Lawmakers keep education as essential operations in fiscal year 2017 budget

NCFL is happy to report that legislators in Washington recognized your continued hard work and support for family literacy and early childhood education.

Families Learning_blog — Families participating in the Toyota Family Learning program in Louisville, Ky.

Last week, lawmakers approved the final spending package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, citing education as an essential operation. The budget includes:

A 15% increase in early childhood education funding through the Bureau of Indian Education’s Family and Child Education (FACE) program.
A $550 million increase for Title I (Every Student Succeeds Act), part of which will fund family engagement projects.
Continued funding for the Adult Education Grants (through Career and Technical Education) – $595,667,000
Continued funding for the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) National Activities – $13,712,000

This budget year ends September 30. Later this month, legislators will begin planning for the FY 2018. To continue this positive momentum into next year, we encourage educators, program staff, and practitioners to continue to share with your legislators the difference family literacy is making in your community – and we plan to do the same.