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• Ohio Parent Information Network (OH-PIN)
  he purpose of the OHIO Parent Information Network is to provide essential information to Ohio parents on early education and care issues. The Web site is sponsored by eight agencies, with leadership from the Head Start Ohio Collaboration Office.
• Programs Serving Young Children: Enroll in Self-Study for NAEYC Accreditation
  NAEYC Accreditation is a voluntary system by which programs measure themselves against a national set of standards. The number of programs pursuing NAEYC Accreditation has grown rapidly through the years - there are now nearly 11,000 programs that have achieved NAEYC Accreditation. Visit the NAEYC Academy for Early Childhood Program Accreditation website for additional information and the application form.
• As Holidays Approach, Data Show High Rates of Hardship for African Americans and Latinos
  A new Center analysis of data on hardships faced by American families --- based on an annual survey the Administration plans to eliminate this fiscal year --- shows that between one-fourth and one-third of all African American and Latino citizen families experience difficulty affording food, lack needed medical care, and/or live in overcrowded conditions. This disparity largely reflects the fact that poverty rates are several times higher for African American and Latino families than for white families.
• Virginia Commits to Cornerstones of Better Health at Lower Cost
  The State of Virginia today joined the nationwide initiative on value-driven health care, joining major private employers who have expressed support since the effort was launched by HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt last month.
• A Tale of Two Counties: Expanding Health Insurance Coverage for Children in California
  During difficult economic times, many California counties have expanded health insurance coverage for low-income children. These Children's Health Initiatives (CHIs) enroll children in public programs and provide new health insurance, Healthy Kids, for those ineligible for existing programs. This article describes the policy issues in implementing the Santa Clara and San Mateo County CHIs, as well as the children's enrollment levels and utilization of services.
• When playing equals learning
  Decades of early childhood research helped establish kindergarten classrooms that emphasized social activities, stretching children's imaginations, and a joyful transition to school -- in essence, learning through play. Ellen Frede, co-director of the New Jersey-based National Institute for Early Education Research, said children learn about spatial relations, taking turns, and even counting from steps on the ladder, on the playground. Today, however, pressure from parents, an emphasis on early academics, and concern that easing children into the rigors of schooling suits middle class kids better than their less affluent peers have led some educators to see play as a luxury.
• Child Care Works: Research to Practice
  Information and ideas to help improve the quality of early care and education. A resource for Training, Networking, Program Development, and Research tool. The Child Care Bureau's technical assistance CD-ROM titled "Child Care Works: Research to Practice" (2006) engages users in examining selected issues critical to improving the quality of child care from Federal, State, and Tribal perspectives.
• Non Profit Child Care Outlook: After 160 Years, Its Time to Change
  Roger Neugebauer reviews the past, identifies current challenges, and outlines opportunities for the future of child care centers. Here are some summary observations... The bottom line, according to our panel of experts, is that non profits need to adjust to the new realities of their world, or be faced with dimming prospects. This means that they will need to team up with new players at the state and local levels  players who may have different views on curriculum goals, on accountability, on staff qualifications, on ways of managing organizations.
• State Mininum Wages and State Earned Income Tax Credits Make Work Pay
  According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in recent years, federal policies aimed at ensuring adequate income for working families have not kept up with inflation, leaving many working families struggling to make ends meet. Other policies such as the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) have not been adjusted sufficiently to take up the slack. State minimum wages and state Earned Income Tax Credits provide substantial benefits to working families when enacted separately, but they are especially valuable when both policies are in place.
• State Minimum Wages: A Policy that Works
  According to the Economic Policy Institute, although the federal minimum wage last rose in September 1997, minimum wages in the United States have not been static since then. Through the end of 2005, 17 states and the District of Columbia raised their minimum wages a total of 47 times. What is the effect of these state policies? The new Briefing Paper, State Minimum Wages: A Policy That Works, is an in-depth analysis that shows that wages are higher and employment is no lower in these states than they would have been without the changes.
• Short-term child care growing in popularity
  When Tina Motter decided to begin studying nursing almost a year ago, she scrambled to find a trusted place to care for Abby, her 1-year-old daughter, while she went to class. Motter found the answer in KidSpot, a short-term child care center close to her home at Silas Creek Crossing near Hanes Mall. She said she felt comfortable with KidSpot's video tracking, secured doors and friendly staff. She liked the idea that she could bring Abby in as needed, even on Saturdays and evenings. Once Motter paid a one-time registration fee of $20, the hourly charge was $5.75.
• AAP Sounds Alarm on Advertising's Effects on Children
  With young people viewing an estimated 40,000 ads a year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is alarmed that such exposure may contribute significantly to obesity, poor nutrition, cigarette and alcohol use. In a revised policy statement, "Children, Adolescents, and Advertising," the AAP outlines several recommendations to help mitigate advertising's harmful effects, but says one simple solution would be to have children and adolescents become critical media viewers, also known as being media literate.
• Harvard Offers Bi-Lingual Web Site to Assess Disease Risks
  Harvard researchers have launched an educational Web site that lets visitors answer a series of questions about their age, gender, and lifestyle, to determine their risk of developing a variety of medical conditions, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. In addition to giving users a risk assessment, the site provides a personalized "action plan" that advises users on how to improve their risks through nutrition, exercise, and other life changes. The site also features a "community action" section with strategies about how visitors can support healthy lifestyles by being involved in their own community. The site, which is updated on a regular basis to reflect the most up-to-date research, is also available in Spanish.
• A New Vision for Well-Child Care
  Standardization of well-child care services is intended to ensure that families receive core services and key information. But standardization also encourages a "one-size-fits-all" approach that subjects many families to unnecessary office visits. At the same time, many children at risk for physical, developmental, or behavioral problems fail to get needed services due to time and resource constraints. This report presents a vision for a high performing system of well-child care and a guide for future policy and research efforts.
