
Progress in Preschool but Pace Too Slow
Arne Duncan always says
that the best ideas do not come from Washington, but from States and local communities. For early learning this is really true. You
all are doing a great job of advancing home visiting, child care improvements,
preschool and other parts of our early learning agenda.
Last Month, the National
Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) published their annual State Preschool Yearbook, profiling state-funded
preschool programs in the United States. For the second year in a row, NIEER’s
data show nationally states increased preschool funding and quality, and
enrollment grew by 8,335 slots. In
January 2014, Mississippi became the first state in
four years not funding preschool statewide to create a new program. Of course,
the data lags by a year, so the incredible surges we’ve seen in cities that
have embraced preschool for all – like New York City– aren’t reflected
here.
While this expansion is
exciting, as Secretary Duncan said at CentroNía early learning center during the Yearbook release, “The current
pace of change is far too incremental. We have to think about transformational
change.” At the current pace, it would
take 75 years to reach even half of the 4 year-olds in America. States want and
need the federal government to do more.
Representatives Hanna and Scott in the
House and
Senator Murray in the Senate have re-introduced the Strong Start for America’s Children Act. And very soon, members in both chambers will
make decisions on the FY 2016 budget. President Obama is asking for $750 million to
continue funding for the Preschool Development Grants and expand to many more
states, the territories and Indian lands.
Last competition, 36 states applied to partner with the federal
government in expanding preschool, but there was only enough funding for 18.
Recently at the Fordham Institute, Robert Putnam, author of
Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis,
said that early childhood education does work, has a very high pay off, and is
what we ought to be doing it everywhere.
Parents, educators, researchers, law
enforcement,
and business
leaders
are all calling for increased investments in early education. I hope that our representatives will hear
these bipartisan voices and pass a transformative budget that ensures more of
our children enter kindergarten ready to succeed.
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Voices From the Field
 “China’s doing it. Everybody’s doing it. It’s
time that we become an early learning nation too.”
Interview
with Betty Hyde,
Director
of the Department of Early Learning (DEL), Washington State
by
Senior Policy Advisor Steven Hicks
Dr. Bette Hyde was appointed Director of the Department
of Early Learning (DEL) by Gov. Chris
Gregoire on Feb. 10, 2009. Bette’s focus is on creating one statewide early
learning system that prepares all Washington children for school and life. She
strongly believes that school-readiness means ready schools, ready children,
ready families and ready communities. Washington
is a Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grantee.
Read
the full interview.
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Preschool Development Grants

Connecticut
Through Connecticut’s Preschool Development-Expansion
Grant, the State’s program, entitled Quality
First: Expanding and Improving Connecticut’s State Preschool Program, looks
to build on a system that has already successfully expanded preschool access
twice in the last two fiscal years. As well as building upon their professional
development and birth-through-third grade continuum work, Connecticut has
developed a number of key activities that specifically look to target
low-income populations. In striving for its goal of stronger kindergarten
preparedness, Connecticut’s work through the Preschool Development Grant hopes
to build on its existing high-quality preschool work in the identified 14 High
Needs Communities. Read about
Connecticut and the other Preschool Development Grant states here Connecticut and the other Preschool
School Development Grant state.
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RTT-ELC: Program Spotlight
 New Mexico
In April, early learning stakeholders from
state agencies, institutes of higher education, local and statewide non-profits
and foundations came together to develop a unified message to increase
awareness of the importance of children's earliest years. Facilitated by the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation and Collective Action Strategies, attendees considered what they might accomplish through a
collaborative effort and common message. The group will meet again in early
June to determine next steps. The
meeting was organized by the New Mexico Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge Leadership Team and co-sponsored by the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems
Grant.
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ELC
TA Hosts Sustainability Peer Learning Exchange for RTT-ELC Grantees
In May, ELC TA hosted a Peer Learning
Exchange in Atlanta GA
focused on sustainability planning for Phase 1 RTT-ELC States. The meeting
provided participants with an opportunity to learn with and from their peers
and to identify next steps for their sustainability work over the remainder of
their grant period. National and state sustainability resources introduced
during the meeting can be found at
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Our New Website for Preschool Development
Grants
We are happy to announce the launch of the website for Preschool Development
Grant grantees and stakeholders. ED’s
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning Libby Doggett noted,
“We are excited to launch this new resource for states. It will contain rich
information and links for grantees and states to use as they develop and expand
their high-quality preschool programs. We expect this to be a dynamic resource
that programs will come back to again and again as new information is shared.”
