June 15, 2011  - Education Week
Schools should pay more attention to the social and emotional development of African-American boys in the early grades—and focus less on their academic skills, a group of scholars says.

Webinar from February 23, 2011 3pm - 4pm EST.  Welcome and overview of the work to be covered in the Linkages to K-12 Issue Group.

A presentaiton about the goals, policy and systems related to the Linkages to K-12 Issues Group.  The webinar was held on April 5, 2011 from 3pm - 4pm EST.

A Birth to Five Policy Alliance webinar from Febrary 23, 2011 presented by Kristie Kauerz, Ed.D. Program Director at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Combining knowledge from neuroscience, behavioral and developmental science, economics, and 40 years of early childhood program evaluation, they authors provide an informed, nonpartisan, pragmatic framework to guide policymakers toward science-based policies that improve the lives of young children and benefit society as a whole.

A vital and productive society with a prosperous and sustainable future is built on a foundation of healthy child development.  Health in the earliest years - beginning with the future mother's well-being before she becomes pregnant - lays the groundwork for a lifetime of vitality.  This publication was co-authored by the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and the National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs.

Anyone looking for upstream solutions to the biggest problems facing America should look to Nobel Prize winning University of Chicago Economics Professor James Heckman's work.  Great gains are to be had by investing in early childhood development - from birth to age five.

Investing in early learning now is more cost-effective than playing catch-up later.  Research on comprehensive, high-quality early learning shows that they promote substantial economic and social benefits, while reducing the need for more expensive, less productive interventions for older children and adults.

From the National Conference of State Legislatures, this webpage provides background information on a variety of state policy options for legislators interested in early childhood.

NCSL's Early Childhood 101 webinar was recorded on Friday, January 28, 2011 at 2pm ET.  This is a briefing for new legislators and new chairs to help get up to speed on what states are doing to promote early childhood development and school readiness and what resources are available from NCSL for support.

The National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health profiles states' policy choices that promote health, education, and strong families alongside other contextual data related to the well-being of young children.

The National Women's Law Center compares state child care assistance policies from year to year in four policy areas:  income eligibility, waiting lists for assistance, copayment requirements and reimbursement rates for providers.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) developed A Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems.  The searchable database links to current state laws and regulations, organized by the blueprint's six essential policy areas of:  professional standards, career pathways, articulation, advisory structure, data and financing.

ZERO TO THREE's Baby Matters:  A Gateway to State Policies and Initiatives is a web-based searchable database of more than 550 state policies and initiatives that impact infants, toddlers, and their families.  It can be searched by state, category, or keyword.

This paper provides an overview of the Wisconsin Early Learning Coalition's position on the Governor's 2011-13 budget.

A letter dated March 15, 2011 from the Washington State Senate regarding $1.87 million budget request for the Home Visiting Services Account.

A presentation about home visiting from March 23, 2011 by the Washington State Department of Early Learning and Thrive by Five Washington.

Letter dated February 24, 2011 from Deb Daro to Governor Cuomo urging him to restore home visiting funding (the advocates solicited similar letters from Pew, Prevent Child Abuse America, and local programs).

Letter dated February 15, 2011from the new York Home Visiting Coalition to Governor Cuomo urging him to restore home visiting funding.

"One-pager" on the costs/benefits of New York's home visiting programs.

Here is an example of a customized market analysis done for a specific area on how the cuts would impact it.

An op-ed published in the Wichita Eagle on February 18, 2011.

The Missouri Infant/Toddler Responsive Caregiving Checklist is designed to measure caregiving practices for groups of children ages from birth up to age 3.

As Washington moves forward with implementing its Early Learning Plan (ELP) to address the needs of children prenatally to age 9, a focus on infants and toddlers is essential. During these earliest years, infants and toddlers are developing the foundations for growth and learning that will impact them throughout their lives.

The National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative reviewed 22 State Quality Rating and Improvement Systems to identify states that explicitly include infant and toddler quality indicators and summarizes the findings in the following table.

This fact sheet is intended to highlight QRIS that include specific I/T indicators to promote discussions as States, Territories and Tribes begin to develop, revise, and implement QRIS for quality I/T care.

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) are being implemented in States to establish a means to both define and promote quality in child care settings. These rating systems include five common elements: 1) standards, 2) accountability measures, 3) program and practitioner outreach and support, 4) financial incentives, and 5) parent/consumer education.

This self-assessment checklist is based on research about effective policies and best practices in states. The following questions are intended to spark discussion about the needs of infants, toddlers, and their families and to lay the foundation for building an effective early childhood development system in your state.

This report draws upon nationally available data to expand the analysis on public investments for children from birth through 18 across the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Since the first child care Quality Rating System (QRS) was implemented in Oklahoma 11 years ago (in 1998), 16 additional statewide systems have been launched and numerous states are piloting or developing a QRS. As QRS stakeholders across the nation look ahead to the next decade, it is important to take stock of what has been learned and identify priorities for generating new research and information about QRS.

An effective early childhood system is multi-faceted, as are the needs of young children and their families. Such a system aims to promote healthy child development by advancing early learning, health, and family support, and embracing all children.

This annual report from the National Women's Law Center reveals that states largely held off major cuts to child care programs as of February 2010, with help from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds.  Although most state policies are holding steady compared to a year ago, they have not improved or are behind where they were in 2001 and may face challenges in protecting their child care programs as ARRA funds are exhausted.

State-by-state fact sheets from The National Women's Law Center's report, Supporting Affordable, High-Quality Child Care with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds, provide information on how the economic recovery funds are being used by states for child care and early education efforts.

Promote stable, quality care for babies and toddlers through subsidy policy.  Use state child care subsidy policies to support stable, continuous access to the highest-quality providers and caregivers for infants and toddlers in low-income families.

Child care subsidies make quality child care more affordable, support the healthy development of children, and help low-income parents access the child care they need to go to work or to school to support their families.

This tool, created by CLASP's Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care project, is designed to provide a policy framework that lays out ideas for increaseing access for low-income babies and toddlers to high quality child care settings through state child care subsidy systems.

This Urban Institute paper takes a look at what is and is not known about child care stability, then provides a framework to explore the implications of child care instability for children's development, parental employment, and the often dynamic lives of low-income families.  Is also discusses the policy implications of these findings, with a particular focus on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF).  Finally, it highlights areas where future research is needed.

Child care subsidies funded by the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) can play a critical role in supporting low-income families' efforts to become stably employed, and in helping parents access stable, safe child care settings for their children.  Yet research has found that some subsidy policies and practices can inadvertently make it challenging for families to receive and keep subsidies as they work toward self-sufficiency.