The fiscal year 2013 state budget process in Massachusetts has moved to a six-member conference committee that will reconcile differences between House and Senate budget recommendations. For early education and care, $7.44 million is at stake across seven line items, including $4 million for full-day kindergarten grants.

Massachusetts readers, click here to send a message to your state legislators urging them to contact the conference committee members to support investments in line items related to high-quality early education in the FY13 budget. The committee has only a few weeks to release its report before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.

We urge the conference committee members to support the following items in their FY13 conference committee report:

Kindergarten Expansion Grants (7030-1002) — Recommend House funding level, $24.95 million. The Senate funding level would result in budget cuts to high-quality full-day kindergarten classrooms serving more than 44,000 children in 175 school districts.

EEC Administration (3000-1000) — Recommend Senate funding level, $12.5 million.

Access Management (3000-2000) — Recommend House funding level, $5.93 million.

Supportive Child Care (3000-3050) — Recommend House funding level, $77.33 million.

Income Eligible (3000-4060) — Recommend House funding level, $231.87 million.

Services for Infants & Parents (3000-7050) — Recommend Senate funding level, $18.19 million.

Reach Out and Read (3000-7070) — Recommend Senate funding level, $800,000.

Members of the conference committee are Senator Stephen Brewer (D-Barre), Senator Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster),  Senator Michael Knapik (R-Westfield), Representative Brian Dempsey (D-Haverhill), Representative Stephen Kulik (D-Worthington) and Representative Viriato DeMacedo (R-Plymouth).

Click here for more information on early education and care and related items in the FY13 Massachusetts state budget.