Reading, Writing and Hungry

A new report by the Partnership for America's Economic Success highlights the importance of food security and nutrition for early learning; Reading, Writing and Hungry: the consequences of food insecurity on children, and on our nation's economic success.

From the summary:

Food insecurity during a child’s earliest years can cause potentially significant physical, mental and psychological damage to the individual. Furthermore, the impact on the successful healthy development of these children has long-lasting negative implications for the national economy. Food insecurity imposes indirect costs in a variety of ways. For example:

• Food insecurity increases the likelihood that a child will be judged to need special educational services; children who are not only food insecure but are classified as hungry are twice as likely as those who are not hungry to be receiving special education services. By the third grade, children who were food insecure in kindergarten experienced a 13 percent drop in their baseline reading and math test scores, compared to their food-secure peers.
• Children whose families experienced food insecurity while the child was a toddler are 3.4 times more likely to be obese at age 4 ½, which itself carries a number of costly health outcomes.
• Food insecurity impairs proper physical growth and development in young children and creates pathways for poor health. Poor health limits children’s ability to grow and learn, thus reducing adult earnings and increasing adult health costs.

Research shows that prevention is cost-effective and federal nutrition programs that mitigate early childhood food insecurity, such as WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) and the Food Stamp Program, offer far greater returns than many remedial programs. For example, WIC saves between $1.77 and $3.13 in Medicaid costs for each dollar spent, and every five dollars of food stamps benefits creates nearly double that amount in local economic activity. Investment in alleviating early childhood food insecurity helps family budgets today, and it is one important factor in creating the workforce we need for the future.

Check out the brief and learn more at www.PartnershipforSuccess.org.

Have a wonderful holiday and a fantastic new year!

Other media reaction to the Minnesota budget deficit

A variety of media outlets are commenting on the newly announced $5.2 billion deficit between now and the end of 2011 (not counting inflation). A few to note:

Dane Smith, president of Growth and Justice, wrote an editorial for the StarTribune: Three fundamental facts for Minnesota, where he questions the notion that small government is best for our economic woes.

The StarTribune also had an editorial, State shouldn't spurn federal aid, criticizes Governor Pawlenty for recent comments indicating unwillingness to take federal money to help the deficit and quotes an economic adviser to John McCain that “extending unemployment insurance benefits, food stamps and aid to state government would be the most effective spurs to economic growth.”

Minnesota Budget Bites is a great resource for understanding the logic behind the deficit numbers.

Long story short, this deficit cannot be fixed by the shell-games of the past. This is a long-term problem that requires a long-term solution. While it is important to examine all options, why not strategically spend in areas what will actually save money down the road? Early care and education is critical to building the foundation for our future.

Ready 4 K Comments on State Budget

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ready 4 K says during poor economy it is the wrong time to dump state’s ‘best earning stock’ – early childhood care and education

St. Paul – With the state facing a major budget shortfall, the governor and legislative leaders have indicated that every spending area is on the table for cuts as they look to solve the state’s budget shortfall. But Ready 4 K President Todd Otis urged state leaders to use a ‘scalpel’ rather than a ‘meat cleaver’ as they move through the budget process.

“A bad economy is exactly the wrong time to dump the best earning stock in your portfolio. If the Governor and legislators want to get Minnesota on the right track, they should continue investing in high quality early childhood education and care.”

Research by economists has shown that the public return on strategic investment in quality early childhood education and care can return up to $12 for every $1 invested. This research also demonstrates that at-risk children who participate in high quality early learning are more likely to graduate from high school, earn higher wages as adults, and are less likely to need remedial education, use public assistance or be involved in crime.

“Minnesotans know the incredible return on investment they receive by investing in quality early care and education, and if there’s one budget area that should be off limits for cuts, it should be early care and education,” Otis continued.

The state faced an over $5 billion deficit in the 2003-04 biennium. Despite accounting for merely one percent of the state budget then, early childhood care and education was cut by sixteen percent. Funding for children in the early childhood area still has not fully recovered from those cuts.

Ready 4 K is a non-partisan non-profit organization, building the foundation for our future through quality early care and education. More information on Ready for K is available at www.ready4k.org.

The challenge of assessing early learning

As news of a down-turning economy continues to fill the media, early childhood has been brought forward as a solid, long term investment. This has been a key point for Ready 4 K as we move forward in Minnesota to ensure that every child starts kindergarten, supported, encouraged and fully prepared for learning success. Ready 4 K board member Art Rolnick has gained national attention for framing increasing access to quality early care and education as an economic investment.

Like any investment, we need to be sure it is generating the returns we expect. It's a complicated question to answer. Early learning is, of course, about bright, creative and unique individual children, not stock options or 401(k)s. One tool that is used in Minnesota is the Minnesota Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. (View a previous post to learn more about the Assessment and the most recent result.)

Currently, the Assessment is done with only a representative sample of children in Minnesota. Expanding the Assessment for all children has been part of Ready 4 K's legislative agenda in recent years and is still part of a larger vision for creating an early childhood system that supports all children and families.