• Children's belly fat increases more than 65 percent since 1990s
  Abdominal obesity increased more than 65 percent among boys and almost 70 percent among girls between 1988 and 2004. The finding of growing girth is significant because abdominal obesity has emerged as a better predictor of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes risk than the more commonly used Body Mass Index, a weight to height ratio that can sometimes be misleading. As the first nationally representative study to document the increase in children's belly fat, the study in today's Pediatrics paints a bleak picture for these children who have a higher risk of heart disease, adult-onset diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The good news is that, for children and adolescents, the health effects are often reversible through improved lifestyle for weight loss.
• Coverage of Parents Helps Children, Too
  An extensive body of research shows that covering low-income parents increases enrollment by eligible children in health insurance programs, thereby reducing the number of children who are uninsured. Parental coverage also appears to improve children's use of health care, such as preventive care. Policies that cut back coverage for low-income parents are likely to result in reduced coverage for children as well, and hence in more children becoming uninsured.
• Children's Mental Health: Facts for Policymakers
  NCCP's first fact sheet on mental health highlights the widespread nature of mental health problems among children and youth and the lack of adequate services. Latino children and youth are less likely to receive services than children and youth of other ethnic groups. Effective public policy strategies can improve mental health services for children. Read or download the full article online.
• New Study Examines Men Who Father Children With More Than One Woman
  A new Child Trends study estimates that 15 percent of men, or more than one in seven, will father children with more than one woman by the age of 40. According to the study, Men Who Father Children with More Than One Woman: A Contemporary Portrait of Multiple-Partner Fertility, five percent of men will father children with more than one woman by age 25. This increases to eight percent at age 30, to 12 percent at age 35, and to 15 percent at age 40. Moreover, these men have more children than men who have multiple children with the same woman: More than one-third of men (36 percent) who had children with multiple women had four or more children. Cassandra Logan, Ph.D., lead author of the study stated, "Men who father children with more than one woman find it difficult to balance financial and social responsibilities across families. Consequently, fathers may spend less time with and reduce child support payments to their children living in other households."
• Sharing Responsibility for Child and Family Outcomes
  This keynote presentation was made at the Early Childhood Networking Meeting held September 25-26, 2006, in Reston, Virginia, to state Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) coordinating teams and reflects the views of Lisbeth B. Schorr, Lecturer in Social Medicine and Director of the Project on Effective Interventions at Harvard University and author of numerous books on successful program interventions for disadvantaged children.
• Non Profit Child Care Outlook: After 160 Years, It's Time to Change
  Roger Neugeberger explores the past, present, and future challenges of child care program directors.
• Why Nature Education?
  Recently, over 300 early childhood educators, environmental activists, landscape architects, and community planners came together at the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska, for the Working Forum on Nature Education for Young Children. Marjorie Kostelnik and Dana Friedman acted as the event's "synthesizers." They reviewed all the presentations and reports from discussions and presented a summary of key points raised on the final day.
• Toddlers Learn Complex Actions from Picture-Book Reading, Says New Research
  Parents who engage in the age-old tradition of picture-book reading are not only encouraging early reading development in their children but are also teaching their toddlers about the world around them, according to a study in the November issue of Developmental Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA). This finding shows that interactions with life-like color pictures can aid in childrens learning.
• Technology Tools for Educators
  The NAEYC Technology and Young Children website has recently been updated with a number of new links and resources. "Technology Tools for Educators" includes an annotated list of resources organized around the following categories: 1) Online Learning; 2) Tools & Tutorials; 3) Funding Technology; and 4) Organizations and Resources. The resources were selected by members of the NAEYC technology and young children interest forum.
• Findings from the 2005 Child Care Licensing Study
  Strong licensing policies and regulations are key to ensuring the health and safety of our nation's children who spend time in out-of-home care. The potential for licensing to have a positive impact on children is great given that there are more than nine million licensed child care slots in the United States. However, there is still much research needed in order to determine which licensing policies and procedures are the most effective and which regulations are best at protecting children from harm. The data in this study will help inform the regulatory and early care and education fields and hopefully spark researchers' interest in pursuing further analyses.
• NY Times Article on Universal Preschool by David Kirp
  From Brookline, Mass., to Beverly Hills, Calif., well-to-do parents spend upward of $15,000 a year to secure a place in crème de la crème preschools, for they have long appreciated the value of nursery schools that pique the curiosity of their offspring. At the opposite end of the social spectrum, for the last 40 years, tens of millions of 3- and 4-year-olds from families with below-poverty-line incomes have attended Head Start, the $6.8 billion federal program that delivers everything from know-your-letters drills and playground etiquette to hot meals and dental checkups. Now middle-class families are insisting on first-rate, publicly supported prekindergartens. From magazines for parents, they have absorbed the findings of neuroscience: the first few years of a child's life offer unmatched opportunities for learning, and prekindergarten is the best investment they can make in their children's future.
• Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: Parent-Provider Partnerships in Child Care
  A new training curriculum now available from ZERO TO THREE aims to help reduce the incidence of abuse and neglect by offering critical information and practical strategies to help child care providers work effectively with families. This 10-unit training curriculum is designed exclusively for trainers or co-trainers who support child care professionals.
• Portable Guides to Investigating Child Abuse
  OJJDP's Portable Guides series provides practical information on investigating child abuse and neglect. Written by nationally recognized experts, the guides are presented in a user-friendly format for quick on-the-job reference by police officers and detectives. The guides are also useful for social workers, physicians, attorneys, and others on the frontlines of reporting, investigating, and prosecuting crimes against children.
