News

23 Dec

Posted at 18:30h in News by

Politico
By Madina Touré
December 23, 2022
NEW YORK — Six years ago, New York City hosted leaders from a dozen cities across the U.S. to share lessons learned from its free early childhood education program for over 70,000 4-year-olds. The immensely popular universal prekindergarten program was the brainchild of former Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014. Three years later, he began expanding it to 3-year-olds. The pioneering education policy remains the single biggest achievement from de Blasio’s two terms in office. It was...

22 Dec

Posted at 18:29h in Hunt Institute, News by

Early Learning Nation
By Mark Swartz
December 22, 2022
Last year at this time, early childhood advocates and experts were cautiously optimistic about massive federal relief in the form of the Build Back Better Act, and last year’s Big Wins for Little Kids webinar reflected those high hopes. Although the optimism gave way to disappointment soon thereafter, 2022 nevertheless produced an impressive number of big wins, which the Hunt Institute and Alliance for Early Success explored December 5 in this year’s edition. Hunt’s...

05 Dec

Posted at 17:42h in News by

The Hill
By Javaid Siddiqi
December 2, 2022
In November, New Mexico voters approved a constitutional amendment that will create a dedicated funding stream for early childhood education. The measure, which will increase distributions from the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund, is projected to infuse $150 million annually into programs for young children....

02 Dec

Posted at 17:04h in News by

MSNBC
November 27, 2022
Childcare advocates are calling for investments in children and families to be a part of president Biden’s agenda in 2023. Reshma Saujani, CEO and founder of The Marshall Plan for Moms, joined Alicia Menendez on American Voices to discuss the importance of investing in children and families....

22 Nov

Posted at 20:02h in News, Stanford by

Early Learning Nation
By Mark Swartz
November 22, 2022
The new Stanford Center on Early Childhood (an initiative of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning) held a launch event November 3. Members of its interdisciplinary leadership council spoke, as did Linda Darling-Hammond—emeritus professor at Stanford, founding president of the Learning Policy Institute and president of the California State Board of Education. The event also featured local schools with Stanford connections, including the Primary School and Synapse School....

21 Nov

Posted at 18:11h in News by

Forbes
By Alison Griffin
November 21, 2022
As a single, working mom, I know firsthand how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated instability across the childcare industry. I also know that the last two years have required families — particularly those who are resource constrained — to make unimaginable sacrifices. I experienced these challenges from a place of privilege and resource, and even I had days that felt insurmountable....

18 Nov

Posted at 23:21h in News, Press by

By Dana Suskind
November 18, 2022
Compared with other wealthy nations, the United States is a uniquely difficult place to raise children. One in four mothers returns to work within two weeks of giving birth, and we’re the only rich country that doesn’t have federally mandated paid leave for new parents. While other wealthy countries invest an average of $14,000 a year for every toddler’s care, America spends $500. The pandemic sharpened our awareness of these problems—parents left the workforce in droves, child-care...

17 Nov

Posted at 18:15h in News by

K-12 Dive
By Kara Arundel
November 17, 2022
WASHINGTON – Being attentive to early childhood educators’ well-being is critical not only to retaining teachers but to helping them be better classroom leaders, said speakers at a Wednesday session at the annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  During a two-month pilot program last summer with eight early childhood educators in the Washington, D.C. area, the speakers said they explored how wellness coaching could reduce teachers’ stress and increase their self-confidence and optimism. ...

10 Nov

Posted at 23:18h in News, Press by

November 10, 2022
Alliance for Early Success allies across the country are sharing election results that impact children and families. We’ve compiled their summaries in an initial overview of where the country stands two days after the election.
While we don’t yet know the extent of the changes we’ll see on the national level, there is lots to report on state political landscapes — where the bulk of early childhood policy rises and falls....

27 Oct

Posted at 23:08h in News, Press, Zaentz Initiative by

New America
By Lydia Mackie
Oct. 27, 2022
Tiny monarch caterpillars arrived at the school, not floating through the air, but with the thud of a package on concrete.
Our postal carrier had no idea how many lessons were going to emerge from that box for the prekindergartners at our public school in Washington, DC. First, we created a mesh net habitat and placed it in the tiny side yard of our concrete school building, which is just a few feet from a busy...

18 Oct

Posted at 23:10h in News, Press by

The Reform Alliance
Oct. 18, 2022
The Reform Alliance says Focusing on education dialogue with students and families, not buildings, is step in right direction.
Little Rock, AR – The Reform Alliance is encouraged to see the unveiling of Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ education agenda. Her plan, Arkansas LEARNS, is a step in the right direction – focusing the education dialogue on students and families, not buildings.
“With third-grade reading levels at an abysmal 35 percent statewide, it is comforting to know that if she is...

11 Oct

Posted at 17:23h in News by

The Washington Post
By The Editorial Board
October 11, 2022
Many sectors are reeling from massive labor shortages — but few affect families more intimately than what is happening with child care. With lengthy waiting lists and soaring costs, the scale of the crisis is obvious. Less clear is how the country can quickly fix it. First, the problem: Like other caregiver industries, child care was hit hard by covid-19. There are nearly 90,000 fewer child-care workers today than in February 2020 — an...

11 Oct

Posted at 17:18h in News by

Fortune
By Ellen McGirt
October 11, 2022
If you have been paying attention to the shocking lack of childcare options for working families in the U.S.—some 126,000 already underpaid caregivers have left the industry since the pandemic began in 2020—you may (or may not) be shocked by how we really got here....

10 Oct

Posted at 17:28h in News by

K-12 Dive
By Naaz Modan
October 10, 2022
Almost half of early childhood educators are experiencing high levels of burnout and stress, according to a nationwide survey of 2,300 educators. The survey, published by early childhood education resource provider Teaching Strategies, shows 45% of early child educators are battling mental health challenges and burnout. Almost the same percentage, 43%, say staffing shortages are affecting their stress level. Mental health challenges are also partly why early childhood educators are considering a career change, according...

30 Sep

Posted at 16:58h in News by

EdSource
By Karen D'Souza
September 30, 2022
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Friday that will streamline access to the state’s subsidized early childhood education system. Introduced by Sen. Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, Senate Bill 1047, formerly SB 50, makes it easier for low-income families to access the state-funded California State Preschool Program and subsidized child care system by automatically granting eligibility to families who are already enrolled in CalFresh, Medi-Cal, WIC or Head Start, cutting a layer of red tape....

29 Sep

Posted at 17:10h in News by

The Hechinger Report
By Ariel Gilreath
September 29, 2022
Many people might think the main benefit of a high-quality preschool program is the academic boost it gives young children when they enter elementary school. But the strongest positive effects may show up years, and even decades, later and have little to do with test scores and grades. Researchers at Georgetown University have been studying the impact of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s program for two decades. In a new set of working papers, the researchers found long-term...

28 Sep

Posted at 19:30h in News by

The Atlantic
By Stephanie H. Murray
September 28, 2022
A child’s ability to succeed in the classroom is powerfully influenced by their home environment. Giving parents the support they need could be key to fixing American education. Many American schools are failing to provide all students with a quality education, and policy makers don’t seem to know what to do about it. Even before schools closed during the pandemic, 30 percent of graduating seniors failed to reach a basic level of competency in reading,...