Weekly Digest: October 1, 2008

CAEYC 2008 Early Childhood Conference "Pathways to Quality"

REGISTER TODAY!

CAEYC 2008 Early Childhood Conference

"Pathways to Quality"

Saturday, September 27, 2008

CCAC sponsored Pre-Conference

"Linking Professional Development & Adult Learning Theory"

Friday, September 26, 2008

On-Line registration is now open for the conference at www.ctaeyc.org  

Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek, author of Einstein Never Used Flashcards, Play=Learning and A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool, will deliver Saturday's keynote exploring the importance of both free play and playful learning for preschool children. 

Dr. Laurie Noe will deliver Friday's full day session, 'Linking Professional Development & Adult Learning Theory"

Full Conference brochure can be accessed at www.ctaeyc.org  

Don't miss out-register today!!

New RAND Study Recommends Use of Economics to Steer Early Childhood Policy

New RAND Study Recommends Use of Economics to Steer Early Childhood Policy: A new study by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization, could prompt a reorganization of child and human services away from the current system that "treats" problems after the fact in favor of investment and prevention. Using the economic concepts of human capital theory and monetary "payoffs" from investments in early childhood services, a host of experts that includes business CEOs, Federal Reserve analysts, and Nobel Prize-winning economists has called for greater public spending on early childhood programs. Programs evaluated according to these economic concepts show, for example, that increased investment in early childhood results in government savings by leading to less need for social services later in life and increased earnings by individuals - which in turn leads to greater tax revenue for the government. The Economics of Early Childhood: What the Dismal Science Has to Say About Investing in Children aims to serve as a primer for policy-makers in the use of cost/benefits/rate-of-return analysis in making early childhood policy.
http://rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/OP227/

Potential Community Partners and Locations for Parent Outreach Activities in Diverse Communities

Potential Community Partners and Locations for Parent Outreach Activities in Diverse Communities: The National Parent Center Network (PACER) has published three handouts for professionals, including this brief, which can be downloaded here: http://www.pacer.org/parent/php/PHP-c133.pdf

This information sheet contains a list of all community organizations that may collaborate in an effort to reach parents from diverse communities in the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota area.

States Differ Widely in Child Care Use by Low-Income Families

States Differ Widely in Child Care Use by Low-Income Families: Many low-income parents need child care in order to work -- yet their children are less likely to participate in non-parental child care than children from higher income families, according to a new Child Trends research brief.

Child Care Use by Low-Income Families: Variations Across States http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2008_07_02_RB_ChildCareLowIncome.pdf includes state-by-state data on the use of non-parental child care for children ages 0-4 among low-income families.
The brief also describes differences in the types of child care used, and parents' experiences with child care problems that interfere with their work schedules across states.

Nationally, 53 percent of children ages 0-4 living in a low-income family were in non-parental care. However, the use of child care by low-income families varies greatly across the states, from 38 percent of
0-4 year-olds in Nevada, to 76 percent in Louisiana.

* Among children in any type of child care arrangement, low-income
children were more likely to be in a home-based arrangement rather than a center-based arrangement.
* Lower rates of child care participation among low-income
children (38 to 50 percent) occurred in states primarily located in the western and north central regions of the country.
* Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South
Dakota, Vermont and the District of Columbia had the highest child care participation rates among low-income children (from 64 to 76 percent).

The brief, which is based on data from the National Survey of Children's Health, concludes with a discussion of possible reasons for these patterns across states.

Designing Quality Rating Systems Inclusive of Infants and Toddlers: The National Infant and Toddler Child Care Initiative at ZERO TO THREE

Designing Quality Rating Systems Inclusive of Infants and Toddlers: The National Infant and Toddler Child Care Initiative at ZERO TO THREE has released new information on the design of Quality Rating Systems in states. Quality Rating Systems are being implemented in States, Tribes and Territories to establish a means to both define and promote quality in child care settings. Given the developmental needs of very young children, this new document offers suggestions for the intentional inclusion of quality indicators for infants and toddlers within Quality Rating Systems.

http://nccic.org/itcc/publications/qrsdesignelements.htm

Recorded Web Conference: Collaborations to Promote Early Childhood Education and Child Care

The September 9 Chapin Hall Center for Children web conference, Governing for Children and Families, discussed innovative practices and policies aimed at improving access to and the quality of early childhood education and child care. Chapin Hall research fellow Robert Goerge described how data is used in Chicago to monitor early childhood programs. Other panelists addressed state-level efforts to coordinate services for young children, with a particular focus on work being done in Pennsylvania.

To watch the web conference and download related materials visit the Chapin Hall website at http://www.about.chapinhall.org/conferences/governing/sep2008/presentations.html.

Northeast Region Endorses Broderick By Acclamation

By Robert Rader, Executive Director, CABE and
Patrice McCarthy, Deputy Director and General Counsel, CABE

At its 2008 meeting, NSBA’s Northeast Region endorsed NSBA Northeast Regional Director and CABE Past President Mary Broderick for NSBA Secretary-Treasurer by acclamation. The initial motion, made by CABE President Cal Heminway, was seconded by Pennsylvania and Massachusetts and several other states. The vote took place at the Business Meeting at the end of the Annual Conference.
In addition, Heminway was selected by the Region to be a member of NSBA’s national Nominating Committee. He will be representing the Northeast Region.
In response to her endorsement, Broderick stated that she “was touched by the warm response of the Northeast Region to my candidacy. I look forward to helping NSBA strengthen its commitment to raising student achievement and ensuring that all of our nation’s schools provide the highest quality education possible so they enhance opportunities for all of our children.”
Chair of the National Black Caucus of School Board Members and President of the New Haven Board of Education Brian Perkins was the keynote speaker at the conference, relating his work on school climate to the need for equity in our schools.
At the meetings that took place beforehand Heminway, Past President Robert Hale, Vice President for Government Relations Don Blevins, Executive Director Robert Rader and Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel Patrice McCarthy participated in discussions concerning the needs of Connecticut and the country in providing globally competitive education to our students.
Besides the required paperwork, the next event in the campaign to become NSBA Secretary-Treasurer is for Broderick to be interviewed before the national Nominating Committee. This will happen prior to NSBA’s Leadership and Federal Relations Network Conferences. Gaining the endorsement of this committee would be extremely helpful to her candidacy.
The actual vote for the position will take place at the Delegate Assembly in April.