Weekly Digest: March 19, 2009

The Early Childhood Alliance Launches a New Website!

The Alliance has a new website that can be found at http://www.earlychildhoodalliance.com/. It features ways for the public to get involved with ECE advocacy, local stories and the latest ECE news from around the country, an ECE calendar of events, ECE talking points, and other resources.

Resources for Understanding How Title I Funds Can Be Used for ECE

The following three resources provide information on how Title I funds can be used for early childhood education and how to advocate for them.  

•The Education Department ARRA page on estimated Title I allocations to LEAs can be found at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/titlei/fy09recovery/index.html  This page contains tables, organized by state, which show preliminary local educational agency (LEA) allocations under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

• A press release from Montgomery County Public Schools entitled, Federal Stimulus Funds To Improve Services for Students, Title I Schools can be found at http://preknow.org/documents/MCPS_Title_I_Press_Release_Feb_24_09.pdf and a related report entitled, Impact of Full-day Prekindergarten Program on Student Academic Performance can be found at http://preknow.org/documents/MCPS_Full_day_Head_Start_study.pdf  These resources offer ideas for how to reach out to diverse audiences and provide an example of how one district used the funds.

• A Center for Law and Social Policy presentation, entitled The Potential for Title I for High Quality Preschool can be found at http://preknow.org/documents/CLASP_on_Title_I_and_prek.pdf and a related policy paper Title I and Early Childhood Programs: A look at Investments in the NCLB Era can be found at http://preknow.org/documents/CLASP_brief_on_Title_I.pdf  These documents provide information on how Title I funds can be used for early childhood education. 

FREE TICKETS FOR EVENT on Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome

The Children's Trust Fund is hosting "Ending the Tragedy on Shaken Baby Syndrome - Working Together, Preventing the Tragedy" on Thursday April 16, 2009 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum 600 Main Street Hartford.  The event is intended to help raise awareness on how to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome.  Complimentary tickets and scholarships are available to staff and volunteers at private non-profit and public organizations, parents and students.

To obtain these tickets just write "complimentary or scholarship" when you register for the event.  Tickets are limited, so register today!

The forum will feature a panel of experts and parents who have lost a child to shaken baby syndrome, including:

U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT),Chairman, Subcommittee on Children and Families, U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and a strong advocate for Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention, will provide insight into what can be done by policymakers, health care and community service providers to prevent this tragedy from claiming even one more life.

Dr. Mark Dias, expert in efforts to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome, neurosurgeon and professor at Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Ron Barr, international scholar and author of the prevention program Period of Purple Crying

Debbie Eappen, mother of a son lost to Shaken Baby Syndrome and ophthalmologist

Darryl Gibbs, father of a daughter lost to Shaken Baby Syndrome and national parent advocate 

Introductions by Marilyn Barr, founder and executive director, National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome

Moderated by Anita Ford Saunders, principal of AFS Communications and host on CPTV

To register, visit http://www.cvent.com Click on the "RSVP for Event" tab at the top of the page.  Enter the code: 62NQ724W5ZW.  Click on "register" and enter information requested.  Rember to write "complimentary or scholarship" when you register for the event.

For information, call 860-418-8763.  Parking is included.