• Childhood abuse can impact victims' adult relationships
  Abused children may have a difficult time developing adult relationships with new people who reminded them of their abusive parent, even if only implicitly, according to a recent study published in the November issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, an official publication of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, published by SAGE Publications.
• Emotional Attachments Motivate Children's Language Mastery
  Preschool children have an impressive array of listening and speaking skills. Reading and writing abilities are in the formative stages almost ready to bud, but not just yet. Without written language as a communication tool, preschoolers often rely on art to express their affection. A crayon or marker drawing is offered up to a parent or teacher, "Look what I made just for YOU!" Of course, it is offered with the hope that the recipient "oohs and ahhs" and promises to hang it on the wall. But even for preschoolers, sometimes a drawing doesn't communicate, especially if a weighty issue lurks.
• Article on Planning Staff Meetings by Margie Carter
  In our book The Visionary Director, Deb Curtis and I offer a triangle framework for thinking through and organizing your work as a director into three comprehensive areas: managing and overseeing resources, systems, policies, standards; teaching and coaching with a focus on your staff as learners; and building and supporting community within your program and between your program and the wider community. You can plan staff meetings with the triangle framework in mind. Read the full article online, which follows the "triangle framework" and includes numerous suggestions and strategies to guide the planning and implementation of productive meetings.
• New AAP report stresses play for healthy development
  A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says free and unstructured play is healthy and - in fact - essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones as well as helping them manage stress and become resilient.
• Early Childhood Mental Health: Prevention, Promotion and Treatment
  Early childhood mental health can be considered to be synonymous with healthy social and emotional development. It also refers to the mental health difficulties and disorders experienced by very young children. We can think of the response to infant and early childhood mental health needs as existing along a continuum of promotion, prevention, and treatment services.
• Reducing Behavior Problems Among Preschoolers
  According to the Yale Child Study Center report, preschool expulsions were reduced by nearly half when teachers had access to mental health consultants (see graphic in article on the website). In collaboration with researchers leading the Chicago School Readiness Project, MDRC's Foundations of Learning project is testing a two-part intervention in preschool classrooms serving low-income families: (1) intensive training of teachers in classroom management and in techniques that promote children's positive behavior; and (2) in-class support and coaching for teachers by mental health professionals, who also provide individualized services to the highest risk children. The program will operate in all three major preschool venues - schools, community-based programs, and Head Start - and the study will employ a random assignment design to determine the effects of the intervention on children's behavior and academic achievement.
• Investing in Low-Wage Workers: Lessons from Family Child Care in Rhode Island
  While child care is one of the fastest growing occupations in the country, most employment in this field is precarious and low-wage. This report profiles a group of largely Latina and African American women living and working in some of Rhode Island's poorest neighborhoods who were determined to improve family child care both for low-income families and the women who provide the care.
• Promoting Your New (or Redesigned) Web Site
  Whether it's brand new or redesigned, promoting your Web site should be an important part of your existing marketing plan. This article by Leanne Bergey on TechSoup shows you 10 cost-effective, easy ways to generate a buzz.
• New award to invest in IT literacy
  The Verizon Tech Savvy Awards are an innovative family literacy program designed to improve parents and childrens understanding and use of technology.
• Save the Date for the 11th Annual Birth To Three Institute June 25-28 in DC
  The Institute Theme in 2007 will be Quality Practices for Babies and Toddlers: Services and Systems that Work. The meeting will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC, June 25-28, 2007. An Online Call for Proposals will begin in mid-October. Stay Tuned!
• Recommended Practices for Young Children with Disabilities
  DEC a set of evidenced-based practices to guide practitioners, parents, and faculty members. These practices in early intervention/early childhood special education result in positive changes in child development and learning, family functioning, and attitudes attributed to services and supports for children from birth through age five and their families. Resources include: DEC Recommended Practices, workbook, and video; Parent Checklist; Self-Assessment: Child-Focused Interventions; Administrators Essentials
• Child Custody with Abusive Ex-Spouse? Study Shows How Women Decide
  What influences women when they are making child custody decisions that will bring them into future contact with a violent or controlling ex-husband? Fear, pragmatism, and the belief--sometimes reinforced in mandated divorce education classes--that their children will suffer if both parents are not in their lives, according to a University of Illinois study in the August Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
• Producers Agree to Send Healthier Foods to Schools
  In an effort to fight the rise in childhood obesity, the country`s largest snack food producers said yesterday they would start providing more nutritious foods to schools, replacing sugary, fat-laden products in vending machines and cafeterias. French fries, ice cream, candy, cupcakes and potato chips from the machines, lunch lines, school stores and even school fund-raising events could disappear under a voluntary agreement between the companies and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
• State Fact Sheets on Child Welfare Funding
  These state fact sheets from the Center for Law and Social Policy will help policymakers, advocates, and the public better understand the complex financing structure of child welfare services in their states. Each fact sheet contains sections that: 1. Describe the context for child welfare spending by providing data; 2. Identify how much child welfare funding comes from federal, state, and local sources; 3. Describe the major federal funding streams that are used to support child welfare and the amount of child welfare funding that comes from each; and 4. Highlight expenditures and trends within the Title IV-E Foster Care Program.
• Parent`s Conversational Style Contributes to Child`s Security
  Parents who use a particular conversational style with their children--drawing them out to elicit detailed memories about past shared events and to talk about emotions--contribute to the child`s secure attachment, sense of self-worth, and eventual social competence, says a new University of Illinois study published in a September special edition of Attachment and Human Development. In the study, Bost and her colleagues compared the conversational styles of 90 mothers and their three-year-old children with assessments the scientists had made in the home of the children`s attachment security. The research confirmed that mothers of securely attached children use a more elaborative conversational style than those of insecure children.