Minnesota 2020, a nonpartisan think tank, has recently published an article on Assessing an Early Investment. Ready 4 K President Todd Otis and Early Childhood Systems Specialist Zoe Nicholie have much to say in the article about the Assessment and how it should be used.

Creators and supporters of the assessment remain vocal that it should not be viewed as a test.

Todd Otis, President of Ready 4 K, an organization that promotes school readiness initiatives in the state, phrased it this way, "Instead of thinking of it like the SATs, think of it like a check up with your doctor."

Trained teachers observe children's behavior as they participate in regular activities, rather than administer an actual test. The assessment's purpose is to review overall progress, not create specific skill mandates that define passing or failing grades. The MDE is not saying that by the time a child enters kindergarten he/she must be able to recite the alphabet, tie his/her shoe and solve basic arithmetic problems. Instead, the assessment outlines a range of behaviors and skills that demonstrate progress in a variety of areas deemed important for later success.

...........

Otis and his colleague Zoe Nicholie of Ready 4 K warn against mutation of the assessment into a high stakes testing system. The logic of high stakes testing such as that mandated by NCLB is that schools should be held accountable for their test results, and by linking progress to funding levels schools will be more motivated to improve. One of the problems with this logic, however, is that it fails to account for the myriad of outside influences that impact young people's ability to learn and be successful. Health, parental involvement, and early education exposure are only a few of the factors that, according to Nicholie and Otis, influence a child's early development. If assessment results are directly tied to kindergarten or preschool funding, they ignore the complex web of influences shaping children's growth.

It's important that we know how are kids are doing so that we can create early learning opportunities that work best for them. It is also important for communities to understand how well their children are prepared so that the entire community can work together to ensure their success in school and in life.

What do you think? Share your thoughts on how to best determine the success of our early learning investment in the comments below.

photo by FrancoisRoche

Looking for something to do?

After all the excitement around the election (and then some time to digest all the results), it's time to begin looking ahead and answering the question, "Now what can I do to support young children and their families?" One important thing you can do it be in touch with your newly elected officials.

Write a letter or make a quick phone call to congratulate them, thank them for serving their community in this way and encourage them to make early childhood a top priority. Ready 4 K has a Guide for Policy Makers that outlines why early care and education is an important investment and what Minnesota needs to do about it.

You can find out the results of your local elections by visiting the Minnesota Secretary of State website. For the new members of the Minnesota House, there is a roster of the new membership. (To write a letter to a new House member, look up their name on the roster, use the room number listed and complete the address for the State Office Building in St Paul, MN. For example, Room xxx State Office Building, St Paul, MN 55155-1298. For newly elected members without room numbers, simply send your letter to the State Office Building.)

The most effective advocates are those who develop a personal relationship with their elected officials. It's never too early or too late to start building that relationship. It's important to keep open and respectful communication with our leaders. Remember, advocacy is a marathon and not a sprint. Keep it up and over time we will continue to see policies made that benefit our youngest citizens.

It's almost time!

The big day is fast approaching. That's right... election day 2008! Over the past couple of months, we've outlined the early childhood policy positions of the presidential candidates and encouraged you to get to know your own local candidates. But soon, all the talk will be over.

First, the most important thing is to vote on November 4. If you live in Minnesota and don't know where to vote, check out the polling place finder. If you want to know who will be on your ballot, the League of Women Voters has a tool to help you find out.

If you haven't registered yet, don't worry! In Minnesota we have same-day voter registration. You just need to go to your polling place on election day and provide proof of residence. Just just need to provide one of the following as proof (from the Secretary of State website):

• A valid Minnesota driver’s license, learner’s permit, Minnesota ID card, or receipt for any of these
• A valid student ID card including your photo, if your college has provided a student housing list to election officials
• A Tribal ID card that contains your picture and signature
• A valid registration in the same precinct under a different name or address
• A notice of late registration sent to you by your county auditor or city clerk
• A voter registered in the same precinct as you who can confirm your address with a signed oath
• An employee of the residential facility where you live who can confirm your address with a signed oath

Alternatively, you may provide both 1) a photo ID from the list below, and 2) a current bill with your current name and address in the precinct.

Photo IDs (may be expired)	Bills (delivered electronically or by mail)
Minnesota Driver's License Minnesota ID Card United States Passport United States Military ID Card Tribal ID Card Minnesota University, College, or Technical College ID Card	Utility bill due within 30 days of election day: Telephone (landline, cell, VOIP, etc.) TV (cable, satellite, etc.) Internet services Electric Gas Solid Waste Sewer Services Water Rent statement dated within 30 days of election day that itemizes utilities Current student fee statement

If you have problems getting to, registering or voting at the polls, call the non-partisan Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE.

Second, help us Get Out the Vote! Ready 4 K is part of the Election Day Community Coalition to do voter turn out in North Minneapolis. We will have three four-hour volunteer shifts from 8am-12pm, 12pm-4pm, and 4pm-8pm. Volunteer activities include phoning, door knocking, giving rides to the polls, and being poll watchers. No experience necessary. Contact Kat for more information.

