|
Upcoming Events, Workshops and Webinars
Visit the PORTAL at www.sparknh.org/portal to view upcoming events, workshops and webinars, and job postings available throughout the state!
The Forgotten, Children of Incarcerated Parents
1 in 28 children in the United States has an incarcerated parent. That means that over 9,800 children in New Hampshire have one or both parents in jail. Click here to learn more about the summer camp program called "Children of Incarcerated Parents Camp" and how you can help.
Webinar on The Business Case for Early Childhood Development
April 4, 2014 from 11-12
Hosted by the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, the Global Business Coalition for Education, and ReadyNation/America's Edge, this webinar will discuss the benefits of business engagement in early childhood development, and will also share examples of success.
Click here to register.
Grant Reviewer Opportunity
Th e Early Head Start- Child Care (EHS-CC) Partnership is a new competitive federal grant opportunity to expand access to high-quality, comprehensive services to low-income infants and toddlers and their families. Click here for more information on how to apply to be an expert reviewer for these EHS-CC Partnership grants! Deadline is August 11, 2014.
Links of Interest
GEMSS offers vetted information on a number of genetic conditions to help with potential issues in the classroom. It is a product of the New England Genetics Collaborative Education and Outreach work group, and all content is written/reviewed by a geneticist (Dr. Burke), genetic counselor, inclusion specialist/OT, and parents. View the new Cystic Fibrosis page here!
CLASP has released this report on new data from the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights. With regard to racial and ethnic disparities in access to quality education and fair treatment of students, data reveal that students of color are in a position of extreme disadvantage in our country's public schools. For example, they are more likely to be retained in grade, to miss school time because of excessive suspensions and expulsions, and less likely to be prepared for college because they have fewer courses offered and less experienced teachers in their classrooms.
CLASP released the 2012 Head Start State Profiles and a new interactive map that provides state-by-state data on all Head Start Programs in the State. All information is based on the 2012 Program Information Report data, which all Head Start programs are required to complete on an annual basis. (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center eNotes).
The National Association for Regulatory Administration has released this report that provides detailed data on child care licensing regulations and monitoring in all 50 states. Findings are presented according to child care setting type and topics covered include background checks, compliant investigations, monitoring, inspector training, the licensing process, child health, discipline, emergency preparedness, nutrition, child care staff requirements and training, and child supervision. (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center eNotes).
This report, released in January, by the Build Initiative is a summary on the efforts of a number of states to develop statewide community-based approaches to building comprehensive early childhood systems. (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center eNotes).
Untreated maternal depression is damaging to children, particularly young children, placing their safety and cognitive and behavioral development at risk. This issue brief by CLASP summarizes why early childhood and anti-poverty advocates should seize the moment to address the problem and create pathways out of poverty for both generations.
CLASP Executive Director Olivia Golden is a strong advocate for low-income children and families who has delivered results as a leader in federal, state, and local government and in senior positions in the research, nonprofit, and academic worlds. This is the first issue of a new commentary series by Golden that will periodically provide long-form analysis and insight into poverty and opportunity.
Melissa Bright, research coordinator for the University of Florida Institute of Child Health Policy shares that "when children experience three or more stressful events, they are six times more likely to suffer from a mental, physical or learning disorder than children who didn't face these traumatic experiences."
From the Migration Policy Institute, this report examines levels of school readiness among young children by race/ethnicity and nativity using a nationally representative U.S. birth-cohort study. The authors identify the contextual factors- such as family circumstances, parenting practices, and enrollment in center-based child care- that encourage early school success.
The Migration Policy Institute put together this report that profiles the populations of Dual Language Learner children in the U.S. who represent nearly one-third of all U.S. children under age 6, outlining school readiness and patterns of achievement. It evaluates the research on early care and education approaches that have been shown to support higher levels of language and literacy development for this population.
This report from the Migration Policy Institute examines three types of educational and health policy interventions that may reduce disparities between the children of U.S.-born parents and their immigrant counterparts during the crucial transition between prekindergarten and elementary school.
Children of immigrants represent nearly one-fourth of all children in the U.S. under the age of 18. The Migration Policy Institute summarized data on the health of these children and found that those with Mexican immigrant parents in particular tend to experience greater childhood health risks than most of their peers.
Based on a review of existing research that increasingly points to negative developmental consequences of parental unauthorized status across all stages of childhood, this report examines how a parent's status affects child development. The authors explore possible options for policies and programs that could mitigate these risks, and propose ways to achieve this goal within the framework of proposed comprehensive immigration reform. (Migration Policy Institute).
The Departments of Health and Human Services and Education have launched a new collaborative initiative that will help families look for and celebrate milestones; promote universal screenings; identify delays as early as possible; and improve the support available to help children succeed in school and thrive alongside their peers. (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center eNotes).
The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute reports that children who received high-quality early care and education in the Abecedarian Project from birth until age 5 enjoyed better physical health in their mid-30s than peers who did not attend the child care-based program. Significant measures also indicate that better health lies ahead for these individuals. (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center eNotes).
Early learning governance structures in many Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge states are in transition as states work to build their early learning systems. This new document provides a graphic representation of the governance structures in Round 1 and Round 2 grantee states. It is not meant to show a relative hierarchy of agencies across states, but rather the placement of programs within specific agencies. (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center eNotes).
This brief from CLASP examines the difficulties many low-income parents face as they try to deal with unpredictable job schedules and child care simultaneously. A growing number of workers have minimal control over their hours and these workers are disproportionately earning lower wages. At the same time, child care providers find it difficult to accommodate parents with volatile schedules. As a result, parents are left to piece together a patchwork of care arrangements, resulting in instability for their children. This brief provides a list of potential action steps, highlights important existing research, and identifies the need for more research and data collection. (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center eNotes).
Children of immigrants can benefit from attending prekindergarten, though they enroll less, on average, than children with U.S.-born parents. The Urban Institute recently published these fact sheets on supporting immigrant families' access to prekindergarten. Click to view fact sheets on Enrollment Strategies and Building Relationships. (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center eNotes).
This research brief from Child Trends estimates the proportion of children reported by parents to be in "very good" or "excellent" health. It examines trends in health status for children ages birth through 17, nationally and across states, and across family income-levels.
The Early Childhood Data Collaborative supports the development and use of coordinated state early childhood data systems to improve program effectiveness, inform decisions, and help policymakers answer key questions. The collaborative has released this report that summarizes findings from a July 2013 survey that assessed data systems in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
This Innovation in Action interview from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child is the first in a series of portraits planned by the Center that will highlight the innovative, collaborative work occurring in the Frontiers of Innovation community.
Harvard Center on the Developing Child shares this TEDxBeaconStreet video of Elisabeth Babcock, president and CEO of Crittenton Women's Union (CWU) in Boston. Babcock presents on the science-informed approach to build executive functioning- the skill set in the brain that includes multi-tasking, self-control and setting goals. She shares the success of CWU coaching models that allow low-income clients to strengthen their vital self-regulatory skills and embark on a course to self-sufficiency.
Child Trends' Blog features this article on big data and social science research. Leading tech companies have used big data techniques, which extract knowledge and insights from large, complex collections of digital data, for commercial purposes and have pioneered advances in the field of big data. This article discusses how these techniques can be used in social science research.
On March 13, 2014, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, with support from the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, released a set of Standards for Systems of Care for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs and a companion background white paper. The standards address the core components of the structure and process of an effective system of care for children with special health care needs. They were derived from a comprehensive review of the literature, guidance from more than 30 key informants, case studies of standards currently in sue within selected sites, and input and guidance from a national work group of relevant stakeholders. (Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center eNotes).
| 
