Media
The Lasting Effects of Early Child Care: A new federally-funded study published in the May-June issue of the Child Development Journal is reinforcing what early childhood advocates have championed for many years now: that the quality of a child's care is crucially important. The study, highlighted here by the Washington Post, found that children in low-quality care exhibited some negative social and academic outcomes that persisted well into adolescence. While the differences in outcomes among children in low-quality and high-quality care were small, their persistence over time highlights the need for continued support of and investment in high-quality early childhood services.
Early Warning! Why Reading by the Third Grade Matters: The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently released a new report titled, "Early Warning! Why Reading by the Third Grade Matters." The report calls for a renewed emphasis on reading success by outlining current challenges and potential solutions, and provide new data to help stakeholders take action around this critical issue.
Ready For Kindergarten? A Review of State Practices: Every year, more than three million children enroll in a public kindergarten program, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Research has shown a significant achievement gap already exists between low-income children and their more affluent peers at kindergarten entry. A new Child Trends research brief provides an overview of state Early Learning Guidelines and school readiness assessments. The brief, A Review of School Readiness Practices in the States: Early Learning Guidelines and Assessments, also outlines key policy considerations for developing and utilizing school readiness assessments at the state level.
Center Releases New Audio Podcasts and "Observing Young Children" Video: The Center for Early Childhood Education at Eastern Connecticut State University is pleased to announce the release of two new resources for early childhood professionals.
"Observing Young Children" is the Center's 5th video podcast in the "e-clips" educational video series. The video features Dr. Sudha Swaminathan of Eastern Connecticut State University describing different types of observations in the early childhood classroom and how to plan observations to get the most useful results. In addition, four early childhood teachers discuss their use of formal and informal observation strategies to identify the individual strengths and needs of children and to plan instruction.
The Center is also launching a new audio podcast series called "Early Childhood Insights." The audio podcasts feature longer, more in-depth interviews with early childhood experts on a variety of topics for professionals who desire additional information.
The Mechanics of City-School Initiatives: Transforming Neighborhoods of Distress & Despair into Neighborhoods of Choice & Promise: This new report presents an evidence-based framework for improving the quality of public education and creating more vibrant and healthy neighborhoods through integrated city-public school initiatives. Our case studies reveal how to simultaneously leverage innovations in the built environment, educational practice, and collaborative policymaking. As part of our PLUS Leadership Initiative, these lessons draw on work with six city-school district partnerships in the San Francisco Bay Area. The report was prepared for the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development to inform their Choice Neighborhoods Initiative.