Early Education Clips for Week of September 29 – October 3
Here’s a sampling of early childhood education in the news this week:
TOP STORY
North Carolina Early Ed Poll Numbers Help Make the Case for Action Following the release of the FFYF bipartisan state poll of North Carolina voters last week, the results were cited in two opinion pieces that ran in the state this week.
In an op-ed for the Triangle-area News & Observer, two state business leaders issued a call to action, “North Carolinians see the importance of early childhood education and know that now is the time to invest. Too many children are waiting to get a strong start in life – and that’s costly to them and all of us. When we look at these numbers, we see opportunity. It’s up to all of us to seize it.”
The Rocky Mount Telegram published an editorial pointing to the new poll numbers as a reason for legislators to take action and that expanding access to North Carolina’s Smart Start and pre-K programs should be “a priority.”
Read More:
North Carolinians Ready to Give Children a Strong Start – The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC)
Early Education Wins Voter Support – The Rocky Mount Telegram
OTHER NATIONAL NEWS
How Congress Can Make Child Care More Affordable for Middle Class Families Katie Hamm, Director of Early Childhood Policy at the Center for American Progress outlines some concrete steps Congress can take to help make high-quality child care available and affordable for all families. Read more at Roll Call.
Making Pre-K Part of a Comprehensive Pro-Child National Strategy Tim Bastic of the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research and Elaine Weiss of Broader, Bolder Approach to Education walk through some questions lawmakers may struggle with as they consider increasing investments in pre-K programs. Read more at Huffington Post.
U.S. Needs More Male Pre-K Teachers Just one out of every 50 early childhood education teachers is a man. NPR reporter Matt Collette discovered this striking imbalance while covering the roll-out of universal pre-K in New York City this fall. He interviewed preschool teacher Glenn Peters about his job and the importance of early education programs. Read more at Esquire.
FROM THE STATES
COLORADO: Secretary Duncan, Denver Mayor Say Pre-K is Working In a joint op-ed, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Mayor Michael Hancock tout the benefits of the Denver Preschool Program (DPP). Follow-up studies of children in kindergarten, first, second and third grades show that children who participated in DPP perform better in reading and math than students who did not attend the program. Denver has one of the highest preschool enrollment rates in the nation. Read More.
INDIANA: Editorial Calls for Preschool Investments The South Bend Tribune added its voice to the support for Indiana’s new statewide preschool pilot program, set to launch next year. Read More.
PENNSYLVANIA: Retired Military Generals Back Pre-K for Pennsylvania Three retired Army generals launched the “Pre-K for PA” campaign at King’s College this week. The generals cited Pentagon data showing that almost 75 percent of young Pennsylvanians are not eligible to serve in the military because they lack the education skills they need, have a criminal record or are physically unfit. For today’s highly-skilled military, quality education needs to start in the early years, the generals said. Read More.
IOWA: Greater Demand for Fully-Qualified Preschool Teachers Preschool teachers in school districts participating in Iowa’s Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program must have a bachelor’s degree in education and an early childhood endorsement. Districts, local colleges and the Iowa Department of Education are working with potential preschool teachers to help them obtain the necessary certifications. Read More.
TEXAS: Preschool a Priority for School Districts A study released by Houston advocacy group Children At Risk found that despite massive education cuts, Texas school districts are making pre-K programs a priority. The programs are either funded by the districts themselves or through local partnerships. After the results of the study were announced, Dallas Superintendent Mike Miles called for a $45 million increase in early education funding for the district by 2020. Read More.