This is such an exciting time for our community and our country. Join us in this historic occasion and VOTE!

photo by Vaguely Artistic via flickr

Early Childhood gains national attention

If you missed the final presidential debate, early childhood and education received attention in the final question. Here is the transcript of that portion of the debate.

Question: The question is this: the U.S. spends more per capita than any other country on education. Yet, by every international measurement, in math and science competence, from kindergarten through the 12th grade, we trail most of the countries of the world.

The implications of this are clearly obvious. Some even say it poses a threat to our national security.

Do you feel that way and what do you intend to do about it?




Question: Do you think the federal government should play a larger role in the schools? And I mean, more federal money?



The election is fast approaching. Check back soon for nonpartisan volunteer opportunities to Get out the Vote in Minnesota.

A picture of quality early childhood

Around Ready 4 K, we spend a lot of time talking about quality early care and education. One of our four principles is Promote Quality (the others are Support Parents, Increase Access, and Produce Results). Sometimes it's difficult for people who do not work with young children to envision what exactly does high quality early education look like. The following video by our friends at Pre-K Now demonstrates a high quality pre-k classroom and how it benefits all the kids who participate. Join us as we work to build the foundation for our future through quality early care and education.

Help set the Record!

Join Ready 4 K Thursday as we help the nationwide effort to “Read for the Record.”

Read for the Record, sponsored by Jumpstart, aims to bring attention to early care and education and increase awareness of the importance of reading.

Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren and Ready 4 K Executive Director Todd Otis will read “Corduroy” to children at New Horizon Academy (401 Robert Street, St. Paul) on Thursday, October 2^nd at 11:30am. “Read for the Record” will be trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records mark for the highest number of people reading the same book in a day.

"Having a regular story time with parents and children provides a fun and effective way to develop language skills in little children,” notes Otis. “Those language skills will lead to the ability to read, the single most important building block for later school success. That is why Ready 4 K supports ‘Read for the Record.’”

If you would like to join in and register your own efforts to "Read for the Record", visit www.readfortherecord.org.

Get to know your candidates

If you haven't noticed, election season is upon us. Now is a great time to engage your candidates and tell them to make early care and education a top priority. One way to get to know your candidates is to hold a candidate coffee. This informal gathering is a job interview for who you will hire to represent you. (We pay their salaries, so we're the bosses.) You can find out where the candidates stand on the issues that are important to you. It is also an excellent opportunity to educate candidates so that whoever is elected will start their job one day one knowing what is important to you.

A candidate coffee is simple. You can read our Holding a Candidate Coffee tips page in the Advocacy Resources section of our website.

Keep the group small and the setting casual. The goal is to have an open conversation, not a political speech. The group should be made up of constituents of the district. Candidates like to talk directly to the people they will be representing and it is the citizens of the district who will be making their choice.

In the last election cycle, I attended a candidate coffee in the home of one of our advocates. The advocate invited some of his neighbors who also had young children. About eight of us were there and we chatted ahead of time to figure out what questions we wanted to ask and what issues to discuss. We had treats and other refreshments to share. Candidates from both major parties were invited to come visit with the group at separate times. One candidate came first and the group talked with the him for about 45 minutes. The second candidate arrived and the group had a similar conversation with that candidate for about the same amount of time. Before each candidate left, the group provided information and materials on early care and education as well as their contact information in case the candidate had any additional questions.

The candidate coffee was interesting and informative for all who attended. We were able to hear directly from the candidates and move away from scripted speeches. The candidates were able to engage constituents and begin building relationships with early childhood advocates in their district.

View the Holding a Candidate Coffee page for more details on how the steps for setting up a candidate coffee and sample questions. If you would like to hold a candidate coffee in your Minnesota house district, contact Ready 4 K and we will work with you to set one up.

Stepping up for quality preschool

Recently, the Wall Street Journal printed an opinion piece by Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell titled Protect our Kids from Preschool. The article took the position that early childhood education is not a good investment and can even be harmful to children. There are a number of inaccuracies in the piece that are pointed out in responses by Early Ed Watch, NIEER, Pre-K Now and others in the Journal. It is disappointing that the nation’s premier financial journal would allow such inaccuracies to be printed and to negate the strong investment that is early care and education.

Steven Barnett of NIEER and David Kirp from UC Berkeley had a counter piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, The War Against Preschool. They offer a strong point and counterpoint to the Dalmia/Snell article.

In a time of economic downturn, investing in the first five years of children’s lives is the smartest thing that we can do. Economists and policy analysts including Art Rolnick and Robert Reich agree that early investments are a key strategy to shoring up our long-term economic standing. As the election season kicks into the highest gear, it’s time to remind our candidates that strong early investments are the first step for our future.

photo by merebearlandon

Hopping on that school bus: Kindergarten transitions

The state fair has begun and I think I saw some yellow leaves on some trees today. The start of school is right around the corner. This time of transition can be stressful for children and parents alike. For young children, starting kindergarten is a significant time of transition and change; new setting, new schedule, new classmates, new teachers, new expectations. It's a lot! There are some great resources online for kindergarten transition, such as Terrific Transitions. Even for younger children, starting preschool or a new child care setting is just as stressful. It's not too early to start thinking about kindergarten, even with your preschooler.

