As you know, last night, the House and Senate Chairs of the Budget Committees released their agreement for a 2-year budget deal covering FY 2014 and 2015 that now must be approved by both the House and Senate. There is a bright spot for early learning that reflects your hard work.  The agreement includes three “reserve funds” in the budget: one for Child Care and Development Block Grant, one for Home Visiting, and one for the new Strong Start for Children proposal.  A reserve fund is a signal to Congress that these are important priorities but it is merely a marker.  It does not guarantee actual new funding but is more of a recommendation for the Congress to provide or authorize increased mandatory funds for these programs.  It would need new revenues (which could be a tax) to be raised to create those new dollars and enact a new learning program.