News

08 Feb

Posted at 22:47h in News by

CBS Colorado
By Karen Morfitt
February 7, 2023
When Colorado's Universal Preschool program starts in the fall, Monica Staffieri is hoping her son Miles will be among the first to take part.
"I would love for him to be in preschool. I know it's really important that they get that first taste, and that learning is really important especially pre-5, so I never understood why we didn't (always have it)," she said.
But until just a few days ago, she wasn't entirely sure her family...

07 Feb

Posted at 22:59h in News by

NBC Connecticut
By Jane Caffrey
February 7, 2023
Advocates for early childhood education from Connecticut shared ideas on how to improve programs for young kids on the state and national level Tuesday.
A lack of affordable childcare is costing the country $122 billion a year, according to a new report from Readynation. The report indicates that figure has more than doubled since 2018. It states that policy inaction combined with the pandemic is costing businesses, parents and taxpayers billions of dollars in lost productivity,...

06 Feb

Posted at 22:55h in News by

The Hechinger Report
By Jill Barshay
February 6, 2023
The research on early childhood education can seem as messy as a playground sandbox. Some studies show that preschool produces remarkable academic and social benefits for low-income children, and some don’t. One 2022 study found that children who went to preschool in Tennessee ended up worse off, on average, than those who stayed home. Even among success stories, the benefits of preschool can be fleeting. Children who didn’t go to preschool still learn their...

06 Feb

Posted at 21:21h in News by

UMass Boston
Office of Communications
February 6, 2023
The Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation at UMass Boston is one of six core partners in a collaborative that was awarded $30 million over five years by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Administration for Children and Families. The collaborative will launch and implement a new National Early Care and Education (ECE) Workforce Center that will coordinate and provide technical assistance and rigorous research to advance the recruitment and...

03 Feb

Posted at 23:09h in News by

Five Thirty Eight
By Monica Potts
February 3, 2023
California is in the middle of implementing a plan that will create a free, universal pre-K program (known as transitional kindergarten) for every 4-year-old in the state by the 2025-2026 school year. It sounds like a big, blue state priority, but it’s also a red state one. California will join states like West Virginia, Alabama and Oklahoma in aiming to provide universal preschool programs that serve all of their states’ 4-year-olds.
Welcome to the weird,...

02 Feb

Posted at 23:12h in News by

The Hill
By Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech
February 2 , 2023
A new bill introduced to the Vermont state legislature would give parents the option to send their young children to free, public prekindergarten classes for the full school year. Under current Vermont law, children between the ages of three and five years old are entitled to 10 hours of prekindergarten education a week for up to 35 weeks a year. The new bill would amend that law to grant three-, four-,...

28 Jan

Posted at 16:20h in News by

Detroit Free Press
By Jennifer Brookland
January 28, 2023
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s announcement during Wednesday’s State of the State address that she was proposing free preschool for all 4-year-olds was cause for celebration for many parents and early childhood advocates — but a source of worry for private child care providers.
“There is much evidence that connection to quality, evidence-based programs have the power to permanently improve kids' lives,” Cindy Eggleton, co-founder and CEO of Brilliant Detroit, said in an email. “Universal pre-K is...

27 Jan

Posted at 16:28h in News by

Business Insider
By Jacob Zinkula
January 27, 2023
America has a childcare crisis. New Mexico is trying to show the rest of the country a better way forward.
The state's legislature is set to approve plans in the coming weeks to allocate childcare providers more money per child, make more families eligible for free childcare, give the industry's workers permanent raises, and establish a wage floor of $15 per hour.
It's happening because last November, over 70% of New Mexico voters supported a constitutional amendment...

26 Jan

Posted at 16:36h in News by

K-12 Dive
By Kara Arundel
January 26, 2023
Hawaii, California, Michigan and New Mexico are among states dedicating money toward large-scale expansion of preschool programs.
“Children who have attended high-quality preschool or child care programs are much better prepared for success in Kindergarten, but not every family has access to early learning programs,” said Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke in a statement. Luke is leading Hawaii’s preschool expansion efforts. “If we can provide enough classrooms at an affordable price, we can make sure...