Some tips from Terrific Transitions:

The week before…

• Get the supplies requested by the school (book bag, crayons, glue, nap mat or towel, etc.)

• Label all personal items with your child’s name in permanent ink (clothing, lunch box, book bag, nap mat or towel, etc.)

• Discuss plans for drop-off and pick-up in detail with your child. (If possible, do a “practice run” prior to the first day.)

• Take to the school nurse or office any prescription medicine that must be administered during the day.

• Plan a separation routine. If possible, include your child’s teacher or carpool partner in the routine. Select a series of steps that you will take every day. (Child puts belongings away, parent describes what they will do after school and says goodbye, child goes to her teacher/drive/walking partner and greets them, parent leaves)

• Discuss any fears or questions your child might have. (What if I have to go to the bathroom? What if I forget where you are going to pick me up?)

The night before…

• Review a school-day routine with your child (bath time, bed time, wake time, schoolwork time, etc.) Try and keep a firm bedtime to ensure your child is well rested for the next school day.

• Put lunch money in an envelope with your child’s name and what it is for on the outside. Put the money in a safe place (book bag, secure pocket of tomorrow’s clothes, etc.)

• Help your child select their clothes for the first day. Make sure your child will be dressed appropriately for the weather and the school setting.

The first day…

• Wake up in plenty of time to prepare for school. You don’t want your child to feel rushed on this day. The calmer and more relaxed the morning is, the more comfortable your child will feel with the situation.

• Have your child eat breakfast at home or make sure that she has money and time for breakfast at school.

• Review the drop-off and pick-up procedures with your child.

• Make sure your child knows his full name, address, phone number, and the name and number of an emergency contact. If he does not know this, write it down and put it with his personal belongings.

• Arrive before school starts, but not so early that there is no supervision available.

• Leave your child promptly, with a positive attitude, after you have completed your planned separation routine.

At the end of the first day…

• Greet your child at the planned time and place.

􀂃Ask your child specific questions about her day. If you simply ask, “How was your day?” the response will likely be “Okay.” Instead, ask questions such as, “What was the best thing that happened today?” or “Tell me about some new friends you met today.” etc.

Also, early childhood programs in school districts also have information and resources specific for your district. Find your early childhood program here. In Minnesota, all children need to be screened before entering kindergarten. Schedule a time with your district's early childhood program for your child to be screened.

Good luck!

photo by kevindooley

In the news

It was a busy week for Parent Aware and the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation. Stories appeared in both the StarTribune and the Pioneer Press about the progress Parent Aware is making in helping to connect low income families to quality child care. A great editorial was also published in the StarTribune. The MELF was also highlighted in an article describing the economic investment needed for early care and education.

Expanding Parent Aware, a quality rating system for child care providers, to be state wide is a key piece of Ready 4 K's agenda of helping kids start kindergarten ready for learning success. Stay tuned as we head into the election season for questions to ask candidates on how they plan to get kids ready.

photo by pragmagraphr

Education -"The Biggest Issue"

In his most recent column, David Brooks from the New York Times outlines the biggest issue facing Americans this election season. No, it is not gas prices, foreclosures or even the war in Iraq. The biggest issue is what he calls the "skills slowdown", that most of the growth in the US has been the result of an investment in human capital through education. But since 1970, the United States has been loosing it's competitive edge when it comes to educating it's citizens.

Indeed, Growth and Justice predicts that Minnesota will soon not have enough college graduates to meet the economic demand and stay competitive. This is a problem not just for the under-educated individuals stuck in low-wage jobs, but for all of us. We will all be affected when there are not enough doctors, teachers or other professionals to go around.

Of course, all this starts with investing in early childhood. As Brooks writes,

...big gaps in educational attainment are present at age 5. Some children are bathed in an atmosphere that promotes human capital development and, increasingly, more are not. By 5, it is possible to predict, with depressing accuracy, who will complete high school and college and who won't.

That is why Ready 4 K is working to promote investments in early childhood care and education. We need to let our elected officials know that this continued under-funding is not acceptable. Will you join us in making early childhood a top priority?

How you can participate in the election process now!

The election season is starting to heat up. All candidates have filed for office and are ramping up their efforts to get out into their communities. Ready 4 K is planning several summer election activities including candidate forums, informal “candidate coffees”, and distributing early education information materials to candidates and voters.

To help you raise early childhood issues in your local elections, Ready 4 K has developed sample questions for candidates. Keep these questions close to you. When you see your candidates at public events or at your door, be sure to ask:

• What is your plan to increase the number of Minnesota children who enter kindergarten fully prepared for learning success?

• How will you help parents afford and access high quality early learning experiences for their children?

• What will you do to increase the quality of early care and education programs?

• How will you support parents in their role as their child’s first and most important teacher?

• What will you do to support the professionals who educate our youngest citizens?

