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Advocates pushing for more early education funding

Because early childhood education programs had to cut back during the pandemic, they've been hit hard.

ALABAMA, USA — The Alabama School Readiness Alliance is pushing for more investment into high quality early education.

To kick off 2021, the organization is putting on the Invest Early Alabama Film Festival which will feature two documentaries about early childhood education.

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As part of the festival’s activities, the Alabama School Readiness Alliance is hosting a series of live “lunchtime conversations” on its Facebook page to discuss how more investments in early childhood education can improve educational and economic outcomes across the state.

Early childhood education programs in Alabama depend on parent fees. Because these programs had to cut back during the pandemic, they've been hit hard.

With Huntsville's growth, the need for affordable early education has become an even bigger need.

Senior Vice President of Economic Development for the Huntsville Madison County Chamber of Commerce, Lucia Cape, said, "As anyone who has tried to work from home with children knows, you cannot work full time and take care of your children full time at the same time, so it becomes a workforce issue even when parents are home with their children."

RELATED: Advocates push for bigger budget to expand Pre-K

Advocates believe early education has long lasting impacts and investing in it can only benefit the community.

Click here to keep up with the Alabama School Readiness Alliance on Facebook.

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