Latest news with #ChildDevelopment
NDTV
5 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
2,200 'Ladki Bahin' Scheme Beneficiaries Found To Be Maharashtra Government Employees
Mumbai: Maharashtra Minister Aditi Tatkare has said that more than 2,200 beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana were found to be government employees during scrutiny. In a post on X on Friday, Ms Tatkare said verification of beneficiaries will be a regular process. 'After scrutinising nearly 2 lakh applications, 2,289 government employees were found to be the beneficiaries of the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana. After realising this, such beneficiaries are not being given the benefit of the scheme,' the Women and Child Development Minister said. "लाभार्थ्यांची पडताळणी" ही कोणत्याही योजनेच्या अंमलबजावणीतील सर्वसाधारण व नियमित प्रक्रिया आहे. मुख्यमंत्री माझी लाडकी बहीण योजनेच्या अंमलबजावणीतही ही प्रक्रिया राबवली जाते. या प्रक्रियेत सेवार्थ मधील जवळपास २ लाख अर्जांची पडताळणी केल्यानंतर त्यात सुमारे २२८९ सरकारी कर्मचाऱ्यांनी… — Aditi S Tatkare (@iAditiTatkare) May 30, 2025 Ms Tatkare said the government is committed to ensuring that only eligible beneficiaries receive the benefits of the Ladki Bahin Yojana and will continue to scrutinise applications for this. Ahead of the November 2024 Maharashtra assembly polls, the Mahayuti government in the state launched the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana in August last year, under which eligible women in the age group of 21-65 years are entitled to a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500. Government employees are, however, not eligible for the scheme. Mahayuti leaders have attributed the resounding success of the ruling alliance in the assembly polls to the Ladki Bahin scheme, but have also admitted that it has put severe strain on the state exchequer. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Arizona ranks low for preschool enrollment, annual study finds
Arizona ranks among the lowest in the nation for public preschool enrollment of 4-year-olds, according to a recently released study. During the 2023-24 school year, only 4% of 4-year-olds in Arizona were enrolled in public preschool, falling far below the national average of 35%, according to the 2024 State of Preschool Yearbook from the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University. Arizona now ranks 44th and 27th for pre-school enrollment among 4- and 3-year-olds, respectively, down from 43rd and 24th in the 2022-23 school year. Despite stagnant preschool enrollment numbers, Arizona saw major increases in overall preschool spending and per-student spending largely due to COVID-19 recovery funding from the federal government, according to the latest State of Preschool Yearbook. Except during the COVID-19 pandemic, the national average of 4-year-olds enrolled in public preschool has steadily increased since the 2001-02 school year, going from 14% to 37% in the 2023-24 school year. In Arizona in the 2023-24 school year, the share of 4-year-olds enrolled in a public preschool remained similar to pre-pandemic numbers at 4%, but fell below the 6% of 4-year-olds enrolled during the 2001-02 school year. Arizona saw a minimal increase in the number of 3- to 4-year-olds enrolled in public preschool in the 2023-24 year compared to the previous year: an uptick of 369 students for a total of 6,323. The total does not include the roughly 9,000 students enrolled in special education and 12,000 students in Head Start. Including special education and Head Start students, only about 13% of 3-year-olds and 18% of 4-year-olds in Arizona are enrolled in public early childhood education. These percentages are still lower than the national average of 17% of three-year-olds and 47% of four-year-olds. Arizona does not support universal preschool, fully-funded preschool to 3- and 4-year-olds regardless of income. Washington, D.C., and Vermont have the highest preschool enrollment rates for 3- and 4-year-olds in the nation, and both offer universal preschool. Colorado rocketed from 27th to 3rd place for access to preschool among 4-year-olds after launching its universal preschool program. Arizona also does not require schools to offer full-day kindergarten, and only provides 2.5 hours of state-funded kindergarten, also known as half-day kindergarten. The National Institute for Early Education Research's State of Preschool Yearbook has 10 recommended benchmarks that states should follow for successful and high-quality public preschool. Arizona meets three benchmarks: a comprehensive standard for learning, a strong curriculum and a system designed to continuously improve. The seven benchmarks Arizona does not meet are: a required bachelor's degree and specialized preschool training for preschool teachers, a Child Development Associate credential for assistant teachers, recommended professional development for preschool staff, maximum classroom sizes of 20 students, a 1-to-10 teacher-to-student ratio and annual student health screenings. The benchmarks are only minimums, however, and 'if programs are adequately funded, they're not constrained to do the least that they can do,' said Steve Barnett, the National Institute for Early Education Research's founder. States spent over $13.6 billion in preschool funding in the 2023-34 school year, a 17% increase compared to the previous year. Arizona spent $50.4 million, a 56.4% increase from the previous year. Arizona increased its per student spending for preschoolers by $2,585 to a total of $7,972 and was one of only five states in the country to increase preschool student spending by over $2,500. The National Institute for Early Education Research estimates $10,865 per student would be required for Arizona to deliver high-quality preschools. Arizona's increases were primarily due to the use of COVID-19 recovery funds to expand Quality First Scholarships by First Things First, an early childhood agency. Quality First Scholarships allow families enrolling their child in a participating preschool to help cover some or all of the expenses. First Things First was created to allocate funds from tobacco tax revenues to health programs and early childhood development. With declining sales of tobacco, revenue has dropped 37.9% since 2008, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research. Despite the declining pool of available funding, First Things First has been spending more on each student's scholarship over the years, which can negatively impact overall enrollment. Coverage of education solutions on and in The Arizona Republic is partially supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation's Arizona Community Collaborative Fund. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona ranks low for preschool enrollment, annual study finds
BBC News
10-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Stockton children's food and holiday programme poorly attended
A holiday activities programme is to be overhauled after most of its places went Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) project in Stockton, which has been running for five years, offers activities including horse-riding, martial arts and paddle-boarding, as well as healthy meals. However, a review of the programme found that its booking system was "unfit for purpose" and, during Easter last year, 1,580 children and young people attended although there were 6,000 Council, which runs the programme with £1m from the Department for Education (DfE), said it offered balanced meals to children and "much-needed support" for families. The council select committee report found the booking system was not "user friendly".It also found parents and professionals did not know about the programme and many people did not realise they were eligible to take part, despite numerous promotion efforts. It also found low numbers of secondary school children and children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) were not taking up places, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. The council said the programme offered an "astonishing" range of activities and it was working on providing SEND-only sessions in committee chair Carol Clark said: "These activities allow our children to have fun and make new friends as well supporting their development, including lifelong learning."The council is now considering 16 recommendations including a better booking system and promoting HAF with parish and town councils. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