In addition to plugging into Ready 4 K’s election activities, here are some more things you can do between now and Election Day on November 4^th:

• Register to vote. Go to: http://www.sos.state.mn.us/docs/voter_guide-2006.pdf

• Find out who is running for legislative office in your district: http://candidates.sos.state.mn.us/

• Send a postcard to candidates in your district with a message about making early care and education for young children a top priority

• Attend a candidate forum in your community and ask candidates about early care and education issues (use the sample questions above)

• Talk with candidates at community events about the need to invest in early care and education (again, use the sample questions)

• Volunteer for or donate to the candidate of your choice, and let them know you care about early care and education. (Spending a couple hours door-knocking with a candidate is a great way to bend their ear on early childhood issues.)

• Vote in the primary election on September 9^th for candidates who support investments in quality early learning

• Vote in the general election on November 4th for candidates who support investments in quality early learning

Contact Kat at Ready 4 K if you have any questions or would like to get involved!

photo by rollerboogie

New Pre-K bill moving forward

Keeping our eye on federal issues, a bill sponsored by Rep. Hirono (D-HI) is making it's way through Congress. The Providing Resources Early for Kids (PRE-K) Act of 2008 would provide $500 million a year for a grant program to states, tribes, and tribal organizations for improving state-funded pre-k programming.

States must provide a portion of matching funds and set aside 10% for children birth to age 3. The federal resources cannot replace any current funding for pre-k programming. The resources are to first be used to improve the quality of programs, providing such things as increasing the number of teachers with BA degrees in early childhood, improve child-teacher ratios, and increase the hours or days of classroom time.

The bill was approved two weeks ago by the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Our friends at NWLC have a nice summary.

In Minnesota, we do not have a state funded pre-k program. Three and four year olds may participate in School Readiness programs through the public schools. But these programs do not have the resources to meet standards such as the number of hours per week and weeks per year that most other pre-k programs have. According to Dr Arthur Reynolds form the U of MN, currently about 2% of Minnesota 4 year olds participate in School Readiness programs through their school districts.

A growing number of states are implementing pre-k programs and no two are exactly alike. See our chart of state pre-k programs. There are some ideas floating around the Minnesota legislature to implement a similar voluntary program in Minnesota. Stay in touch with Ready 4 K over the coming months and let us know what you think. How would a voluntary pre-k program best fit in Minnesota?

photo by Dazed81

Presidential Views on ECE

As Independence Day rolls closer, I'm naturally inclined to pay more attention to national politics--as if the presidential race this year won't draw millions of new people into the process anyway. It’s an exciting year to be paying attention too, as Sen. Barack Obama-D and Sen. John McCain-R offer stark differences for voters in their style, policy positions and backgrounds.
Of course, Ready 4 K is interested in what the senators have to say about early childhood issues. Let’s take a look at some snippets from their websites to see how they fare:

Obama outlines his plan for early childhood here, and offered some suggestions in a speech last fall. Obama’s website gives more details as well:

Expand Early Childhood Education: Research shows that half of low-income children start school up to two years behind their peers in preschool skills and that these early achievement gaps continue throughout elementary school. Obama has been a champion of early childhood education since his years in the Illinois legislature….Read more here.

Support Parents with Young Children: Barack Obama would expand programs like the successful Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers….Read more here.

Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: Barack Obama will reform the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit by making it refundable and allowing low-income families to receive up to a 50 percent credit for their child care expenses….Read more here.

McCain, on the other hand, sticks to broad generalities in most instances on his website. In the education section of his site, he focuses on the role of parents to choose their chidren's schools:

Public education should be defined as one in which our public support for a child's education follows that child into the school the parent chooses. The school is charged with the responsibility of educating the child, and must have the resources and management authority to deliver on that responsibility. They must also report to the parents and the public on their progress.

“Early childhood” is not mentioned on his website.

It is still early in the campaign and this is reflected not only in the candidates own words (or lack there of), but also in the fact that it’s difficult to find a good analysis and comparison of where Obama and McCain stand on the issue.

What do you think? Which candidate has the better approach to early childhood?

Looking for new ways to finance early care and education

A leader in the field, Louise Stoney from the Alliance on Early Childhood Finance has put forth a new model for thinking about state funding for early childhood programs. Stoney co-authored the paper, Smarter Reform: Moving Beyond Single Program Solutions to an Early Care and Education System and she has great ideas about how to integrate the pre-k movement with the early care and education system. Stoney's ideas have been influential for us at Ready 4 K over the past eight months or so. One key idea is creating a funding structure that integrates direct funding to programs with "portable" dollars that flow directly to families and that the dollars are tied directly to quality standards. We see this framework as a way to integrate the various ideas put forward by the Minnesota legislature. In 2007, the MN House supported investing in the current infrastructure of early learning programs and the Senate put forward creating Pre-K allowances (scholarships) for low-income families to afford high quality early learning.

The structure that Stoney proposes would create room for agreement between both the House and Senate and allow for each body to make the investments they desire.

Does this model make sense to you? What do you see as benefits or challenges with this kind of system?

