Early Childhood Education & Care in the News
Information
5 Things To Know About Crib Safety The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted in December 2010 to toughen up safety standards and requirements for all cribs purchased in the United States after facing the recall of more than 11 million cribs in the past five years. Daycare centers, crib rental agencies and more will have to purchase the cribs and replace all outdated cribs that don't meet the new standards by December 2012.
Children’s Well-Being: Poverty a Major Factor, Education Stagnates Last month, First Focus and the Urban Institute released a report tracking the recession’s effects on children, using three measures of children’s economic well-being from 2007 to 2012: children with an unemployed parent, participation in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and child poverty. The authors concluded, “Economic conditions for children today are similar to those of a year ago--and much worse than they were in 2007. Millions of families with children have not yet regained ground lost during the recession.” First Focus also issued a companion paper with policy recommendations for Congress and the Obama administration, calling for increased investments in SNAP, family tax credits, TANF, and unemployment insurance.
Early Education, Family 'Critical' to Graduation Madison County lagging but taking steps to improve...
Early Language Skills Two recent studies address children’s language abilities during the earliest years of life. The first examined newborns 7 to 75 hours old in both the United States and Sweden, finding that the infants were more interested in hearing the vowel sounds of a non-native language. The researchers surmise that newborns recall the vowel sounds spoken by their mothers while they were in utero and are “ready for something novel” upon birth. A second, unrelated study followed children from 1½ to 4 years old and found that those with more adept language skills as toddlers were less likely as preschoolers to display anger during a frustrating task.
Florida Preschool Enrollment Tops In U.S. Preschool enrollment in Florida is second highest in the country but state and local spending on those programs is among the worst.
Get Up and Play! A recent report adds to the research base that playing equals learning for the youngest children. A study out of North Dakota State University and Texas A&M University found that 6½-month-old infants were able to differentiate objects by patterns when they were able to sit up on their own while playing, thus freeing their hands to grasp and manipulate toys. By contrast, 4½- and 5½-month-old infants - who were unable to sit up on their own - were not able to recognize patterns. However, when the 5½-month-olds were given support to sit up while playing, they were also able to demonstrate pattern recognition. The same finding was not true for the 4½-month-olds; all of the findings are published in the journal Developmental Psychology
Goal is to ensure academic success even before school year begins The first day of kindergarten often is bittersweet for parents - but it shouldn't be a challenge for the students. Education needs to start long before a child enters the doors of elementary school to ensure academic success, according to local educators.
Good News on the Childhood Obesity Front Fears of increasing rates of early childhood obesity may be somewhat allayed due to new information. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity examined data from the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System, which includes information on roughly 50 percent of the children eligible for federal health and nutrition programs. Studying more than 26 million 2- to 4-year-olds from 30 states and the District of Columbia over 12 years, the researchers found that while obesity - and extreme obesity - rates did indeed increase from 1998 to 2003, there was a slight decrease in those rates from 2003 to 2010.
How to Help Parents Promote Early Literacy Some really great tips on helping parents promote early literacy in children!
Hundreds of Law Enforcement Leaders from All 50 States Sign Letter Supporting Early Childhood Education More than 600 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and other law enforcement leaders in all 50 states delivered a letter to Congress, urging them to reject proposed cuts to early care and education programs as they continue intense negotiations over the federal budget.
Preschool Services for Children with ASD: What Works? What type of preschool classroom best serves children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)? A study out of the University of Pennsylvania provides some new insights. In a non-randomized trial, researchers examined cognitive outcomes for preschool-age children with ASD who were placed in one of three classroom settings -- an inclusive classroom where children with special needs and those without learned together; a classroom specifically for children with ASD; or a classroom with children of all types of special needs, including ASD.
State Considers Testing for Pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten programs should test their students more extensively, argues David Lawrence, the head of the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation.
Want a stronger workforce? Invest in the youngest Floridians! How do we improve high-school graduation rates, make American students more competitive and strengthen the workforce? Invest in early childhood care and education.
WHAT WORKS FOR EARLY LANGUAGE AND LITERACY DEVELOPMENT Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Intervention Strategies
Why Pre-K Is Critical to Closing the Achievement Gap High-quality, universal pre-K can impact the nation’s international ranking... The recently released results of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) comparison of educational achievement across 65 countries has brought renewed attention to the achievement gap and recommended changes to improve U.S. performance...
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