26 Jan

Posted at 03:59h in News by

CBS Colorado
By Dillon Thomas
January 20, 2023
Free Universal Pre-K education is rolling out this year in Colorado and the time to apply for your child is already open. An estimated 30,000 Colorado children are expected to be seeking free Pre-K education. However, some rural districts say they are still working out logistics on how they can best meet the demand.   "It is a very exciting time," said Michelle Spencer, Early Childhood Coordinator for Weld RE-4 School District.   Weld RE-4 serves Windsor,...

26 Jan

Posted at 03:49h in News by

CBS Colorado
By Dillon Thomas
January 20, 2023
Free Universal Pre-K education is rolling out this year in Colorado and the time to apply for your child is already open. An estimated 30,000 Colorado children are expected to be seeking free Pre-K education. However, some rural districts say they are still working out logistics on how they can best meet the demand.   "It is a very exciting time," said Michelle Spencer, Early Childhood Coordinator for Weld RE-4 School District.   Weld RE-4 serves Windsor,...

26 Jan

Posted at 03:43h in News by

The New Yorker
By Jessica Winter
January 20, 2023
The Red Balloon is part of the university’s progressive history, but it may not have a future.
For a half century, the Red Balloon has operated out of a-thousand-plus square feet on the lower level of 560 Riverside Drive, a Columbia University-owned residential building near the northern tip of Riverside Park. Despite the subterranean location, the space feels bright and airy, primary-colorful, and includes an indoor playground and a small library lined with a grass-green...

25 Jan

Posted at 15:48h in News by

By Libby Stanford
January 25, 2023
Universal pre-kindergarten has become a buzz term lately, capturing the attention of federal and state politicians as evidence shows that students do better when they start school earlier.
But determining whether a state-funded preschool program is truly universal isn’t as simple as it seems, and states that have universal pre-K laws or programs don’t always achieve high enrollment.
“What constitutes universal preschool is fuzzy because people use the term differently,” said Steven Barnett, the director of the National...

09 Jan

Posted at 18:33h in News by

The Denver Gazette
By Nicole C. Brambila
January 9, 2023
The Polis Administration is reminding parents that enrollment for Universal Preschool starts next week.
Pre-K enrollment for the fall begins Jan. 17. Children will be matched with providers in mid-February.
More than 29,000 pre-K seats are available across the state from roughly 850 providers, according to the governor's office.
“We are bringing high-quality preschool to Colorado kids, saving families thousands of dollars, and making sure Colorado students get a strong start in school,” Polis said in...

04 Jan

Posted at 23:08h in News by

Fortune
By Megan Leonhardt
January 3, 2023
Breanna Dietrich was on the wait list at a day care before her daughter was even born. Nearly two years later, a slot has yet to open up. Even if there was an opening at a childcare center in her hometown of Wheeling, W.Va., Dietrich isn’t sure she’d be able to afford it. “I have no idea what I can afford. The thought of that makes my chest hurt,” she tells Fortune. Dietrich, 36, is now...

02 Jan

Posted at 23:09h in News by

The Center Square
By Steve Bittenbender January 2, 2023
The Beshear Administration announced Kentucky will receive nearly $12 million a year in federal funding over the next three years to help prepare more children for kindergarten. The money will come from a grant program administered by the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services. Its Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five initiative had $266 million available, which it said would fund initiatives in about 35 states. Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement Kentucky will...

23 Dec

Posted at 23:13h in News by

The Hill
By Lisa Dodson and Amanda Freeman
December 23, 2022
Current spikes in RSV, flu and COVID are drawing attention to the shortcomings of the childcare system in America. With many parents being forced to take their sick children to work or risk being fired, the need for reliable child care has never been more evident. And this glaring need is serving as a catalyst for local action. In the midterm elections, for the first time in history, the residents of one...

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....