Another way to encourage reading

As we saw in the ECIPs post on Language and Literacy development, it's important to encourage early literacy with preschool aged children. The more exposure children have to books and reading, the better.

I came across this article about using therapy dogs as reading companions. Children practice by reading aloud to the dog (under supervision of the trainer). This low-stress environment and forgiving audience as well as the physical contact with the dog help boost the child's reading confidence. The children also learn compassion and basic pet-care.

Now, it is not expected that every 3 or 4 year old be able to read aloud fluently. But just pretending to read a story aloud to another person/pet/stuffed animal is excellent early literacy practice. The more children learn to read for pleasure, the greater the likelihood that they will read above grade level and eventually become life-long readers.

What do you think?

photo by acpl

Link love: new parenting site

If you haven’t come across it yet, a new website for Minnesota parents launched recently: Minnmoms.com

The site is sponsored and supported by the Pioneer Press and covers topics such as time savers and discussion on topics such as child safety or how much to spend on your kids. There are also some great discussion boards and several bloggers sharing stories and insights.

Check it out and join in!

PreK in community-based programs

Around the country, states are beginning to offer voluntary state-funded PreK programs to 4 year olds, and sometimes 3 year olds. See chart of 10 states leading the way in PreK. Most of these state PreK programs are part-time and delivered through school-based programs just during the school year. The teachers often are required to have a BA or even an MA in early childhood education.

One of the first questions to arise in this scenario is “what about children in child care centers?” or “what about working families who depend on full day care?” Many states have chosen to allow PreK programs to be delivered directly in child care settings. The National Women’s Law Center published a report on this topic, “A Center Piece of the PreK Puzzle”.

Some of the benefits of providing PreK in child care centers:

• Gives a high quality option for families who need all day, year round care
• Children do not have to change locations to participate in PreK programming
• Parents with infants and toddlers as well as PreK aged children can have all of their children receiving care and education at the same center
• Schools often do not have the space to provide PreK for all children in their community, by partnering with child care more children can access PreK
• Child care centers receive stable funding to enhance the quality of all their programs
• Builds on the experience of established centers in the community

Some of the challenges revolve around a variety of issues, including:

• Financing the programs and who will cover which costs
• Compensation and qualifications for teachers, directors, and other staff
• Navigating relationships between school districts and centers
• Programming issues such as curriculum and
• Coordination and community planning

Each state does things a little differently and the way these challenges are tackled varies. Currently, these sorts of child care/school district partnerships are not common in Minnesota (though there are some exceptional partnerships). The only state-funding for PreK in Minnesota comes in the form of School Readiness dollars going to school districts to target children likely to not be ready to learn when they start kindergarten. School districts then combine these resources with other revenue to provide early childhood education.

Earlier this year, the NWLC held a conference call on financing state PreK programs in child care centers. Then, last month the NWLC held a conference call going into further detail about the workforce benefits and challenges of delivering state PreK in community-based settings. Listen to the calls or link to transcripts here.

Both the report and these calls cover all the angles of providing PreK in community-based settings.

What do you think? As a parent, how would you respond if your child care center began offering state-funded PreK? As a child care provider or school district staff, what sorts of challenges do you see? Are you part of a special partnership between a school district and child care? Please share.

Thank you to everyone who voted in our poll. 85% of you said you’re interested in policy and advocacy topics. Taking a cue from you, the majority of our posts will relate to policy and advocacy… not to say that you won’t see posts on child development, parenting and news and events from time to time.

Building on the successes: chart of state Pre-K programs

After looking at what advocates in other states have done to advance early childhood funding, I thought it would be a good time to share a little more about what’s going on around the country.

Last fall, Ready 4 K’s fabulous HECUA intern, Taylor put together this chart outlining the programs in other states. We looked at the 10 leading states in providing state-supported Pre-kindergarten. The topics covered for each state:

• How the program is funded
• Is there a piece for infants and toddlers
• Who is eligible for the program
• How community child care is involved
• How Head Start is involved
• What sort of Professional Development is offered
• The role of the governor
• Whether or not there is a Quality Rating System
• What kind of statewide governance structure is there

View the chart here.

As we move ahead, it's good to learn from our allies in other states and then develop a system that builds on what we have here.

What do think should be the key components of an early childhood system in Minnesota?

Today is the last day to submit your response to our poll: "What early childhood topics interest you the most?"

Looking ahead - lessons from advocates in other states

Voices for America’s Children, a nation-wide network of early childhood advocacy groups, released a report outlining lessons learned and best practices from advocates in states who have increased investment in early care and education.

Increasing State Investments in Early Care and Education: Lessons Learned from Advocates and Best Practices.

The report outlines the recent work done by advocates in 10 states: Alabama, Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The report lists a quick summary of lessons learned.

• Know Where You are Going. Create a Focused Policy Agenda.
• Create Accountable ECE Investments.
• Build and Sustain Broad-Based Coalitions.
• The Message Really Matters. Get it Right. Keep it Short. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat.
• The Messenger who Delivers the Message is Critical.
• Build Relationships with Elected Officials.
• Cultivate the Grassroots.
• Build Relationships with the Media.
• Do not Move too Fast for the Field.
• Change is Gradual. Small Steps Over Time Create Big Change.
• Start Early.
• Understand Politics and Play the Game as it is – Not as You Wish it Would Be.
• Create Strategies for Long-term Success.

