By Kathy Amoroso
June 28, 2010

"Until job loss turns to job creation, we have no chance for turning around this economy," said Acting Chair Pembroke Pines (FL) Mayor Frank Ortis in opening the June 12 meeting of the Jobs, Education and the Workforce Standing Committee. "Absent job creation, little else matters. Consumers cannot spend, businesses will not invest and government budgets cannot balance," he said.

Members of the Committee discussed federal efforts designed to help spur growth and job creation with Nicholas Lalpuis, Director for the Office of State Systems in the Dallas Employment and Training Administration (ETA) Regional Office with oversight of the Division of Unemployment Insurance and the Division of Workforce Investment.

"We are going through one of the most difficult economic times in our nation's history. The recession is forcing states and municipalities to cut jobs that are critically important — teachers, police, firefighters, childcare workers, and others. The Local Jobs for Amer­ica Act will provide our economy a shot in the arm by putting a million people to work by restoring these services in local communities," said Lalpuis.

Additionally, according to Lalpuis, reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act presents an important opportunity to support state and local innovation and to enhance the federal-state-local workforce system. "U.S. prosperity and long-term economic security depend on training and maintaining a highly skilled workforce. The local workforce system must produce a highly skilled workforce that strengthens America's businesses and the economy, while providing training and supports that enable unemployed workers, job seekers and incumbent workers to attain economic self'sufficiency and educational and career advancement," he said.

Next, at the recommendation of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Committee members heard from Lella Gandini, ED.D., U.S. Liaison for the Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia Approach, and Jennifer Strange, a Professor at Webster University, who delivered a presentation on early childhood education — specifically the rights of children, exemplified in the schools for young children in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. It was started by Loris Malaguzzi and the parents of the villages around Reggio Emilia after World War II. Parents there believed the destruction from the war necessitated a new, quick approach to teaching their children. They felt that it is in the early years of development that children are forming who they are as an individual. This led to creation of a program based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery in a supportive and enriching environment based on the interests of the children through a self-guided curriculum.

"The Reggio Emilia approach to teaching young children puts the natural development of children as well as the close relationships that they share with their environment at the center of its philosophy. Early childhood programs that have successfully adapted to this educational philosophy share that they are attracted to Reggio because of the way it views and respects the child," said Strange.

"Parents are a vital component to the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Parents are viewed as partners, collaborators and advocates for their children. Teachers respect parents as each child's first teacher and involve parents in every aspect of the curriculum. It is not uncommon to see parents volunteering within Reggio Emilia classrooms throughout the school," added Gandini.

The final speaker was Margaret Doughty, founder of Literacy Powerline, and an international literacy expert committed to supporting local government, foundations, business and community organizations in their efforts to create effective educational systems for lifelong learning.

The Right to Literacy Campaign is a project of Literacy Powerline and its partners and is engaging communities and their leaders to raise awareness of low literacy.

Mayors across the country have signed a scroll committing to increasing local literacy levels and Doughty described how mayors could join in this effort in their own cities.

• Creating Jobs and Reducing High Unemployment in Metro Areas — urges Congress and the President to pass HR 4812, the Local Jobs for America Act which will provide $75 billion over two years in direct funding to cities.

• Creation of a National Economic Restoration and Countercyclical Program — calls on Congress to create a National Economic Restoration and Countercyclical Program that would automatically make funds available to metro areas or select jurisdictions within such areas, that are in recession or have persistently high rates of unemployment.

• Conference of Mayors Priorities for Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act — endorses the President's Blueprint for Reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; and outlines the Conference's ESEA reauthorization policy priorities.

• ESEA Reauthorization: Supporting Afterschool and the Education of the Whole Child — urges Congress to protect and expand after'school funding and oppose any cuts to this much-needed program.

• Building a National Comprehensive Youth Development Strategy — calls for a comprehensive youth development strategy as a major step forward by our nation to remain productive and competitive and to promote economic and social mobility.

• Arts Education — urges local school districts and administrators to maximize the use of federal education funds available, as well as state funds where permissible, to deliver high-quality arts instruction and to integrate the arts into other core subjects.

• Support for the Greening of School Districts — calls upon constituents to partner with their local school districts to implement green initiatives such as appointing sustainability managers, establishing a green advisory team, providing training for municipal and district staff, and adopting policies that call for all district schools to pursue certification through third-party rating systems like LEED.

• Support for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Contingency Fund (TANF-ECF) — supports and calls for the immediate enactment of $2.5 billion in new funding through September 30, 2011 for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Contingency Fund.

• Regional Innovation Clusters to Strengthen Competitiveness and Productivity of Regional Economies — supports fully funding initiatives proposed in the FY2011 budget request that would support Regional Innovation Clusters.

• Volunteer Generation Fund — calls on Congress to provide $10 million for the Volunteer Generation Fund in FY2011.

• Reauthorizing and Supporting the Economic Development Administration (EDA) — urges Congress to adopt policies and procedures that support scientific and technological innovation, product invention, entrepreneurship, and the growth of American small businesses.

• A Resolution to Support the Delivery of Economic Stimulus Jobs Related Services Through the Local Delivery System Established Under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 — urges Congress and the federal government to direct that all jobs creation legislation that calls for the creation of temporary jobs be delivered under the auspices of the local workforce delivery system created and operating under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

   

• A Resolution Supporting the Delivery of Workforce Services Through the Local Workforce System Created Under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 — urges the President and Congress to retain the existing governance structure in any legislation reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, to maintain a workforce system that is locally governed by local elected officials in partnership with the majority private sector boards they appoint.