• Study Sheds Light on How Young Adult Children of Immigrants Assimilate
  The largest and longest-running study of children of immigrants yet conducted confirms the critical importance of education. The greatest educational disadvantage is found among children of Mexican immigrants and Laotian and Cambodian refugees -- close to 40 percent of whom did not go beyond a high school diploma. "Education is the key to successful upward mobility among children of immigrants, so the discrepancies that emerge in educational achievement among immigrant groups tend to persist in trends for income, employment and incarceration."
• Rural Children Continue to Live in Poverty
  While the nationwide poverty rate remained stagnant, the situation became worse throughout rural, non-metro America. "Many of the headlines are saying that poverty levels have not increased, but unfortunately trends are worse for rural children," according to the Director of the Carsey Institute. "Clearly many rural families, especially in the South, are struggling to support their families and rural children are paying the price, growing up in poverty with bleak futures. Rigorous evaluations of programs to help the poor have shown investments can pay off. We need to invest in rural children, not leave them behind. The fact that almost 40 percent of children in rural Mississippi are living in poverty is a terrible indictment of our social policies.
• Books and Posters from Our Kids Press Promote Inclusion
  Our Kids Press is dedicated to publishing and distributing the highest quality childrens books and teaching posters promoting inclusion for all children. The books show young children with and without disabilities "doing what they love best: playing and learning together in natural, inclusive settings," according to founder Rochelle Bunnett, M.Ed..
• Radio Shack Learning Center Offers Free Online Classes
  Head Start and Early Childhood programs may be interested in this new option for helping staff learn technology skills.
• New National Emergency Child Locator Center Within National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
  The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has now been charged with establishing and operating the new National Emergency Child Locator Center. The center, created by Congressional legislation and recently signed into law by President Bush, will help expedite reunification of children with their families during major disasters.
• Diversity is a Key To Reducing Racial Bias in Schools
  A new study by two University of Maryland researchers shows that elementary students attending ethnically diverse schools are less likely to be racially biased than students at a homogeneous school.
• ACF Awards Over $4.8 Million to Promote Economic Self-Sufficiency for Refugees
  The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced 17 awards totaling $4,825,624 to help refugees find jobs and obtain self-sufficiency soon after their arrival in the United States.
• ACF Awards Over $36 Million to Tribes and Native Organizations
  The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced competitive project grants totaling $36,776,093 to help support locally designed projects promoting self-sufficiency in Native American communities. The awards include Social and Economic Development grants, Native Language Preservation and Maintenance funds to preserve and enhance Native languages, and Environmental Regulatory Enhancement funds to address the use and control of natural resources.
• ACF Introduces Head Start Integrated Monitoring Review Protocol in FY 2007
  In Fiscal Year 2007, OHS is introducing an integrated monitoring review protocol. This integrated protocol contains a set of compliance questions that cover all program service areas and management systems. Each compliance question is directly linked to a regulation; therefore, any review activity including interviews, observations or document reviews relates to a clearly defined performance requirement. Click on "NEW! FY07 PRISM Protocol October 24, 2006" to access the Information Memorandum ACF-IM-HS-06-06: Fiscal Year 2007 PRISM Monitoring.
• For preschool programs, does more costly mean better?
  How Much Does Quality Preschool Cost? There is abundant evidence demonstrating that states should fund quality preschool programs. However, there is less research available to suggest how much funding is necessary for programs to achieve their desired effects. This NIEER report presents current state spending on preschool, identifies some aspects of programs that are clearly related to cost, and offers estimates of the state commitment necessary to achieve various levels of access and quality.
• A Few Good Email Newsletter Tools: Reliable, affordable ways to send out email in bulk
  Idealware asked seven nonprofit technology professionals what tools have worked well for them. We then combined their thoughts with some of the collective wisdom of various listserves (mailing lists) and forums to come up with a set of solid tools that might work for you. The full article describes a wide variety of software tools suitable for large and small nonprofit organizations.
• Perpetual Preschool Offers Online Workshops
  The Perpetual Preschool offers inexpensive ($10 per workshop), 3-week, self-study online workshopsfor early childhood staff who want some experience taking an online class to assess their readiness to enroll in an online degree program. Selected workshop topics include: Documenting the Growth & Development of Young Children; Music and Movement Through Your Day; Positive Guidance Techniques; Building Strong Parent-Teacher Relationships; Pre-K Educators and the Internet; Language and Literacy Through Storytelling; The Value of Play; and Nutrition Fun.
• Six Successful, Research-based Professional Development Strategies
  The authors of this article reviewed studies of how organizations, including schools, businesses, and human service agencies, used professional development to make sustained changes. They identified six key strategies that have been used by successful organizations. These six research-based strategies provide a framework for leaders in early care and education settings to achieve lasting change and include: actively involving staff members from all levels of an organization, embracing a philosophy of continuous improvement, developing effective community collaborations, allowing sufficient time to plan and implement change, getting support from program administrators, and articulating a clear vision of where the change will lead and how to get there.
• DEC Announces Research Priorities for Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education
  The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) Research Committee of the Council for Exceptional Children announced the finalized Research Priorities for Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education. The research priorities are organized into six major areas: Assessment and Intervention; Families; Diversity; Systems and Policy; Research Translation and Knowledge Utilization; Accountability and Standards
• Ohio Early Learning Content Standards Modules
  Ohio Early Learning Content Standards Modules in mathematics, social studies, and science are taking registrations for the 2006-07 year. Modules are offered in all 12 ODE regions.
