Below are resources for early childhood professionals and those serving the early childhood community.
Trauma-Informed Early Education Classroom Design: Designing Child and Family-Friendly Spaces for Recovery from Trauma April 19, 2017, 2 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) Even the youngest children are all too often exposed to trauma and stressful information, including violence, hatred, and disastrous events. We can do our part to combat the negative impact of these events. This webinar, part of the Trauma Solutions in Early Childhood Series, will be presented by trauma expert, Ileen Henderson.
Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion Policy Report A March 2017 policy report from the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) provides resources to inform early childhood stakeholders at the state and local level interested in developing policy and guidance for programs to prevent and reduce suspension and expulsion. Information and Resources to Assist States in Developing Policy on Early Childhood Suspension and Expulsion (March 2017) includes a brief review of the research on the impact and prevalence of suspension and expulsion in early childhood programs, highlights of key federal and national policy on suspension and expulsion in early childhood programs, an overview of emerging state policy, a description of effective approaches to prevent suspension and expulsion of young children, and considerations for states in developing policy in this area.
Early Childhood Expulsion/Suspension and Opportunity Gaps for Boys of Color Two recently published briefs examine issues related to early childhood expulsion and suspension, as well as barriers to accessing quality early childhood education for young boys of color in the U.S.
- Early Childhood Expulsions and Suspensions Undermine Our Nation’s Most Promising Agent of Opportunity and Social Justice (2016) Walter S. Gilliam—Presents the latest information regarding early childhood expulsions and suspensions, with a focus on gender and race disparities. Looks at how these disparities violate the civil rights of many young children of color in the U.S. and contribute to the nation’s costly achievement gap.
- Unequal Access: Barriers to Early Childhood Education for Boys of Color (2016) Dionne Dobbins, Michelle McCready, Laurie Rackas—Discusses barriers to accessing quality early childhood education for boys of color (high costs; insufficient availability of free or subsidized programs; and implicit biases, which consistently send boys of color negative messages about their behavior, identity, and future) and discusses possible solutions to these issues.
Heckman’s Research on Early Childhood Programs Finds Higher Economic Returns The Lifecycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program. New research from Nobel Laureate economist James J. Heckman and colleagues, finds that comprehensive, birth-to-age-5 early childhood programs can produce higher economic returns than those previously established for preschool programs serving 3- to 4-year-olds. The latest research shows that high quality birth-to-5 programs for disadvantaged children can deliver a 13 percent per child, per year return on investment through better outcomes in education, health, social behaviors and employment, reducing taxpayer costs down the line and preparing the country’s workforce for a competitive future.
Benefits of Early Care and Education in the Child Welfare System The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, an office of the Administration for Children and Families, developed a brief, Benefits of Early Care and Education in the Child Welfare system, detailing the benefits of some types of early care and education services to help vulnerable children in the child welfare system experience some child safety and well-being goals. Unfortunately, many children involved in the child welfare system are underutilizing early learning and care programs.
NIEER Head Start Across States, Territories The State(s) of Head Start research report includes an analysis of Head Start enrollment, funding, observable classroom quality and duration, staff qualifications and a full range of services to children and families in a state-by-state format for the 2014-2015 program year.
Illinois Early Learning Council finalized the letter of support for MIECHV from the Early Learning Council and will be sending it to the DC Delegation shortly, but shares the content of this letter with you.
ECE Educator Preparation Webcast Series Aligning ECE educator preparation programs to competencies. This series is a product of the RttT work through INCCRRA and IBHE.
Early Childhood Innovation Zones Work to Transform Illinois Communities (IERC 2017-1). This in-depth study, led by Bradford White, provides insights into the strategies used to increase enrollment and quality in the early childhood system, as well as the broader implications of these efforts. The Innovation Zones project was successful in building capacity and helped 11 high need communities move to new, more collaborative mindsets. This project represented a bold experiment for early childhood education systems and policy in Illinois employing a state-level capacity-building policy process that defers to local expertise to build early childhood community systems.