The site is managed by Preschool Development Grants Technical Assistance.
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Peer
Reviewers Sought for Ready to Learn Television
The Ready to Learn
Television (RTL) Grant Program is seeking peer reviewers for two opportunities
this summer. RTL is a US Department of Education program that funds much of the
educational television and media that you see on PBS, such as Peg+Cat, Odd Squad,
WordWorld, Super Why! The two opportunities are:
·
June 24th – 25th - Reviewing and providing feedback on
the media products of the current RTL grantees, during a 2-day event in
Washington, DC.
·
A few weeks in June – July (but not
over July 4th weekend)
- Reviewing applications at home and discussing them over a series of
conference calls. This year’s focus is on science and literacy programing, as
well as emphasis on embedded assessments. If you are interested in these
opportunities, please contact Readytolearn@ed.gov
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Early
Childhood Teachers Need Language Knowledge
A new study
discusses how early childhood teachers should have extensive knowledge about
language and language development, because these facets of professional
knowledge are considered as important requirements for fostering language
development in early childhood education settings.
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States Identify Child
and Family Outcomes for Early Learning Improvement Planning
In April 2015, Part C Early Intervention
Programs submitted Phase 1 of their State
Systemic Improvement Plans (SSIP) to the Office
of Special Education Programs (OSEP).
The SSIP is a comprehensive, multi-year plan focused on improving
results for infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities. States used data to identify
gaps in child
and family outcomes, analyze State systems, and plan targeted,
evidence-based reforms to address the gaps.
Over the next year, OSEP staff will be working closely with States as
they develop Phase
2
of their SSIPs.
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White House Initiative Celebrates “Anniversary Year of
Action: Fulfilling America’s Future”
September
2015 marks the 25th anniversary of the White House Initiative on Educational
Excellence for Hispanics. To commemorate this
historic occasion, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the Initiative
launched the “Anniversary
Year of Action: Fulfilling America’s Future” from October 2014
through September 2015. Throughout the Anniversary Year of Action, the
Initiative is encouraging the public and private sectors to invest in
increasing educational outcomes and opportunities for Hispanic students across
the country. This national call for Commitments to Action will help make meaningful and
quantifiable contributions to further increasing and supporting educational
attainment and outcomes for Hispanics, from cradle-to-career. Learn more on the
Anniversary Year of Action here.
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Webinar on New
Early Learning Research Networks Competition On June 11
Thursday, June 11th, 2015 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET
During this
webinar, IES Staff will provide an overview of NCER's new grant program,
Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Policy and Practice including
an Early Learning Research Network to identify malleable factors that support
early learning from preschool through early elementary school grades. The Early
Learning Network will comprise up to four Research Teams who will conduct
in-depth, exploratory research in states, regions, cities, or school districts
that are providing preschool opportunities for children from disadvantaged
backgrounds. Topics will include program objectives, eligible applicants, and
application requirements. To register for the webinar, please click here.
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What Makes Children Happy?
A
comprehensive, participatory study was
released concerning children in African
countries tend to be more pleased with their time in school, whereas children
in European countries tend to be happier with their friendships. Children in
England, Poland, Estonia, and South Korea spend more time on homework, while
children in Norway, Israel, and Poland spend more time exercising or playing
sports.
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The participants at Salzburg Global’s strategy session on
Designing a Social Compact for the 21st Century: Early Childhood Development
and Education (ECDE) (April 15-18, 2015), urge the international community to
address the needs of young children and families across the upcoming
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): “By 2030, ensure that all girls and
boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary
education so that they are ready for primary education.” The
complete Salzburg Statement:
Please read Quality Early Childhood
Development and Education for all Girls and Boys for more information.
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Federal Agencies at Work
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Food Safety for Children Under 5
USDA
released a new Food
Safety for Children Under 5 infographic
to promote the importance of food safety, especially for young children.
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Depression in Mothers: More
than the Blues
This toolkit from SAMHSA, delivers background
information about depression and offers ideas that providers can use daily when
helping mothers, and their families, who may be suffering from depression. The toolkit also includes
useful resources and handouts for mothers with depression.