• Early Head Start Program Staff Listserv - For Program Staff Only
  Interested in communicating with your colleagues around the country who are working with pregnant women, infant, toddlers, and their families in Head Start programs? Join the EHS Program Staff Listserv and share your ideas, challenges, and resources. This is a private mailing list designed for program directors, managers, supervisors, trainers, and direct-service staff. You can sign up online at the EHSNRC website where you will be asked to indicate your EHS program affiliation on the subscription form.
• Improving Family, Friend, and Neighbor Child Care: Toward a National Strategy
  This symposium report outlines the picture of current Family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) child care research, practice, and policy that emerged and identifies next steps to strengthen all three areas.
• Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2005
  This fact sheet prepared provides a snapshot of Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) participation in 2005, noting the great variability in child care assistance programs among states. CCDBG provides child care assistance for low-income working families. In 2005, CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.78 million children. While 30 states increased the number of children served, 20 states and the District of Columbia served fewer children in 2005 than in 2004.
• Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2005
  This fact sheet prepared provides a snapshot of Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) participation in 2005, noting the great variability in child care assistance programs among states. CCDBG provides child care assistance for low-income working families. In 2005, CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.78 million children. While 30 states increased the number of children served, 20 states and the District of Columbia served fewer children in 2005 than in 2004.
• Look Who's Talking: Babies Babbling and Cooing Leads to Language Learning
  This spotlight article on the Talaris Research Institute's website helps explain how babies' repetition of babbling sounds and cooing are related to language development. The article concludes with helpful tips for parents on how to communicate with their baby. The full article can be viewed online and reprints can be purchased here: http://www.talaris.org/store.htm
• Parent-Child Shared Book Reading: Emergent Literacy & Tips for Parents
  The home literacy environment has an important role in young children's emerging literacy and social-emotional development. An emphasis has been placed on storybook reading at home. However, it has been unclear how often (quantity) storybook reading should occur or how parents should interact (quality) with their young child while reading together.
• Accommodations, Supports, and Transitions--Infancy to Postsecondary: There's Room for Everyone
  This book on inclusion, edited by Isabel Killoran and Mark Brown, differs from others because of its approach to inclusion, accommodations, and modifications. The book also includes all educational levels. While most texts separate students by division, level, or ability, There's Room for Everyone presents education/learning as an ongoing process.
• Florida Kindergarten Tests to Gauge Pre-K Success
  A fresh batch of students will be introduced to the rigors of standardized tests in the next few weeks, even as some are still learning how to hold a pencil.The scores they get will be used to rate not the students but the pre-k schools they attended. Still, the test have raised the eyebrows of education experts across the country who believe they're a bad idea. State officials counter that the tests are key to guaranteeing that children come to kindergarten well-prepared.
• Corporate Citizenship and Urban Problem Solving
  Business-led civic organizations have historically played an important role in urban policymaking, planning, and renewal. However, shifting economic forces have diminished the capacity of these organizations. This paper, along with two detailed case studies (Cleveland and Baltimore), traces the shifting landscape of business-civic organizations in 19 U.S. metropolitan areas.
• MDRC's Education Research Agenda Includes Pre-K to Postsecondary
  MDRC has just launched the Foundations of Learning Project in Newark, New Jersey, to identify and test a promising preschool approach to improve low-income children's emotional, behavioral, and academic readiness upon school entry. MDRC will test a model aimed at reducing children's challenging behaviors that includes teacher training in behavioral management strategies, combined with mental health consultation.
• Everything You Wanted to Know About the No Child Left Behind Act
  This new NCLB web portal is especially valuable to educators, the media, policymakers, elected officials, business organizations, and civil rights and civic organizations. The action briefs are written in easy-to-use language focused on specific sections of the law and include pertinent regulations, a glossary of terms, action steps, and additional resources.
• Final Report on ED's Future of Higher Education
  Highlights of the Final Report of the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education. Secretary Spellings formed the Commission to launch a national dialogue on the need to strengthen higher education so that our students and our nation will remain competitive in the 21st century.
• Staffing for Technical Support: Advice on key questions about technology staffing at nonprofits
  Technology staffing can be a challenge for nonprofits. This downloadable guide distills NPower New York's interactions with multiple organizations, large and small, and offers advice on key questions about technology staffing.
• Guide to Food Stamp Outreach Collaborations
  The Food Research and Action Center's Guide to Food Stamp Outreach Collaborations, provides an overview of promising partnerships that are working to increase participation in the Federal Food Stamp Program (FSP).
• New Report Shows Low-Income, Rural Households Lag Behind in Broadband Access
  Last week, Consumers Union released "Broadband Reality Check II," an update to a previously published report, which shows that the U.S. lags far behind other countries in terms of providing affordable broadband Internet service. In particular, the report found that Americans' access to broadband can be severely limited based on their household income and geographic location.
• Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development
  "The mission of the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development (CEECD) is to improve our knowledge of the social and emotional development of young children." Their Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development emphasizes the importance of early childhood development under a wide range of categories that include aggression, attachment, autism, eating behaviour, fetal alcohol syndrome, Head Start policy, nutrition and pregnancy, obesity, parental leave, and many other topics.
• First Book National Book Bank Helps Children from Low-Income Families
  The First Book National Book Bank (FBNBB) provides new books to children from low-income families across the country using generous donations from children's book publishers, service donors, and volunteers. Thanks to generous donations from its publishing partners, the First Book National Book Bank reaches out to programs in every corner of the country, serving national and local nonprofit organizations and reaching the broadest spectrum of children in need.
• Ideas for Using Digital Cameras in the Early Learning Classroom
  Here are a few ways you can use digital cameras and the digital images you and your students take in your classroom to enhance learning.