As we close the chapter on the 2008 legislative session and begin to look toward 2009, these lessons are especially timely. When I read the report I found my copy marked up with notes and highlights on every page. There were many helpful observations from the advocates in the profiled states.

We have made progress and done some of these things. This legislative session we set the table and made strategic policy changes that will lead to greater change over time. We have built a coalition and developed strong relationships with key legislators. We are working to build accountability through the Parent Aware Quality Rating System and work that the Build Initiative is doing around Outcomes and Indicators. We have cultivated a strong grassroots movement with more room to expand.

But we have more to learn and a ways to go. Taking what has been effective in other states and applying our own Minnesota flavor is the next step. I hope you will join us.

Don’t forget to share your opinion in our online poll, at the right of the main blog page. Let us know what early learning topics most interest you.

It's all about you - online poll

This blog is all about you. Well, you and the young children in Minnesota. We hope this is a helpful resource to you on early care and education. So, we want to know what specific early learning topics most interest you. Is it policy and advocacy? Child development? Parenting? or News and events?

Complete our online poll to the right of the main page and let us know. If there is something else you're interested in seeing highlighted here, leave your ideas in the comments below.

Thanks!

photo by Orin Optiglot

Small Gains at the Minnesota Legislature

Legislative Session ends with a few small victories

After a weekend of tough negotiations between the Governor and legislative leaders, the 2008 Legislative Session wrapped up Sunday evening with the legislature passing a budget balancing bill, a bonding bill, and several other provisions. For early childhood, all the provisions that were in the bills going into the weekend stayed in the final bills. Most notably, the supplemental budget bill includes funding for early screening, the creation of a State Advisory Council on Early Education and Care, a cut to basic sliding fee child care, and cuts to child care quality improvements. Additionally, the Governor and key Republicans would not agree to include bonding for early childhood facilities in the final bonding bill.

Specifically, the supplemental budget bill includes the following provisions:

The State reimburses school districts for a portion of the actual cost of health and development screening for three to five year olds, as required by law. The law change increases these reimbursements from $30 to $40 for 5 year olds, from $40 to $50 for 4 year olds and recognizing the importance of screening earlier, $50 to $75 for 3 year olds. This is a marked improvement and will help identify children who need assistance in getting ready for school earlier.

The bill as passed by the legislature creates a State Advisory Council on Early Education and Care. Under the federal Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007, state governors are required to create such a council. The adopted language recognizes this process, and adds to the council's duties and membership. In addition to representatives from state departments overseeing early childhood programs, and from Head Start, school districts and local ECE providers, the legislation adds four legislators and two parents with children under the age of six. Parental involvement in the Council is paid for by transferring $12,500 from the Pre-K Allowances and $12,500 from the administrative costs of the Child Care Development Fund, unless other funds become available.

Unfortunately, the bill also includes several cuts to early care and education.

• $9.227 million is cut from the Basic Sliding Fee child care appropriation. In a typical year, funds unspent by counties, due to projections with the current distribution formula, are redistributed to counties with families on child care waiting lists. This $9 million would have provided child care assistance to many of the approximately 3,700 families currently on the waiting list.
• $250,000 is cut from the Pre-K Allowances pilot project. Earlier in the session, one budget bill had proposed that Pre-K allowances be cut $2 million but advocacy efforts by a number of early childhood organizations and action by Senator Dick Cohen, chair of the Finance Committee, made the cut much smaller. Thank goodness for small victories.
• 1.8%, or $110,000, is cut from Child Care Development Grants, which affects a small amount of dollars for Pre-K Allowances, the FFN grants, quality improvements, and child care resource and referral services.

As mentioned previously, bonding for early childhood facilities was not included in the final bonding bill. The Early Childhood Learning and Child Protection Facilities grant program is for facility construction and rehabilitation, for use by Head Start, early childhood family education, early childhood intervention, and crisis nurseries programs. Funding for the program was line-item vetoed in the first bonding bill, and despite strong leadership from some legislators who fought for the inclusion of early childhood bonding until the end, we were unable to secure funding in the final negotiations. Even so, Ready 4 K was successful in making some changes to the statute to make the grant program clearer and easier to use. Legislative leaders encouraged Ready 4 K and our allies to come back next year with another proposal and to do more work to educate legislators about the effectiveness of this bonding program.

The second year of the biennium, in addition to bonding, is also typically used for promoting changes to state policy. Key changes were made to child care, including the creation of a statewide task force to make recommendations about barriers facing families applying for and receiving child care assistance. Additionally, some changes were made to the formula by which basic sliding fee funds are allocated to counties to more accurately reflect the actual need in counties. These changes will help prevent situations such as the state faced this year, with regard to unspent funds.

