Although the $87 billion higher education bill that was recently based by the House has gained a great deal of attention due to the massive funds it is pumping into post-secondary schooling opportunities, many people are unaware of the early education initiatives that have been spurred by the bill as well. In fact, one aspect of the bill that is called the Early Learning Challenge fund will receive about $8 billion worth of that funding spread out over the next eight years.

The goals of Obama’s Early Learning Challenge Fund are simple yet complex all at the same time. This is because the funds are meant to focus primarily on improving the standards of programs that serve infants, toddlers and preschoolers while also improving training initiatives and oversight of these programs. Although these appear to be simple initiatives on the surface, putting them into practice can prove to be a challenge. As such, education experts are hopeful that the fund will help provide a greater amount of focus to early education initiatives.

While there are currently several programs in place that are meant to serve young children and their families, experts maintain that there is little cohesion or coordination among these programs. This is partially due to the fact that funding for these programs comes from a variety of sources, including federal, state, local and private funding. As such, early education programs find themselves trying to please a number of different funding sources.

In addition to being funded through a hodgepodge of sources, current early childhood programs run the gamut from those that are being ran in churches and storefronts to those that are being housed in public schools. As might be expected, the quality of these programs varies significantly, with some offering very little stimulation and being nothing more than a daycare center where children sit in a room and watch television

There are many reasons for the poor quality of many early child education programs. First, the type of oversight that takes place varies from state to state. Furthermore, early childhood education centers do not have a government body, such as a board of education, to answer to. As a result, statistics have shown that poor children typically enter kindergarten less prepared than those who come from wealthier families.

Through the Early Learning Challenge Fund, states can apply for grants after demonstrating that they have created or improved upon a bill that provides a governing structure to oversee their childcare centers as well as their preschool programs. States must also demonstrate that they have improved the quality of their standards and that hey have put some sort of curriculum in place. Furthermore, states must demonstrate that they have established a method for reviewing their early childhood education programs and that they are meeting certain minimum training requirements. In order to qualify for the grant, states must also demonstrate that they have created a plan for reaching out to the parents of preschool-aged children.

“No one bill can solve everything,” said Sharon Lynn Kagan, who is a professor at Teacher College who has long advocated for federal aid to help make early childhood education programs more coherent, in a New York Times article. “But this will move us more than any other piece of legislation toward higher quality in ealy education, not just more spaces for children.”

Despite all that the current administration has done to help improve the quality of early childhood education, critics still maintain that the administration isn’t doing enough. More specifically, they feel that Obama’s Race to the Top initiative isn’t placing enough focus on early learning programs.

We don’t see how our country can race to the top when all kids are not at the same starting line,” said Marcy Young, who is the project director for the Pre-K Now program.

According to the administration, however, the Race to the Top initiative doesn’t focus on early childhood education because elementary and secondary students are at a different level of development than those who haven’t yet started school. In addition, while public schools need help with improving the effectiveness of teachers, early childhood education programs are in need of improved regulation.

“I haven’t talked with anybody who isn’t excited about the prospects for this Early Learning Challenge Fund,” said Sara Mead, who is a senior research fellow at the New American Foundation. “But there is disappointment in some parts of the early childhood community that it’s not more focused on adding slots.”