• NAEYC: Using Research on Early Childhood Development and Education
  Visit NAEYCs website focus on Research and Early Childhood.
• Waging a Living: PBS Documentary Chronicles Low Wage Earners
  "Waging a Living" chronicles the day-to-day battles of four low-wage earners fighting to lift their families out of poverty. Shot over a three-year period in the northeast and California, this observational documentary captures the dreams, frustrations, and accomplishments of a diverse group of people who struggle to live from paycheck to paycheck. B
• A Nonprofit's Guide to Green Printing
  If someone told you that your nonprofit could raise funds and generate awareness by razing a section of a forest, leaking carcinogens into groundwater, and adding toxins to the soil, you'd probably decline. Luckily, there are eco-friendly ways to make your print projects, the earth - and your organization - look good.
• TechPolicyBank Online: A Project of the Children's Partnership
  Welcome to the Techpolicybank Web site. This site aims to help policy-makers and community leaders access the information needed to bring the benefits of technology to young Americans, particularly those who are underserved.
• KidsHealth in the Classroom Offers Teacher's Guides
  In addition to Covering Kids and the Campaign for School Wellness, the nonprofit KidsHealth Web site has launched a new section for teachers, school nurses, coaches, and guidance counselors heading into the new school year. Teacher's Guides for PreK-Grade 2 are available to download and printout in PDF format. Topics include units on Germs, Asthma, Respiratory System, Mouth and Teeth, Skin, Sleep, Bones, Muscles, and Joints. A variety of handouts are also available.
• WGBH Science Materials for Preschool Classrooms Based on PEEP TV Episodes
  The PEEP and the Big Wide World Explorer's Guide Designed for early childhood classrooms, invites children and teachers to explore science in the world around them. Three units offer hands-on explorations that lead to rich science learning as well as lots of fun. Family Science letters extend the explorations into students' homes.
• Help Me Grow Roundtable: Promoting Development through Child Health Services
  Developed by pediatrician Paul Dworkin, M.D., physician-in-chief for Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Help Me Grow trains and supports pediatric practitioners in screening and assessing potentially at-risk children and in eliciting parents' opinions and concerns. The program then helps to match children and their parents with needed services through a centralized referral and case management system.
• CanChild Website Offers Inclusion Resources for Families, Teachers, Providers
  I encourage everyone to visit CanChild the Centre for Childhood Disability Research at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada (www.canchild.ca). This newly launched web site has much to offer families, teachers, and providers in supporting inclusion for children with special needs.
• NHSA Offers Legal Advisory Service Via Audioconference Series
  As the legal issues facing Head Start programs become more complex, and the urgency for timely answers grows, the National Head Start Association is offering the NEW Head Start Legal Advisory Service - collaboration between the National Head Start Association and the Washington, D.C., law firm, Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP.
• Head Start Launches Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center
  The Office of Head Start is pleased to announce the launch of a new interactive website, the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC). [http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov]
• Guide for Evaluating the Quality of Online Courses
  Clayton Wright of Grant MacEwan College has developed a guide for evaluating online course quality based on the national and international experiences of the staff in the Instructional Media and Design Department. The guide was developed to assist educators in evaluating the effectiveness of online courses as well as a resource for course developers.
• Connect for Kids Offers Guide to Child Care
  Connect for Kids has prepared a guide to child care, including a short list of experts in the field.
• New Child Welfare Information Gateway Aims to Be One-Stop Source
  A longstanding resource has a new look, a new name -- and a new ability to connect you to information and resources for improving the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. The Children's Bureau has revamped its National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information and the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse. The Gateway is a one-stop source for data on programs, research, laws and policies, and training resources.
• Topical Resource Links: Child Care for Very Young Children
  This site includes annotated links to resources related to the following topics: Healthy Outcomes, Quality of Child Care, Parents, Providers, Improving Child Care, and Policy Experts.
• Arizona Web Site Connects Families with Government Resources
  The site can help families connect with basic government services such as WIC, food stamps, school lunch, and Medicaid. With this information in one place and with the site also available in Spanish, Arizona residents can easily access information that is often hard to find or spread out over several locations.
• Database Provides Searchable Collection of Foundation Programs
  The Philanthropic Capacity-Building Resources Database provides a searchable collection of programs foundations offer or fund in order to strengthen nonprofits. It is available free of charge.
• AAP Travel Safety Tips
  Traveling with kids can be a challenge. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has tips for the entire family whether on the road or in the air. Please feel free to use the tips in any print or broadcast story, with appropriate attribution of source.
• 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book now available
  The national and state-by-state study reports on the well-being of Americas children and promotes discussion on ways to secure better futures for all kids. The Data Book ranks states on 10 key indicators and provides information on child health, education, and family economic conditions. This year, the Foundation also explores how early childhood development prepares children for success in school and life, and how to support family-based child care providers.
• Committe for Economic Development's Early Education Project
  In mid-2006, CED will release a new report that will further illustrate the economic benefits of quality preschool. For more information on the complete project visit the website.
• Growing Community Schools : The Role of Cross-Boundary Leadership
  Leaders from schools, cities, and counties across the nation, are working together in new ways to grow community schools. Growing Community Schools: the Role of Cross-Boundary Leadership, profiles eleven communities where this work is taking place.
• Childrens Health Disparities and Promising Approaches to Address Them
  This report begins with an overview of health disparities and various determinants of health outcomes, specifically focusing on childrens health and why it is important to address disparities that arise in children.
• Developmental Tools for Families and Providers
  What to Expect and When to Seek Help: Bright Futures Developmental Tools for Families and Providers offers a framework for families and providers to begin a conversation together about how best to support healthy social and emotional development in children. Resources are offered in four age ranges, infancy, early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence.
