Below are resources for early childhood professionals and those serving the early childhood community.
How to Effectively Teach Social-Emotional Skills to Children Who Exhibit Challenging Behavior
September 13, 2018, 2 p.m. EST. It’s easy to become focused solely on trying to stop the unwanted behavior when young children are using aggression to try and get their wants and needs met. This can also be true when they are not following directions or we feel they are being disrespectful in some way. Yet, in addition to stopping the behavior, we also need to teach them what do instead! Challenging behavior signals that the child needs support to develop their social-emotional skills. In this webinar, we will review why it is essential to develop or adopt a comprehensive social-emotional learning curriculum and discuss practical strategies that teachers can use to proactively teach children necessary social-emotional skills. We will also review how to promote social-emotional learning in the heat of the moment and throughout the day during typical classroom activities. This includes strategies to help children identify and express their feelings when upset, calming techniques, and ways to help them communicate their wants and needs appropriately. You will learn about examples of how these strategies have been used effectively in Head Start classrooms and childcare centers from real teachers. Tips for and coaches who want to bring these ideas to teachers will be included.
Early Childhood Workforce Index 2018
This is a comprehensive update to the inaugural 2016 edition on the progress made by states to improve conditions for the early care and education workforce. The Index resources include an interactive map that shows current wages and changes over the last two years and whether states have been assessed as stalled, edging forward, or making headway across key policy indicators. The report finds that strides have been made in improving education and training levels of the ECE workforce, but they are largely not linked to policies and resources that address teachers’ economic well-being. This condition persists despite widespread recognition of the importance of early care and education in shaping children’s development, promoting the health of families, and building a strong economy.
2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book
The Casey Foundation’s 2018 KIDS COUNT® Data Book warns that the 2020 census is mired in challenges that could shortchange the official census count by at least 1 million kids younger than age 5. This discrepancy would put hundreds of millions of federal dollars at risk and, in doing so, underfund programs that are critical for family stability and opportunity. The Data Book also looks at trends in child well-being during a period that saw continued improvement in economic well-being but mixed results in the areas of health, education, and family and community factors. The report includes the Foundation’s signature rankings in key areas of child well-being. This year, New Hampshire is at the top of the rankings.
State Learning Opportunities From OSEP-funded Technical Assistance Centers
OSEP’s network of early childhood technical assistance (TA) centers is offering a variety of new opportunities to build individual and state capacity around the implementation of IDEA for young children, with or at-risk for disabilities, from birth through age 5. This handy list can help states consider which TA opportunities best fit individual state needs and priorities.
Convening on High-quality Early Learning Cost Studies
Last month, the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) and Illinois Action for Children co-hosted the Cost of Quality Early Learning Think Tank convening. Participants, including state and local leaders, advocates, and national experts who are engaged in cost studies of early learning programs, discussed using cost data to inform and drive policy decisions on financing high-quality early learning programs. They also discussed the approaches needed to move the field toward adequate and stable funding of high-quality early learning programs. A forthcoming report will summarize highlights and identify recommendations.
Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS)
The U.S. Department of Education needs peer reviewers to read and evaluate applications for the Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grant program. Reviewers should come from the various backgrounds and professions, including State or local education officials, PK-12 coordinators and principals, college or university educators, researchers, and community development practitioners to read and evaluate applications submitted. If you would like to be considered as a peer reviewer for the FSCS grant competition, please e-mail a copy of your current resume or vitae to FSCS@ed.gov. The deadline is Tuesday, July 3, 2018. Please remember that if your organization intends to apply for a grant under the aforementioned competition, you may not be eligible to serve as a reviewer.