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Transforming the Early Childhood Training and Technical
Assistance System
Operating on national and regional levels,
the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) early childhood training and
technical assistance (T/TA) system supports high-quality services for children
and families. These
Centers develop and disseminate high-quality, evidence-based resources and
practices, and provide training and technical assistance. Their approaches build capacity and create sustainable
early childhood practices at the regional, state and local levels. Learn more
about ACF’s Early Childhood T/TA System online
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The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge and
Preschool Development grants required states to maintain an active, fully
functioning State Advisory Councils (SAC) on Early Childhood Education and Care
that meets federal requirements. The SAC’s Final
Report released this month illustrates the accomplishments of the State
Advisory Councils as they forged ahead to eliminate existing barriers between
programs and support stronger early childhood systems.
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Exciting Partnerships in NHSA
This
month the National Head Start Association (NHSA) is excited to
partner with the Stern Center’s Building Blocks for Literacy to provide Head
Start staff and parents with the science, knowledge, and practice to ensure
Head Start children enter kindergarten ready to learn to read. Together, NHSA and Building
Blocks for Literacy
aim to close the word gap by teaching early childhood educators and parents how
to foster early learning skills in our children and inspire a lifelong love of
reading.
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In her role as a Teachstone
Ambassador, Council for Professional Recognition Chief Executive Officer Valora
Washington just released a new article on the importance of data-gathering in the professional development of early childhood
educators. The Teachstone Ambassador Initiative aims to bring together thought
leaders from across the ECE community to discuss the vital issues of the day
and foster a fruitful dialogue that unifies and professionalizes the field.
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NIEER released the State of Preschool 2014 in May. State pre-K programs may have turned a corner in
2013-2014, but progress remains slow. If pre-K is to be available to even all
children under 200 percent of the poverty level within the next 20 years, state
investments will have to grow at a much faster pace. Read more here and see the Yearbook. Tim Bartik used the data from the Yearbook to estimate costs
of funding high quality preschool for all 4-year-olds: see his analysis. Governors Robert Bentley of Alabama and Earl Ray Tomblin of West Virginia authored an op-ed in Forbes, highlighting the excellent investment early education represents for policymakers (and children). See some video from the press release event, including Secretary of Education Arne Duncan speaking to the press and reading to preschoolers.
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Tantrums
and defiance may mask issues that aren't apparent to adults. Most children have
occasional temper tantrums or outbursts, but when kids repeatedly lash out, are
defiant, or can't control their tempers, it can seriously impair their
functioning in school and cause serious family turmoil. Disruptive
Behavior: Disruptive Behavior:
Why It's Often Misdiagnosed.
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New Career Center
ZERO TO THREE is pleased to announce
the launch of the ZERO TO THREE Career Center, a new online resource designed to
help you find the best job opportunities in the early childhood field.
Supporting Fathers and Mothers as
Coparents: The Next Frontier for Infant
Toddler Mental Health
Zero to Three, we are delighted to
collaborate with Guest Editors James McHale and Vicky Phares, professors at the
University of South Florida, to explore how fathers are included in services to
families with very young children. Read
the article
in the May 2015 Issue.
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NBCDI
Newest Publication!
The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) is
excited to share our newest publication! From the foreword by Barbara Bowman of
the Erikson Institute to a closing essay by David Johns, Executive Director of
the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African-Americans, Being
Black Is Not a Risk Factor: A
Strengths-Based Look at the State of the Black Child is designed to challenge the prevailing discourse about
Black children–one which overemphasizes limitations and deficits and does not
draw upon the considerable strengths, assets and resilience demonstrated by our
children, families and communities.
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In her talk, "The
Healthy Child Assembly Required", Kathleen Gallagher, one of University of North Carolina’s TED Talk
2015 Faculty Speakers, talks about the power of high-quality early education to
build physically, emotionally, cognitively, and socially healthy children. Watch It; Share it; Spread the Word!
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The Spring Indicators is here!
Read
the latest news
in the world of child and youth indicators.
Indicators typically refer to measures of populations rather than individuals,
so they’re more inclusive.
Brain
development and programs for youth
There’s increasing global attention
to brain research, and what we’re learning can inform programs for children and
youth. The Developing Brain:
Implications for Youth Programs.
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Secretary
Duncan interacts with two students exploring math concepts at Patrick Henry
Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia. A new practitioner guide on teaching
math to young children from the Institute for Education Sciences can be found here.
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