• May is National Military Appreciation Month
  For more information on National Military Appreciation month visit, http://www.nmam.org/
• What is the Making Work Supports Work Initiative?
  NCCP's Making Work Supports Work initiative examines the current patchwork of federal and state programs that assist low-wage workers and their families. By "work supports," we mean public benefits such as earned income tax credits, child care subsidies, health care coverage, housing assistance, and food stamps.
• World Health Organization Child Growth Standards
  This web site presents the WHO Child Growth Standards. These standards were developed using data collected in the WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study. The site presents documentation on how the physical growth curves and motor milestone windows of achievement were developed as well as application tools to support implementation of the standards.
• AAP: Age-Related Safety Sheets (Birth to 6 Months)
  Age-Related Safety Sheets (Birth to 6 Months) Safety for Your Child from TIPP (The Injury Prevention Program)
• Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families 2006
  Each year thousands of young children are killed or injured in car crashes. You can help prevent this from happening to your child by always using car safety seats and seat belts correctly. The information in this article explains how.
• Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Resource Center
  This EITC Resource Center was designed to: Provide basic information on EITC to Head Start staff and families Highlight the benefits of EITC to Head Start families Educate community partners and those who work with families about EITC and the benefits available to low income families.
• Microsoft Office vs. OpenOffice.org
  It used to be that your choice of office suites was limited to Microsoft Office or...Microsoft Office. Yet over the last couple of years, a viable open-source option has emerged: OpenOffice.org. Which is right for your organization? This Idealware article weighs the pros and cons of each.
• Early Reading First Grant Application Now Available
  The FY 2006 Early Reading First Grant Application (CFDA No. 84.359A - Pre-application) is now available to download in MS Word (67K) or PDF (918K) file formats.
• Child Care as Economic Development
  The Linking Economic Development and Child Care Research Project aims to better identify the economic linkages of child care from a regional economy perspective. We support states and localities interested in using an economic development framework to build coalitions with the economic development community, business interests and policy makers to help craft new approaches to child care finance.
• RAND Data on Proven Benefits of Early Intervention
  The RAND corporation recently released a research brief entitled, "Proven Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions," detailing the most effective practices and features of early intervention programs, based on an in-depth literature review and analysis.
• The Crosswalks Toolbox - Diversity Database
  Interested in resources that address key areas of early childhood or early intervention content AND diversity? Would you like to find videos, articles, syllabi and other resources for increasing the emphasis on cultural and linguistic diversity in your work? The Crosswalks Toolbox, an interactive database designed to identify resources that address both content and diversity, is now available at http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~scpp/crosswalks/toolbox/search.cfm.
• Freeware Program Helps Document Network Diagrams
  Network Notepad is a freeware program for creating interactive network diagrams. Use its simple drag-and-drop interface and open-text file format to generate linked diagrams and flow charts.
• ACEI Self Assessment Tool: Guidelines For The Education And Care of Young Children
  This tool may be downloaded free from the ACEI website. It is adapted from the Global Guidelines For Early Childhood Education And Care In The 21st Century. The Global Guidelines may be viewed online at http://www.acei.org/wguides.htm.
• Fit Source Directory: Physical Activity and Nutrition in Child Care Settings
  This site links child care and afterschool providers to a wide variety of physical activity and nutrition resources. You will find links to activities, lesson plans, healthy recipes, information for parents, and many other downloadable tools that can be used to incorporate physical activity and nutrition into child care and afterschool programs.
• CSEFEL: Scripted Stories for Social Situations
  Scripted Stories for Social Situations help children understand social interactions, situations, expectations, social cues, the script of unfamiliar activities, and/or social rules. As the title implies, they are brief descriptive stories that provide information regarding a social situation. When children are given information that helps them understand the expectations of a situation, their problem behavior within that situation is reduced or minimized.
• NAEYC: Supporting Families of Children with Disabilities
  In this issue of Beyond the Journal read about how typical preschool programs and early intervention specialists can work together to inform and support families of children with disabilities. Also learn about Family Systems Theory and how this theory can help practitioners in their daily work with families.
• Making Early Developmental Screenings Routine
  The more researchers learn about diagnosing and treating developmental delays and disabilities, the clearer the message becomes: the earlier the better. In Los Angeles, dozens of agencies are working together to encourage parents and caregivers to use simple observational tools to screen young children - and get them services when needed. Amy Coutee reports on the L.A. County Early Identification and Intervention Group.
• Head Start Center Design Guide. Second Edition.
  The new second edition of this essential reference is now available for downloading. Planning and designing new Head Start centers and/or expanding or renovating existing centers are challenging tasks requiring considerable guidance. Head Start center design teams, grantees, architects, and engineers are among those who will find these benchmarks for best practice helpful. The recommendations are intended to establish optimal design.
• National Head Start Oral Health Resource Center
  The resource center collects, reviews, and disseminates Head Start oral health technical and programmatic information and materials. The information and materials are intended for health professionals and families. They include: Forum reports at national, regional and state levels; Links to relevant web sites; Materials including pamphlets, videos, curricula, etc.; Partnership Projects; and Regional consultants.
• Family Involvement Storybook Corner
  FINE introduces a unique resource to strengthen family-school-community partnerships-children's storybooks with family involvement content. In partnership with Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), we are launching the Family Involvement Storybook Corner as a place to find compilations of family involvement children's storybooks and related tools and information. Family involvement storybooks can be used to promote awareness, discussion, and practice of family involvement among families, educators, and others who work with children or families, across a wide range of educational settings. We invite you to share your feedback with us on this new resource.
