Apr 2008
“Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation”
This is a cost-benefit analysis of two publicly funded early childhood education scenarios. One scenario would target early education to 3- and 4- year-olds in families whose incomes are in the lowest quartile, and the other scenario would provide early education to all 3- and 4-year-olds regardless of family income. The ratio of benefits to costs for the targeted approach would be an average of 12 to 1 by the year 2050: the ratio for the universal approach would be 8 to 1.
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Jan 2009
Tribes Use Camps to Speak on Preserving Language
“Because language frames the way a person looks upon the world…, its demise also threatens a tribe’s values, traditions and religion… That reality is magnified by the dominance of pop culture among kids.” This article from EdWeek explains why tribal languages are dying and what some tribes are doing about it. (You may need to register to read the article.)
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Aug 2008
Title 1 and Early Childhood Programs: Investments in the NCLB Era
In this report, the Center for Law and Social Policy looks at how schools are using Title 1 monies to fund high quality early education, in the face of a rising number of at-risk children and the need to intervene earlier.
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Aug 2008
The Economics of Early Childhood Policy
In this new report, the RAND Corporation summarizes a large body of research related to early childhood and then uses the economic theory of human capital as a unifying framework for looking at early childhood policy. The benefits of providing assistance to targeted groups of children are also examined.
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Jan 2009
Teaching Coaches for Pre-K Programs Don’t Always Improve Quality
A study from the National Institute of Early Education Research found that teaching coaches did not improve the quality of mediocre child care programs. The article discusses the underlying reasons for the lack of improvement and recommendations for making coaching successful. Read more in the Fall 2008 issue of “Early Childhood Research and Practice”:
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Jan 2008
Successfully Including All Children in Early Education Programs
This compilation of articles by the New York Developmental Disabilities Planning Council highlights promising practices and approaches that support the inclusion of children with developmental disabilities in early care and education programs.
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Dec 2008
Recommended Transition Practices for Young Children
This report from the National Early Childhood Transition Center highlights 21 validated transition practices for early childhood.
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Aug 2008
Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research
The Institute of Education Sciences looks at how student and classroom outcomes are affected by 14 different preschool curricula. Student outcomes examined included reading, phonological awareness, language, mathematics, and behavior; classroom outcomes included classroom quality, teacher-child interaction, and four kinds of instruction.
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Dec 2008
National School Readiness Report
This federal report presents data on the school readiness of children as reported by their parents. Information reported by the parents includes: children’s developmental progress and problems, participation in preschool or other early care, beliefs about what is needed to prepare children for school, family activities with children, and television viewing habits.
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Feb 2009
Literacy Begins at Home
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Feb 2008
Leaving Children to Chance: NACCRRA’s Ranking of State Standards and Oversight of Small Family Child
Leaving Children to Chance: NACCRRA’s Ranking of State Standards and Oversight of Small Family Child Care Homes “reveals that many states fail to protect the health, safety, and well being of children in small family child care homes. About $11 billion in federal and state funds are spent each year on child care subsidies. Yet, the federal and state governments have no idea about the condition of care they are paying for in many states.” Montana was given a score of zero because visits or inspections are not made prior to issuing licenses to child care homes. Otherwise, our score would have been 62 points out of 140 total, and our rank would have been 40th in the nation.
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Jan 2009
Is full-day preschool a good start, or too much, too soon, for kids?
New Jersey is instituting free preschool for all low-income three- and four-year olds. Read the arguments for and against full-day preschool.
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Feb 2008
Implementing Policies to Reduce the Likelihood of Preschool Expulsion
Implementing Policies to Reduce the Likelihood of Preschool Expulsion, a new policy brief from the Foundation for Child Development, looks at factors associated with expulsion from prekindergarten. Such factors include high student-teacher ratios, extended-day programs, and teacher job stress. The brief makes recommendations for parents and for changes in policy that can be both implemented and regulated.
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Aug 2008
How Maternal, Family and Cumulative Risk Affect Absenteeism in Early Schooling
This report details the incidence of various risk factors and their influence on early school absenteeism. It concludes that the greater the cumulative risk, the greater the absenteeism.
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Apr 2008
How Early Child Care Affects Later Development
Research from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child shows that quality child care positively affects language and behavioral development. However, the quality of parenting has the most effect on cognitive and social-emotional development.
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Dec 2007
Family Child Care in the United States
A new paper from Cornell University's Department of Human Development examining home-based childcare providers and the characteristics of families reports among its findings that much of regulated family childcare is of "adequate" quality.
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Dec 2008
Credentials for the Infant/Toddler Child Care Workforce
This report from Zero to Three highlights states, including Montana, who have developed or are in the process of developing an infant/toddler credential for child care workers.
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Jan 2009
Connecting Schools and Family Child Care Homes
This brief from the School of the 21st Century at Yale University discusses the benefits and challenges of family child care, and ways for schools to reach out and support these facilities.
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Dec 2007
Changing the Conversation About Home Visiting: Scaling Up With Quality
(from Harvard Family Research Project)
This paper looks at what the evidence and conventional wisdom say about scaling up home visiting as one of the best ways to support parents and promote early childhood development. The paper's authors examine the available research evidence, interview leaders from six of the national home visiting models, and interview researchers who have studied home visiting.
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Feb 2008
Challenging Behaviors and the Role of Preschool Education
This policy brief from the National Institute for Early Education Research reviews the research to find answers to these questions: “Is there a rise in challenging behaviors among young children in early care and education? Is preschool a contributing factor or can it provide positive experiences that can reduce the rates of challenging behaviors? What about quality's role in ameliorating challenging behaviors?”
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Jan 2009
Analysis of 123 Studies Finds Positive Effects for Children Attending Pre-K
Children who attended preschool before entering kindergarten made the most progress in cognitive development, according to an analysis of 123 studies by Rutgers University researchers. The children also made gains in social development and school progress. Teacher-directed instruction and small-group instruction were found to be the most important factors in the children’s progress, and the positive effects lasted well past preschool.
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