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Quality Does Make a Difference

• A new analysis of data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) concludes that low-income children's participation in high-quality early care and education (ECE) programs – between birth and age five – is associated with higher math and reading scores at fifth grade. Interestingly, for math achievement, this trend is observed even for children from families earning about 300 percent of the federal poverty threshold. The research also concluded that the more quality programs low-income children attend before age five, the closer their achievement comes to that of their more affluent peers. The article is accessible using a two-step process (this sets a required session cookie which is deleted when you exit their website). First open the Wiley homepage by clicking here; http://www3.interscience.wiley.com Leave the website open and then click here: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122597261/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
• In New Jersey, NIEER researchers have tracked more than 650 children through second grade, some of whom participated in a high-quality pre-k program for one or two years while others did not. The study suggests that children who attended high-quality pre-k retained an advantage through second grade in math, comprehension and vocabulary skills. Additionally, children who enrolled in pre-k for two years did significantly better than those who only participated for one year. Read more at http://nieer.org/pdf/apples_second_grade_results.pdf
• NIEER recently released findings from its third study of the New Mexico Pre-Kindergarten Initiative. Consistent with previous studies conducted during the program's first two years of operation, the current analysis found that children who attended state pre-k in the 2007-08 school year made significantly larger gains in early math and literacy skills than their peers who had not participated in the program. These results show that as New Mexico's pre-k program doubled in size between 2005 and 2008, it maintained its effectiveness. Read more at http://nieer.org/pdf/NewMexicoRDD0909.pdf

Study Shows Impact of Early Education on School Success

A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics offers more proof that early care and education experiences are a critical part of future school success.
Findings showed:

• Children who participated in regular early care and education arrangements the year prior to kindergarten scored higher on the reading and mathematics assessments than children who had no regular experience in early care and education the year prior to entering kindergarten.
• Children who participated in regular early care and education arrangements the year prior to kindergarten scored higher on the fine motor skill assessments than children who had no regular early care and education the year prior to entering kindergarten.
• About four out of five (83.2 percent) participated in a regular non-parental early care and education arrangement the year before kindergarten.

Resources on Autism Spectrum Disorders

The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders has posted a number of resources for the public on their Web site, including: (1) Evidence-Based Practices for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders; (2) Autism Internet Modules; and (3) Foundations of Autism Spectrum Disorders Online Course content. To learn more, go to http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~autismPDC/resources/resources_public_ebp.cfm

The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders is a multi-university center, funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs to promote the use of evidence-based practices for children and youth with autism spectrum disorders. Information on becoming a state partner is available at http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~autismPDC/training/index.cfm

Source: National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders - Retrieved October 22, 2009; NECTAC eNotes October 23, 2009

Resource Brief on Home Visiting

Home visitation programs offer family-centered services to pregnant mothers and families with infants and young children. A new resource brief from the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Library at Georgetown University contains a collection of resources about home visitation programs, including: an overview of the home visitation component of the president's FY 2010 budget proposal; testimonies and policy statements; research findings; state and local program guidelines; documents on program development, core competencies, supervision, and evaluation; curricula and training; and Webinars. Home Visiting: Resource Brief (2009) is available at http://mchlibrary.info/guides/homevisiting.html

Source: MCH Alert - July 31, 2009; NECTAC eNotes August 13, 2009

Resource for Evaluating Advocacy Efforts

This tool was developed by the Harvard Family Research Project for advocates, evaluators, and funders who want guidance on how to evaluate advocacy and policy change efforts. The User's Guide to Advocacy Evaluation Planning takes you through four basic steps that generate the core elements of an advocacy evaluation plan, including what will be measured and how.

This tool will help you:

• Identify how the evaluation will be used and who will use it to ensure the evaluation delivers the right kind of information when it is needed.
• Map the strategy being evaluated to illustrate how activities lead to policy-related outcomes.
• Prioritize the components that are most essential for the evaluation to make sure the evaluation is resource-efficient and manageable.
• Identify measures and methods that signal whether advocacy strategy elements have been successfully implemented or achieved.

Tools for Advancing an Early Childhood Agenda for the Latino Community

Young Latino children face many challenges in accessing high-quality early care and education programs. A new toolkit from the National Council of La Raza, New Leaders, New Directions: Tools for Advancing an Early Childhood Agenda for the Latino Community (2009), is designed to help early childhood education leaders develop effective strategies to ensure educational success for Latino children and young dual language learners. It is available online at http://www.nclr.org/content/publications/detail/58483/

Source: National Council of La Raza - Retrieved August 12, 2009; NECTAC eNotes August 13, 2009

Promoting Effective Preschool Programs

The RAND Corporation has published a new policy brief, entitled Promoting Effective Preschool Programs, which examines existing research on federal and state level early childhood education programs. The authors find gaps in both access and quality. Recommendations for federal policy to improve preschool education services are provided. The brief is available online at http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/2009/RAND_RB9427.pdf

Source: RAND Corporation; NECTAC eNotes, August 24, 2009

Research Synthesis on Infant Mental Health and Early Care and Education Providers

The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) recently published a research synthesis, entitled Infant Mental Health and Early Care and Education Providers (n.d.), to answer frequently asked questions that early childhood providers have about Infant Mental Health (IMH), early social and emotional development, and the IMH system. It is available online at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/pdf/rs_infant_mental_health.pdf

Source: Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning - August 6, 2009; NECTAC eNotes, August 13, 2009

Guide to Early Language and Emergent Literacy Instruction

Donna Bell and Laura Westberg of the National Center for Family Literacy have recently completed What Works: An Introductory Guide for Early Language and Emergent Literacy Instruction. Based on the work reported in Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel, this guide describes ways teachers can use the research effectively for early childhood instruction, assessment, choosing curriculum, and helping parents better support their young children’s language and literacy learning.

Download a free copy at http://www.famlit.org/pdf/what-works.pdf

PreK-3rd: What is the Price Tag?

In a time of great fiscal constraints, policymakers and educators are focusing not only on raising student achievement, but also on making more strategic use of the available funds. One result is that school districts are implementing PreK-3rd approaches that link high-quality PreK programs with high-quality K-3 grades with promising student outcomes. A series of publications from the Foundation for Child Development has recently produced a series of resources on PreK–3rd integration.

• The Case for Investing in PreK-3rd Education: Challenging the Myths about School Reform
• PreK-3rd: What is the Price Tag?
• An Evidence-Based Approach to Estimating the National and State Costs of PreK-3rd
• An Evidence Based Approach to Estimating the National and State-by-State Costs of an Integrated PreK-3rd Education Program (Full Report)

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