Early Education Clips for Week of September 14-19
Here’s a sampling of early childhood education in the news this week:
TOP STORY
Home Visiting Programs Helping to Improve Literacy The Wall Street Journal examined the work of the Parent-Child Home Program, which received a $175,000 grant from New York City earlier this summer. The article features the benefits of home visiting programs for 2 and 3-year olds and their families. FFYF Executive Director Kris Perry is quoted on the importance of literacy programs for at-risk children.
Read More: Literacy Effort Pushes Parents to Start Sooner – The Wall Street Journal.
OTHER NATIONAL NEWS
House Votes to Reauthorize Child Care and Development Block Grant Republican and Democratic leaders announced an agreement on legislation to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG).On Tuesday, the House approved the measure on a voice vote. It is expected to pass the Senate soon. There is still much work to be done toward a comprehensive expansion of early learning opportunities, but this is a solid, bipartisan bill that moves us in the right direction. Read More at Politico and New Republic.
Majority of States to Seek New Preschool Development Grants Thirty-one states and Puerto Rico have filed a formal “Intent to Apply” with the U.S. Department of Education for the Administration’s new Preschool Development Grants. States can still apply for the funds by the October 14, 2014 deadline, even if they have not informed the Department of their intent. Read More at Education Week.
Early Childhood Education and Intervention are the Key to Breaking American Cycle of Poverty In a New York Times Sunday Review column, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn make the case for policies that reach children at the very early years of their lives and work with parents to strengthen their support and skills. These interventions, the authors argue, gives families and our country the best chance to break the cycle of poverty. Read More at The New York Times.
Childcare Providers are the Glue of Many Communities Marketplace examines the role home-based childcare providers play in communities and the support they give to working families. Read More at Marketplace.
FROM THE STATES
INDIANA: Top Indianapolis Business Leaders Call for Preschool Investments The top executives of eleven major employers in Central Indiana penned an op-ed in the Indianapolis Star expressing support for the expansion of the City’s preschool program. The plan has the backing of Republican Mayor Greg Ballard and the Democratic City Council. Read More.
LOUISIANA: Additional Funds Needed to Implement New Pre-K System With the Louisiana Early Childhood Education Act poised to take full effect in August 2015, State Superintendent John White says additional funds are necessary to implement the key goals of the law. Read More.
TEXAS: State Will Seek Preschool Development Grant Despite the state’s record of opting-out of other federal education programs like Common Core and Race to the Top, Texas has announced its intent to apply for a federal Preschool Development Grant. Read More.
MISSISSIPPI: Federal Grant Could Expand State’s Pre-K Program The Mississippi Department of Education hopes to expand the state’s small pre-K program with a federal Preschool Development Grant. Read More.