Below are resources for early childhood professionals and those serving the early childhood community.
Early Learning at the State Level — The Center for American Progress released “Taking Action on Early Learning: 17 Executive Actions for Governors,” a new brief that shares state level actions and policies including developing a statewide strategic plan, using Medicaid funding for home visiting programs, and developing a centralized intake system in its list of possibilities.
A Lesson For Preschools: When It’s Done Right, The Benefits Last — NPR reports on prekindergarten, and when programs are well designed and implemented, research shows that the positive effects remain.
Brain Activity Map Reveals How Infant Vision Develops — The new edition of Baby Talk connects you to this and more news and resources.
Moving Forward on Early Childhood Education — To help kick-start a solution-driven conversation on early childhood education, the First Five Years Fund released its “Early Childhood Education Policy Framework.” This framework provides ideas for how the Trump Administration and incoming Congress could create a well-financed continuum of high-quality early learning and care for children from birth through age 5 by improving existing programs, addressing concerns of quality and cost and building better partnerships between the federal government, states and local communities.
Prekindergarten Study — Researchers at the Duke University Center for Child and Family Policy published the results of a new study that show children who were enrolled in North Carolina’s early childhood programs “performed better throughout elementary school, with gains lasting through 5th grade,” according to the Raleigh News & Observer.
Brief Series on the Early Childhood Workforce: Pathways to Progress — The Early Educator Central released a series of five briefs that build on the 2015 Institute of Medicine (IOM) and National Research Council (NRC) Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth to Eight report.
Suspension and Expulsion — The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Service and Education published an Information Memorandum for Head Start and Early Head Start Grantees and Delegates and others about the previous joint statement on preventing or dramatically limiting suspension and expulsion practices in early childhood education settings.
Illinois to Get $20 Million in Preschool Grants — Illinois school districts will receive $20 million to expand access to high-quality preschool programs for all children next year. The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services has invested $750 million thus far to expand access to new or improved preschool classrooms in 230 high-need communities. Illinois is among 18 states that will receive more than $247 million in early education grants for the third year. (Daily Herald, November 30)
Free Videos Link Play to Learning — This—and more—is in Faculty Finds, a new publication focusing on resources and information about the effective preparation of early childhood professionals.
Innovations for High Quality, Aligned Early Childhood Educator Preparation (2016-3) — The latest report has been released from the Illinois Education Research Council (IERC), Innovations for High Quality, Aligned Early Childhood Educator Preparation (IERC 2016-3). This study explores the innovations that two-and four-year higher education partners implemented to build capacity for the early childhood workforce in Illinois and create a more aligned system of credentials and degrees. This study also examines the barriers and catalysts in this work. Early childhood educators and scholars, as well as those interested in career pathways, are likely to be interested in this work.
Vanderbilt Study: Pre-K Math Skills a Possible Indicator of Student Success — Vanderbilt University study has found math skills at an early age could be an indicator of future success in that child’s life. But the type of math a pre-kindergarten student knows matters. (Tennessean, December 8)
Investing Early in Quality Child Care for At-Risk Kids Pays Off Big Later, Research Finds — New research reveals that despite hefty up-front costs, quality child care programs for disadvantaged children starting just after birth and continuing to age 5 produce major financial dividends over the long term. (Chalkbeat, December 11)