Ready 4 K knew going into the 2008 Legislative Session that with the state facing a massive budget deficit, the opportunity to infuse the necessary dollars for young children would be difficult to realize. Despite the setbacks we incurred, the changes and funding allocated this year are meaningful, and will continue to help improve school readiness. Please look for a more detailed 2008 Session Summary soon.

Thank you for all you have done this session, and we look forward to your input and involvement as we prepare for this fall's election (including all members of the Minnesota House) and the 2009 Legislative Session.

Learning how to ride a bike

With schools finishing up their programming and summer right around the corner (plus, today is National Bike to Work day), I thought this article to be timely.

Cycling experts are saying that the way most of us likely learned how to ride a bike is not the most effective way to get ourselves pedaling on two wheels. Rather, children should learn on their own how to balance and ride rather than be taught by someone else.

The article says that children as young as 3 can begin to teach themselves to ride by taking the pedals of their bike and lowering the seat to convert it to a "scooter". From here, children can learn the essentials of balance, steering and stopping while pushing with their feet on the ground. Eventually, the pedals can be replaced on the bike and the seat gradually raised until your child is able to zip along with the rest of the family. And don't forget, a properly-fitted helmet is essential bicycling gear.

Read more about Scooting Towards Riding a Bicycle.

What do you think? Do you know any kids who have learned to ride this way?

photo by RJ Ramos

Helping State Agencies Coordinate Early Learning

A strong governance system, including coordinated state agencies, is an important part of providing accessible early learning. Ready 4 K's BUILD Initiative is specifically focused on creating the framework for a strong, coordinated early learning system in Minnesota.

One piece of legislation that Ready 4 K has been following is the creation of an Office of Early Learning. A great article summarizing this legislation and other related pieces can be found here. From the article:

Researchers, including Art Rolnick, senior vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, see positive results from early childhood education. But it wasn’t until bank staff crunched the numbers that anyone had looked at this as an economic investment. By Rolnick’s calculations, the return would be equivalent to 16 percent annually on a $22,000 investment.

More focus on early childhood learning by establishing an Office of Early Learning might just help boost the bottom line, supporters say. The office would gather employees of the Health and Human Services departments who oversee day care programs and Department of Education employees who deal with programs like Head Start.

Rep. Sandra Peterson (DFL-New Hope) sponsors HF2983, which would create the office and appoint a director to coordinate childhood systems between the two organizations.

The Minnesota Legislative session is scheduled to end May 19. Stay tuned here for updates and an end-of-session summary.

Will my child be ready? Creativity and the Arts

Today we continue our series exploring Minnesota’s Early Childhood Indicators of Progress by looking at the topic of Creativity and the Arts. Previously, we’ve taken time to look at Social and Emotional Development, Approaches to Learning, and Language and Literacy Development.

This domain emphasizes how children actively and receptively engage with the arts. The three components of this domain (Creating, Responding, and Evaluating) show how children can demonstrate what they know and expand their thinking through creative endeavors. The indicators for each component are taken directly from the ECIPs manual.

Creating
Creating is a wonderful opportunity to interact with the world in a new way. Children are developing in their creativity when they:

1. Use a variety of media and materials for exploration and creative expression
2. Participate in art and music experiences
3. Participate in creative movement, drama, and dance

Families can support children in creating by providing opportunities for their children to try out a variety of art materials and experiences and participating in community art events. Families can also encourage children's interest in the full range of arts expression such as dance, movement, music and displaying artwork around the home.

Teachers and Caregivers can encourage children to create by providing time and space for a variety of opportunities to explore and experiment with different materials and media. Additionally, teachers may Include exploration of space and objects in addition to color, balance and design.

Responding
Creativity doesn’t happen in a vacuum, we must all react and respond to what’s happening around us to grow in creativity. Children are showing progress in responding when they:

1. Show others and/or talk about what they have made or done
2. Show interest and respect for the creative work of self and other

Families can help children develop in their responding by showing interest in their child's creative activities and encouraging awareness of the arts and creative expression in their own and other cultures.

Teachers and Caregivers can help facilitate children's responding by encouraging children's participation in a variety of creative activities and spending time with children to describe and discuss their creative process as well as the product of their creativity.

Evaluating Open and honest evaluation is the last step in developing our creativity (a process many of us adults wish to recapture!). Children are growing in their evaluating skills when they:

1. Share experiences, ideas, and thoughts about art and creative expression
2. Share opinions about likes and dislikes in art and creative expression

Families may encourage children in evaluating by encouraging children to discuss their own art and the art of others as well as their likes and dislikes about the arts while respecting their work and the work of others.

Teachers and Caregivers can support children in their evaluating by helping children to develop their own personal preferences through discussions of likes and dislikes, by maintaining a collection or access to a variety of books and/or recordings depicting various media and cultures, and helping children develop an appreciation for the arts through attending events and performances.

For all components of this domain, community members and policy makers can encourage children and families in their creativity and the arts development by sponsoring and supporting community-based arts programs and resources for families to access arts education.


What do you think? How do you support and encourage creativity in your preschool age children?

Check back soon! Our next topic in their series is Cognitive Development.