Below are resources for early childhood professionals and those serving the early childhood community.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a draft policy statement on early childhood career pathways building on four recent developments that underscore the importance of the early childhood workforce, including the Institute of Medicine report recommendations and the 2014 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) definition of career pathways. Read more about the draft policy statement. Comments due on the draft by May 20 by emailing ECD@acf.hhs.gov.
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) continues to update its Early Care and Child Care Tracking Bill Database with 2016 state legislation.
Illinois Early Childhood Higher Education Resources Online (HERO) has updated resources on its website. Did you know there are 469 resources on HERO? Lots of websites, articles, research, newsletters, videos, etc. Remember that all the sessions for this year’s Gateways Higher Ed Forum were videotaped and uploaded, along with any resources that presenters suggested.
Preschool Access: It may be a long time before every child gets access to preschool. Slowly but steadily, states are making progress in the number of students they serve in high-quality, state-funded pre-kindergarten programs. However, this progress is uneven, and leaves out droves of impressionable learners, according to an annual report from the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University. (Huffington Post, May 12).
