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Early Education in the News
Sun Journal, New Bern, NC
October 18, 2012
North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue Thursday issued an executive order authorizing the expansion of the NC Pre-K program to serve up to 6,300 additional children by Jan. 1, 2013. An estimated 1,000 of those children will be served immediately in Pre-K classrooms across the state.
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN
October 17, 2012
The core pre-k recommendation is tentatively scheduled for later this month, and will ensure "universal access to prekindergarten for all 4-year-olds in Shelby County, provided by a mix of district-run classrooms, Head Start and private care centers." That would mean adding 2,500 spaces to the existing pre-k program over the next five years at a cost of $3 million a year.
On Parenting blog at The Washington Post
October 17, 2012
It’s long been known that early childhood experiences can have a profound affect on later opportunities and life chances. Now, a collection of new studies suggests that those experiences may actually affect the size and workings of the brain.
Learning the Language blog at Education Week
October 16, 2012
[T]here are still significant gaps in readiness between Latino children and their white and Asian-American peers before they enter school, especially when it comes to literacy. A 5-year-old program is taking aim at eliminating those gaps by focusing on parenting practices for children from birth to age 5.
The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS
October 16, 2012
A group of business leaders is asking state lawmakers for $5 million to expand Mississippi Building Blocks, a pilot early childhood education program. The program has operated over the past four years with about $7 million of mostly private dollars.
The Oregonian
October 16, 2012
The Washington Department of Early Learning expects a reinstatement of state dollars in its 2013-15 biennial budget, according to Chief Financial Officer Linda Shea. The focus of more than $2 million in the possible reinstated funds would be maintaining service levels for the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program.
The New York Times
October 15, 2012
Piggybacking on a recent Bloomberg administration initiative, Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president, plans to propose on Tuesday that New York City experiment with an innovative method to help pay for early education. Mr. Stringer, a Democrat who is a likely contender for mayor in 2013, is advocating that the city explore the use of social-impact bonds, also called pay-for-success bonds, to expand access to Early Head Start, which helps pregnant mothers and families with children up to age 3.
The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC
October 13, 2012
Are we under-investing in our state’s youngest children? A convincing stream of research suggests we might be.
The Daytona Beach News-Journal
October 11, 2012
Instructors in Flagler and Volusia counties had mixed reactions to the four-part test, which gauges students' math and language skills. Children in the Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten program will see it at least twice before they complete the state-funded program.
The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA
October 10, 2012
Superintendent of Education John White has delayed plans to give his recommendations for grading Louisiana's fragmented system of publicly funded prekindergarten and early childhood education programs.
Charleston Daily Mail
October 9, 2012
The state recommends requiring a child development associate degree, apprenticeship for child development specialist credential or something similar, [Clayton] Burch said. These parameters mirror the national guidelines proposed by Head Start officials.
Education Week
October 9, 2012
We have eight years in the life of every child to help him or her get ready for school, thrive in school, and love reading by the end of 3rd grade. The question is: How serious are we about doing this?
The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ
October 8, 2012
It is not a typical standardized test: There are no groups of 5-year-olds sitting at little round tables, filling in bubbles on answer sheets. But the pilot program, which uses teachers’ observations to gather information on students’ performance, is nonetheless the first step in what could become a statewide assessment of kindergarten students.
NBC Latino
October 5, 2012
At a preschool in Miami, children under 5 are studying the anatomy of pineapples through science, reading stories in smart tables, learning the dimension of shapes and doing garden sales to practice their math, all while juggling with two languages: English and Spanish. Exploration Station preschool is one of the few preschools nationwide to completely implement a STEM focus (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in its curriculum at the end of last year.
The Advocate, Baton Rouge, LA
October 4, 2012
Joining a growing chorus, officials of two education groups said Tuesday they want a bigger voice in designing Louisiana’s revamped pre-kindergarten system.
Orlando Sentinel
October 3, 2012
While language skills are indeed crucial elements in a child's academic success, the strongest indicators of long-term success in school and life are social-emotional skills. These skills include self-regulation, task persistence, problem-solving and conflict resolution.
The New York Times
October 1, 2012
When engaged in what looks like child’s play, preschoolers are actually behaving like scientists, according to a new report in the journal Science: forming hypotheses, running experiments, calculating probabilities and deciphering causal relationships about the world.
U.S. Department of Education
September 28, 2012
One center will be established in each of the following areas: standards and assessment implementation, great teachers and leaders, school turnaround, early learning, college and career readiness, innovations in learning, and building state capacity and productivity.
The Town Talk, Alexandria, LA
September 26, 2012
Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration wants to shift $20 million in hurricane recovery dollars for hurricanes Gustav and Ike to fill in budget gaps in the state's free preschool program for at-risk students.
Oakland Tribune
September 26, 2012
A report published in 2008 by Columbia University's National Center for Children in Poverty found that children who missed 10 percent or more of their kindergarten year were the lowest-achieving group in first grade. A 2011 Applied Survey Research study of 600 children in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties found that poor attendance in kindergarten and first grade may erase many of the benefits of preschool, even among those who started kindergarten with strong skills.
