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Successfully Supporting All Children in Early Education Programs

The New York Developmental Disabilities Planning Council sought articles from the field to showcase promising practices, strategies and approaches used by providers to support the inclusion of children with developmental disabilities in early care and education programs. This publication is the result, and it includes many and different examples (e.g., inclusion in neighborhood nursery schools, integrated toddler play group).
Download at http://ddpc.state.ny.us/publications/childcare_education/child_care_pub_final.pdf

Neuroscience Updates

The Timing and Quality of Early Experiences Combine to Shape Brain Architecture

A new working paper from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (NSCDC) summarizes the most recent scientific advances in understanding the importance of sensitive periods on brain development, and the implications of those findings for policy. A pre-publication copy is available online at http://www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/Timing_Quality_Early_Experiences.pdf

New Science Briefs from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child

The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child has released the several new summaries of recent studies in developmental and behavioral science. The most recent ones include:

• How Early Child Care Affects Later Development
• How Gene-Environment Interaction Affects Children’s Anxious and Fearful Behavior

Children’s Active Participation in Reading and Storytelling Can Enhance Early Literacy Learning

A new CELLnote from the Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) entitled Children’s Active Participation in Reading and Storytelling Can Enhance Early Literacy Learning by Carol Trivette and Carl Dunst is now available online at http://www.earlyliteracylearning.org/cellpapers/cellnotes_v1_n2.pdf.

CELLnotes are non-technical, user-friendly summaries of practice-based research syntheses.

Report on Assessing and Improving Early Childhood Learning and Program Quality

Taking Stock: Assessing and Improving Early Childhood Learning and Program Quality is a report of the National Early Childhood Accountability Task Force, a distinguished panel of experts and state officials, funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, the Foundation for Child Development, and the Joyce Foundation. Based on their core recommendations (e.g., develop a unified system of early childhood education), the Task Force designed four approaches that states can use to collect data and report on program performance and child learning. Over the next eighteen months, the Council of Chief State School Officers, with funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts, will use the Task Force's findings to help states document and strengthen preschool program performance.

You can obtain a copy of the report at: http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/Pre-k_education/task_force_report1.pdf

Tangible Steps Toward Tomorrow: New Designs for Early Education, Ages 0-8

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) has recently announced a new publication entitled, Tangible Steps Toward Tomorrow; New Designs for Early Education, Ages 0-8, which provides a set of ideas or "thought-starters" on transforming early education in ways that are culturally and community-responsive. Challenges and strategies are offered to support families, teachers and schools. It is available at http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=101&CID=168&CatID=168&ItemID=5000407&NID=20&LanguageID=0

Guidance in Choosing Developmental Screening Instruments

The Commonwealth Fund has released a new manual entitled Pediatric Developmental Screening: Understanding and Selecting Screening Instruments, by Dennis Drotar, Terry Stancin, and Paul Dworkin. It is based on a comprehensive review of scientific research and is meant to assist providers in selecting and using screening instruments that are appropriate for their practice settings. It is available online at http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=614864

Challenging Common Myths About Young English Language Learners

A new policy brief entitled Challenging Common Myths About Young English Language Learners, by Linda Espinosa challenges six common myths about young children who are learning English as their second language. Research evidence from a variety of disciplines is presented. This resource from the Foundation for Child Development is available online at http://www.fcd-us.org/resources/resources_show.htm?doc_id=669789

Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers

ZERO TO THREE has released its much anticipated guidelines: Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers: Recommendations to States as a road map for states to use as they develop policies and programs for babies and toddlers. The report promotes the building of a strong foundation for child development and for future learning through care that is responsive, appropriate, and high quality in order to enhance a young child’s earliest experiences. In addition, the report offers recommendations and examples to states as they embark on an inclusive process to develop or refine research-based early learning guidelines for infants and toddlers.

On February 28th, 2008, ZERO TO THREE conducted a Webinar, moderated by Sam Meisels with comments from Joan Lombardi, based on this report and a report by Catherine Scott-Little and others related to content analysis of infant toddler early learning guidelines. An audio recording of the Webinar and the accompanying PowerPoints are available at http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pub_webinars

To order a single hard copy of this resource, contact Kimberly Lagomarsino at klagomarsino@zerotothree.org

NAEYC’s New Draft on Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)

In 2006 NAEYC’s Governing Board appointed a working group to advise staff on the preparation of a revision of the current NAEYC Position Statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice (adopted July 1996). Like all NAEYC position statements, the revised statement must go to the Governing Board for approval.

NAEYC is now seeking feedback on this draft revision from anyone who would like to offer their comments. The draft will remain posted until March 28, 2008, and comments received by that date will be considered.

To review the Draft, go to http://www.naeyc.org/about/positions/pdf/draftdap0208.pdf

To submit feedback about the Draft, go to http://www.naeyc.org/about/positions/draftdap0208_form.asp

New Compendium Describes Measures of Quality in Early Care and Education Settings

Quality in early childhood care and education settings: A compendium of measures, from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, reviews measures of the quality of early care and education settings to provide comparable information on existing measures that may be useful to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. Profiles describe the purpose of the measure; the population and setting for which they are intended; procedures for administration; psychometric properties; as well as underlying constructs and scoring. View the document at http://www.researchconnections.org/SendPdf?resourceId=13403

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