Recognizing the importance of early childhood education, lawmakers voted to expand Texas’ prekindergarten program from a half-day to a full day for eligible 3- and 4-year-olds.

CANTON, Ohio -- Ohio's leaders are trying to close a $3.2 million deficit and as a result, funding for many programs is being slashed.

Marie Rej, a consultant and mother of two, and her mother, Antoinette Traniello, often clash over the right way to raise kids. Antoinette thinks Marie is too lenient, and Marie regards Antoinette’s rules as too black-and-white.

The Washington Post ran a story yesterday on the “nanny glut” and it caught our attention — partly for what it didn’t say. Turns out that the recession has led many families to let go of their nannies, usually because mom or dad no longer have a job or their work hours were cut. Then the story took an interesting tack, suggesting that this was a boon for relatively well-off, working parents. As the story reported, parents can finally be choosy about which nanny they hire, instead of having to beg and scrounge to find the right person.

Many Pennsylvania communities are searching for a comprehensive long-term plan to improve their local economy and their quality of life. Business leaders and law enforcement agree that investing in the state's early childhood education programs, such as Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts, Head Start (state supplemental funds), Keystone STARS, Child Care Works, Early Intervention and Nurse-Family Partnership, is a highly effective and cost-efficient strategy to set many communities on a more prosperous path.

Last year, Gov. Bob Riley laid out an ambitious plan for expanding the state's renowned voluntary pre-K program to more than 20,000 of the state's 4-year-olds by 2011, but a sluggish economy is making it difficult to reach that goal.

HUNTINGTON -- A new scholarship opportunity is being offered to child care workers who want to further their education.

Gov. Rick Perry has vetoed a bipartisan bill aimed at improving the quality of pre-kindergarten classes in Texas, bill author Rep. Diane Patrick, R-Arlington, said Friday afternoon.

When influencing politicians, it isn’t so much what is being said as who is saying it.

Child care is seldom a luxury but it often is a necessity.