Hello, Early Learning Leaders!
August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month. To honor this designation, our Voices in the Field interview with Donna Fishman, director of the National Center for Children’s Vision & Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (Prevent Blindness), highlights the importance of vision health to childhood development and learning readiness, and how the organization promotes children’s vision health. According to Prevent Blindness, more than one in five preschool-age children enrolled in Head Start have a vision disorder. Although early detection can lead to an effective intervention and help to restore proper vision, parents and early care and education staff cannot always tell when a child has trouble seeing. Therefore, we’ve spotlighted resources that states and local programs can use to promote children’s vision health. Information about those resources are featured in the Project Spotlight and Resources for You sections.
We are also excited to introduce new funding opportunities published by the Office of Special Education Programs and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Learn about these opportunities under New Funding Opportunities and spread the word!
Enjoy reading the rest of the newsletter to find out about recent developments and resources to support our youngest learners, their teachers, caregivers, and families.
Thank you, as always, for reading Early Learning!
Laurie VanderPloeg Director Office of Special Education Programs
Christopher Rinkus Acting Deputy Director Discretionary Grants and Support Services Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
|
National Center on Deaf-Blindness
The National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) is a national technical assistance center funded by the Department of Education (ED). NCDB works to improve the quality of life for children who are deaf-blind and their families. One of their products is a series of profiles that uses a family-centered approach to provide information about key educational practices for children who are deaf-blind. Told mostly through video, these Families Matter Stories will help you discover how individuals who are deaf-blind learn, develop, and live their lives.
|
  
Effective Personnel for All: Attract, Prepare, Retain
OSEP is engaged in a concentrated effort to support states in their work to address personnel shortages. Toward that end, OSEP recently finished its 2019 Symposia Series — Effective Personnel for ALL: Attract, Prepare, and Retain. This series focuses on three critical areas: attracting new personnel to serve children with disabilities, preparing these personnel for a successful career, and retaining them longer term. Each symposium explores what is known from existing evidence and establishes best practices, as well as innovative approaches used throughout the country, that are making a difference. OSEP has a blog post to further these efforts by soliciting feedback on how OSEP can best support states in their work to attract, prepare, and retain effective personnel. Please take the time to share your challenges and successes that can make a difference for others who are addressing shortages in personnel!
|
This Month's Recommended Resources:
 |

Optimizing Learning Opportunities for Student Observation System
The Early Learning Network, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences at ED is developing and testing a web-based observational tool for practitioners in pre-K through third grade classrooms to help improve student outcomes and strengthen student-teacher relationships. Using electronic assessments and observation, the Optimizing Learning Opportunities for Students Observation System, known as OLOS, provides real-time feedback on children’s academic progress and teachers’ instructional practices. It also offers recommendations on how to best meet students’ individual learning needs. The tool is still in the pilot phase but shows promise in becoming a practitioner-friendly comprehensive measure in early learning programs.
|
Finding the Facts in the Vaccine Debate
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)-funded Partnership Center broadcasted the webinar, Finding the Facts in the Vaccine Debate on August 7. Tune in to hear the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control Director, Dr. Robert Redfield, Jr. and other experts as they discuss vaccine safety and efficacy, as well as the best ways to keep your children healthy.
|

Improving Outcomes for Families Affected by Opioids
On August 22, the HHS-funded Office of Head Start hosted the first webinar of its three-part series, Improving Outcomes for Families Affected by Opioids. This webinar series discusses ways to support children, especially exposed infants, and families impacted by opioid and other substance use disorders. You can view and register for upcoming webinars here. You can also read some key information early childhood program staff need to know about to support young children and families affected by substance misuse.
|
OSERS
OSERS released two Notices Inviting Applications for new funding opportunities:
- Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities — Leadership Development Programs: Increasing the Capacity of Leaders to Improve Systems Serving Children With Disabilities (CFDA 84.325L). Applications are due on Sept. 9. Information about the application can be found here.
- Technical Assistance on State Data Collection — National Technical Assistance Center to Improve State Capacity to Collect, Report, Analyze, and Use Accurate Early Childhood IDEA Data (CFDA No. 84.373Z). Applications are due on Sept. 11. Information about the application can be found here.
|
Promoting Young Children’s Vision Health
We interviewed Donna Fishman, director of the National Center for Children’s Vision & Eye Health at Prevent Blindness. Fishman discusses the importance of vision health to childhood development and learning readiness, and how the organization promotes children’s vision health in various early childhood systems. We invite you to read the full interview on the OSERS Blog.
|
Check out ED's Early Learning website for updates on all of ED's early learning activities, and to view the Early Learning newsletter archive.
OSERS is on Twitter with the latest tweets from special education and early intervention advocates, educators, families, and students. Be sure to follow @Ed_Sped_Rehab and tell your friends. OSERS Assistant Secretary Johnny Collett has joined the conversation, too! Follow him today @JCollettOSERS. We'll see you in the Twittersphere!
|
|