Early learning keeps showing up in the debate over the federal budget. This week New York Times columnist David Leonhardt wonders what else the $60 billion it would cost to extend higher-income Bush-era tax breaks would buy.

One of his answers: Universal preschool.

Sixty billion dollars a year would also pay for universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, with relatively small class sizes. Jane Waldfogel, a Columbia University professor, estimates that such a plan would cost between $46 billion and $56 billion a year, depending on class size. – “What Does $60 Billion Buy?” Economix, NYT. 12/5/10

Right now there are a lot of moving pieces in the budget debate. It will be interesting to see where early learning fits among the cuts and any new spending.

Pre-K Now Winding Down: One of the nation’s leading early learning groups plans to shut down, in a year, Early Ed Watch reports today.

To give you a sense of the history, the Pew Center on the States [which runs Pre-K Now] selects issues based on research, policy and practice and considers what is the right moment to advance an issue. In 2001, Pew selected pre-k because there was research showing impact, bi-partisan support for its expansion and it was ripe for public debate. It was designed as a seven-to-10 year campaign to advance high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds. Now we’re at the end of that cycle.

Pew is continuing to work on children’s issues as the campaign winds down…Pew is transitioning to other issues. For example, there is the Pew Home Visiting Campaign, and the Partnership for America’s Economic Success continues to engage business leaders who are active and mobilized on children’s issues. But the Pre-K Now campaign  will officially wind down at the end of 2011. – “A Q-and-A with Pre-K Now’s Marci Young.” 12/8/10

Check out the entire interview.