The new ECAC website is now live and can be viewed at www.nysecac.org.

The website provides the most up-to-date information on ECAC. The website contains links to recent webinars, training materials and resources. A public calendar will display upcoming events of interest to the early childhood community.Read more here. 

The ECAC is pleased to announce that Governor Cuomo submitted an application for funding made available through the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Grant program. New York stands to benefit from the three years of focused strategic planning and project implementation of the ECAC. The work of the ECAC was critical to making New York competitive for this round of grants. New York State was one of 16 states and the District of Columbia to submit an application. If successful, New York would receive $75 million over the next four years to strengthen and expand its system of early childhood services. Read more here.

On November 13th, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Congressmen George Miller (D-CA) and Richard Hanna (R-NY) introduced a bill for early childhood education, The Strong Start for America's Children Act of 2013.

In announcing the introduction of the bill, Linda K. Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood said "This  historic legislation would make sure that every child-regardless of how much money their parents make or what neighborhood they live in-has access to high-quality early education. The proposed Bill is based on the latest research that recognizes that early learning starts at birth and that disparities begin to appear as early as 18 months. By establishing a high quality continuum of early learning experiences for all of our young children, the Strong Start for America's Children will assure that children are exposed to the enriching early childhood education experiences they need to be ready for school and ready to thrive."

The bill consists of four measures that would:

• Accelerate states' efforts to provide high-quality preschool to low and moderate income families;
• Increase the quality of infant and toddler care in center-based and family child care settings;
• Support quality improvements in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG); and
• Encourage continued support for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting

 To read an excellent analysis on the provision of the bill, click here 

On Sunday November 17th, the New York Times article published an op-ed article by Columnist Nicholas Kristof  entitled "Oklahoma! Where the Kids Learn Early" on the comprehensive birth to five early childhood education system that the state of Oklahoma has developed. Oklahoma is known for its Educare sites in Tulsa, initially funded by the entrepreneur/philanthropist George Kaiser. This combination of business-generated philanthropy and a commitment to excellence in infant through preschool education has generated significant gains. Each Educare site models a strong infant through age three approach based on the brain research that confirms that the most powerful development occurs before children reach their third birthday.  This fall,  New York opened its first Educare-inspired early childhood program in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Co-sponsored by SCO Family of Services, NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS), and the NYC Department of Education, the program is co-located in a NYC public elementary school and serves as a demonstration site that truly models access to excellence. Read more here.