Here’s a sampling of early childhood education news for the the week of July 14-18:
TOP STORY
Results of Nonpartisan Poll Show Overwhelming Majority of Voters Support Strong Investments in Early Childhood Education. On Thursday, July 17th, FFYF released the results of a new nonpartisan poll showing that 71 percent of voters – including 60 percent of Republicans – support greater federal investments in early childhood education. FFYF Executive Director Kris Perry was joined at the National Press Club by Jim Messina, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff and 2012 Obama presidential Campaign Manager, and Kevin Madden, Senior Advisor to Gov. Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.
For legislators on Capitol Hill, the new poll unveils that over two-thirds of voters want Congress and the Obama Administration to make early childhood education a top legislative priority, with the issue ranking as the second highest priority of voters. And voters in both parties want action now – more than three-quarters of Americans want their leaders to act this year or next.
Read More:
Poll: 70 percent of voters support federal preschool expansion– Washington Post
Preschool Support Could Help GOP Win Votes – US News and World Report
The looming political game changers– Daily Beast/Newsweek
Democratic, Republican Voters Want More Preschool, And They Want It Now – Huffington Post
OTHER NATIONAL NEWS
Early Education Must Be Key Part of Elementary Schools According to New Report The non-partisan New America Foundation released a report on Wednesday calling for more investments in quality pre-school to improve teaching and learning in the early years. Read more at the Washington Post and check out the report here.
Four Year Olds in the United States Are Less Likely to Be in School than Four Year Olds in Mexico While three-quarters of American 4-year olds are enrolled in some kind of educational program, the United States ranks 25th out of 38 wealthy and developing nations in pre-school enrollment. The US is behind Mexico, France and Portugal among others. The Organization for Economic and Community Development released a map comparing Pre-K enrollment around the world. Read More and view the map at vox.com.
FROM THE STATES
OHIO: Bipartisan Preschool Expansion GOP Governor John Kasich and Democratic Mayor of Columbus Michael B. Coleman joined forces to announce an expansion of preschool opportunities for children in Columbus.
NEBRASKA: State Begins New Early Childhood Education Quality Rating System The State of Nebraska has launched a new quality ratings system for child care facilities and early childhood education programs. Parents and the public will have access to the ratings by 2017. Read More.
NEW YORK: Mayor de Blasio, City Officials and Volunteers Push Pre-K Registration New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio joined city leaders and more than 100 volunteers at beauty salons and barber shops in all five boroughs to encourage parents to enroll their kids in Pre-K. Universal Pre-K is one of Mayor de Blasio’s signature initiatives and the City is working to expand available preschool slots. Read More.
CALIFORNIA: Former Director of California Department of Health Promotes Home Visits for Newborns Citing high infant death rates among low-income families, pediatrician Mark Horton, former Director of the California Department of Health advocates for an expansion of home visits by nurses to mothers and infants at risk. Dr. Horton calls for the passage of Senate Bill 593 to fund a significant expansion of the states’ First 5 program. Read More.
MICHIGAN: Expand the Nurse-Family Partnership to Reverse Detroit’s Staggering Maternal Death Rate Recent reports show Detroit’s maternal death rate is higher than any other major American city (as well as some developing nations). Katie Moriarty, Director of the Nurse-Family Partnership in Detroit calls for making the program more accessible to save the lives of women in Detroit and support health infant development. Read More.