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In 2005, there were 2,619 low birth weight babies born in Connecticut.Two-thirds reside in just 19 Connecticut communities.
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NEW American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Information
Context
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("ARRA"), signed by President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009, includes over $130 billion in direct spending and tax incentives for B-20 education initiatives. This historic legislation seeks to immediately stimulate job creation during these challenging economic times by cutting taxes and investing hundreds of billions of dollars over the next two years in critical sectors such as energy, health care, infrastructure and education.
“Within the education sector, ARRA will provide an immediate stimulus to the economy by saving or creating hundreds of thousands of early childhood, K-12 and higher education jobs in states across America that are at risk of state and local budget cuts. It will further create thousands of additional construction jobs related to school modernization projects. In the long-term, ARRA will strengthen the economy by raising Pell grants and tuition tax credits to help more young people attend college.
Importantly, ARRA will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform by encouraging states to adopt college and career-ready standards and assessments, to build robust data systems that allow districts to better track the growth of individual students, to turn around failing schools and embrace innovative new learning models, and to invest heavily in teacher and principal quality initiatives that both elevate the teaching profession and help recruit and retain great teachers and principals for underserved schools and communities.” (Source: USED’s Recovery Website)
Accountability
ARRA is anchored in high public accountability and transparency. “The President has made it clear that every taxpayer dollar spent on our economic recovery must be subject to unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability. He has identified five crucial objectives for Federal agencies, to ensure that:
- Recovery funds are awarded and distributed in a prompt, fair, and reasonable manner.
- The recipients and uses of all recovery funds are transparent to the public, and that the public benefits of these funds are reported clearly, accurately, and in a timely manner
- Recovery funds are used for authorized purposes and every step is taken to prevent instances of fraud, waste, error, and abuse
- Projects funded under the recovery legislation avoid unnecessary delays and cost overruns; and
- Programs meet specific goals and targets, and contribute to improved performance on broad economic indicators.”
(Source: Recovery Website)
Other Information Resources
There are also many great national resources out there providing additional information regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The below is a listing of websites and reports:
- Recovery Website
White House Web Site to Track Implementation
- CT Recovery Website
- Connecticut Specific ARRA Chart: Provisions Pertaining to Early Childhood Education (updated 3/09/09) including the CT slated amount by funding stream, timeline and distribution of funds, uses of funds, and Maintenance of Effort/matching requirements.
- US Department of Education will continually post specific guidelines and a timetable for each funding stream included in the Act: early childhood and state stabilization funds, IDEA and Title I funds, college affordability funds, and school modernization funds.
- Report: Maximizing Resources from the Stimulus Package: Possible Strategies for Funding Quality Rating and Improvement Systems by Anne Mitchell and Louise Stoney, Alliance for Early Childhood Finance.
- Report: A Wise Investment of Economic Stimulus Funds by Positive Behavior Supports.
- Resource Guide to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Prepared by Office of Senator Christopher Dodd.
- Pre[K]Now Draft Chart: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Provisions Pertaining to Early Childhood Education.
- CT Voices for Children website links to many resources that help explain the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and how states, cities/towns, community organizations, families and others can access and use these funds.
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