitation is a critical tool through which the famous "Joe-the-Plumber"-"spread the money around"-income redistribution is to be implemented. Simply put, the Race to the Top ECE covers prenatal to age 5 and mandates comprehensive services for health care, social services, parent education and early childhood education.

Nancy Pelosi breathlessly told the Congress, (paraphrase) Pass it now so we can find out what's in it later. Likewise the Race to the Top: ECE Pre-K Grant to the states is a mandate from Washington directing the governors to join the economic redistribution agenda of the Obama administration.


Progressive groups are encouraging citizens to call Congress and push FOR this legislation therefore, WE MUST CONTACT CONGRESS TO PUSH AGAINST IT!

ACTION
Contact your Governor, Congressional Reps. and Senators and express opposition to these bills (and similar ones including S 959, S 1170)

Thank Rep Scalise for his help thus far......
We do NOT want the federal government interfering in the education and supervision of our children ages 0-5 !!!

These bills are currently in Committees (see links above) so you can also contact Committee members NOW to oppose this legislation!!! Show all


Finally, I will give you some talking points which your congressman may find helpful:

FEDERALIZATION OF CHILDCARE = FEDERALIZATION OF FAMILIES!

PREPARE ALL KIDS ACT OF 2011
S1156 (and/or HR 2331)
AMENDMENT TO THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT

(Mr. Casey, Mr. Begich, Mr. Fanken, Ms. Milkulski)

The Pre-K Coalition is the chief advocate organization for the Prepare All Kids Act of 2011.

It refers to itself as a collaboration of the: American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, Council of Chief State School Officers, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of State Boards of Education, National Education Association, and the National School Boards Association.
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The purpose of the Prepare All Kids Act of 2011 together with the Race to the Top: Early Childhood Care: Education Competition and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care (Obamacare) Act’s, Home Visiting Program is to create a federal, full-service, comprehensive Family and Child Services system.

Policy for the system will come from the federalized State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care. The governance will be with appointed state and local early care and education boards. (Sharon Kagan, Collaboration: Cornerstone of an Early Childhood System, Yale University, 1992.
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Talking Points

National Incentive (Mandate) Fund
Prekindergarten Incentive Fund: States rights would be violated by the federal requirement that states comply with grant guidelines (mandates) in order to receive funding. [Sec. 1843. Program Authorization –(a)].

21st Century Schools Movement: Expansion of Head Start into the Middle Class
U.S.Dept Health and Human Services (USDHHS) and U.S. Dept of Education (USDE) would collaborate on incentive guidelines (mandates). The U.S.D.E. would administer the Act thereby building the infrastructure that could formalize a linkage between education and social services. This could lead to the 21st Century Schools movement for comprehensive services to preschool children as envisioned by Yale University’s, retired Edward Zigler and modeled by Head Start. [Sec. 1843. Program Authorization – (a)]

“Partnership” With Federalized State Advisory Council
State Agency administering the Act must collaborate and coordinate activities with the federally mandated State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care thereby superseding states rights. [Sec. 1844. State Applications & Requirements – (b) 5].

Federalization of ECE Through Head Start Collaboration
[Note: The State Advisory Council on Early Education and Care was established by the Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 (Head Start Collaboration: State Early Education & Care.). It requires the governor of each state to designate or establish a council to serve as the state Advisory Council on Early Education and Care for children from birth to school entry (referred to as State Advisory Council). The authority of the federalized State Advisory Council goes beyond Head Start to include childcare, IDEA preschool and infants and families programs and prekindergarten programs and services to the USDHSS Administration for Children and Families works with the Department of Education to carry out the activities of the State Advisory Councils.]

Support for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (SEIU)
The Infant and Toddler Set-Aside calls for 15% to be dedicated to the early care and education private infrastructure of the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies and the accreditation system of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. [Sec. 1845. State Set Asides and Expenditures, (a)]

Interference with Private Business
Only state providers cooperating with the federalized State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education and Care will successfully meet the standards of the Act. (Sec. 1846. Local Applications (5)]

Interference with Private Business Operations
Providers must purchase educational equipment including education materials to comply with the requirements of NAEYC curriculum and accreditation standards. (Sec. 1847 Local Prekindergarten Requirements (1) (2).]

Coercing Private Business
Utilizing a prekindergarten curriculum that is “research based” and “developmentally appropriate” means NAEYC by definition of the federal grant writers. [Sec. 1847-Local rekindergarten Program Requirements (3)].

Union-like Policies Embedded Within the Incentive-Based Act.
Teachers must meet teaching requirements for the NAEYC certification. Provider could be forced to participate in the T.E.A.C.H. program which is a training program with salary enhancement requirements. [Sec. 1847. Local Prekindergarten Program Requirements. (4)]

Federal Breach of Business Ethics
The reporting of the prekindergarten provider business requires the business person to report 1) data on children and families and 2) funding sources acquired by the private business.

Federal Breach of States’ Rights
National Governors’ Association and the National Council of State Legislators
Breach of State’s Rights
The NGA and the NCSL have for years recommended to governors and state legislators that they relinquish their state powers by turning their stewardship over to national foundation, academicians and special interests.

The Race to the Top
Governors could reclaim stewardship of their states now. They could reject the Race to the Top: Early Care Competition before the Request for Proposal is written in August and competed from September through December 2011. (Contact your governor NOW)

I know that this is alot of information all at once; but, we do not have the luxury of time. Your representatives and senators need to get up to speed quickly and inform as many members in both chambers of the urgency.

This is a fight that will not go away; so, we need to educate as many as possible. It is imperative that our congressmen ensure that this fight remains at the state level where citizens can be more helpful in getting this progressive agenda out of their children's daycare centers, schools, and homes.

Please, use the following link to contact your legislators. Cut & paste at will from this email---let them know that you expect them to fight against this agenda: http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/

Please, share with all of your contacts.

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