• New TechSoup Program: HP Technology for Community Grant Awards
  HP has partnered with TechSoup Stock to provide technology tools to nonprofit organizations. The HP Technology for Community Grant Initiative <http://www.techsoup.org/stock/hp> will award nonprofit organizations in 13 U.S. states, DC, and Puerto Rico an HP wireless technology package valued at approximately $17,000. Many other awards will be available. To learn more, and discover how to register and apply, see http://www.techsoup.org/stock/hp/Default.asp?visit=1 .
• Eight Tools to Keep Your Team Connected
  How do you coordinate a team of 20 volunteers providing support to 83 organizations in 14 countries -- all from one location? Veteran eRider manager Teresa Crawford shares eight tried-and-true applications for keeping far-flung workers connected.
• AAP: 14 Ways to Show Love for Your Child This Valentine's Day
  The following are Valentine's Day tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
• Making the Holidays Less Materialistic
  The full article online describes five ways you can help decrease materialism in your kids and reinforce the real reason for the season.
• Article: Math and Young Children
  In the Exchange article, "Math Talk With Young Children: One Parent's Experience," now available in the "Exchange Ideas for You - Free!" section of our web site at www.ChildCareExchange.com <http://mail.ccie.com/go/eed/894>
• NAEYC Regional Seminars on New Accreditation Program in 7 U.S. Cities
  NAEYC will once again bring valuable training and information to regional sites across the country in 2006. The early childhood community is buzzing about the changes to the NAEYC Accreditation process. Now heres your chance to get full information on the changes and the impact to you and your program.
• Online Classes Provide Low-Income Adults with Professional Skills
  Training Futures, a top-performing nonprofit workforce development program operated by the Northern Virginia Family Service, uses online classes to help low-income adults develop crucial professional skills. There are about 500 different courses on topics including Microsoft Office, Web design, computer programming, communications, bookkeeping, business, math and more.
• NIEER Report: Effects of State PreK Programs on School Readiness
  The Effects of State Prekindergarten Programs on Young Children's School Readiness in Five States: Study shows high-quality state pre-K programs improve language and math abilities of children of all backgrounds
• Is Your Website Accessible? Checklist from TechSoup
  If your site can't be viewed by anyone with a disability, you're excluding a huge segment of the population. Using the Web Site Accessibility Checklist, you can determine your site's level of accessibility and prioritize which areas you need to improve first.
• National Inclusive Schools Week Dec. 5-9
  Inclusive schools are better prepared to bridge the achievement gap for students of diverse abilities and backgrounds, because they integrate special education supports into the curriculum and affirm students' rich cultures. The 5th Annual National Inclusive Schools Week" will be celebrated in schools, classrooms, and communities December 5-9, 2005, with a special focus on the achievement gap and strategies for improving educational outcomes for all students.
• 2nd National Head Start Hispanic Institute (Online Registration Available)
  2nd National Head Start Hispanic Institute Today's Children, Tomorrow's Leaders The second National Head Start Hispanic Institute is scheduled for February 27-March 3, 2005 in Denver, Colorado. Learn about continuing efforts to raise awareness within the Head Start community and to enhance services to Hispanic children and their families throughout the country. For more information and to register online, please visit: http://www.hsnrc.org/Hispanic2a/
• AAP Childhood Immunization Support Program
  Visit the American Academy of Pediatrics Childhood Immunization Support Program for up-to-date information on immunizations including the influenza vaccine.
• KidsHealth Addresses Avian Flu Preparations
  Now that there are confirmed human cases in Asia, will the avian flu head our way? KidsHealth has the facts about bird flu and how it could affect humans.
• New Health Education Resource for Parents and Providers
  The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care with support from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau has launched a new website for parents of children who attend early care and education programs. It is based on the National Health and Safety Performance Standards known as Caring for Our Children. A Spanish version is expected to be available in the near future.
• Zero to Three Report Supports Healthy Social Emotional Development
  Helping Young Children Succeed, a joint research and policy report developed by ZERO TO THREE and the National Council of State Legislatures, describes how state policymakers can support the healthy social-emotional development of young children from birth to age five. The brief defines early childhood social-emotional development; describes what can happen when children face emotional and behavioral problems; and outlines what actions can be taken at the state level to support healthy social-emotional development in babies and young children. Learn more at: http://www.zerotothree.org/policy/
• ZERO TO THREE Launches New Network: Be a Voice for Babies
  At ZERO TO THREE, we know that babies deserve better. We hope you do, too. That's why we're launching the ZERO TO THREE Policy Network  inspired by the accomplishments and success of the Better Baby Care Campaign. By joining, you'll be helping babies take that first step toward building healthy minds and bodies.
• TechSoup: Get Your Consulting Project Started on the Right Foot
  It's always a good idea to get everything in writing before you start any work. TechSoup's Field Agreement can help consultants summarize initial work with a client, define the project, and establish expectations.
• Failure to Thrive Subject of New AAP Clinical Report
  Failure to thrive is a common problem in infancy and childhood. A new clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says it is most often caused by inadequate nutrition and disturbed social interactions, which contribute to poor weight gain, delayed development and abnormal behavior. To learn more visit the website.
• Holiday Tips for Families
  Experts with Parents as Teachers National Center offer holiday tips for families with young children, who are often at the center of holiday celebrations and family get-togethers. By remembering that holiday stress can affect children differently, that sharing cultural traditions helps parents create special memories for their kids, and that seasonal music offers a learning opportunity, families can celebrate together in peace and prosperity. For more information visit the website above.
• November is National Adoption Month
  Visit the website for information about: About National Adoption Month 2005 AdoptUsKids Toolkit to Help Professionals Promote Adoption Who Are the Children Waiting for Families? How to Adopt Resources for Adoption Professionals on Recruitment and Retention Resources for Parents and Teachers There are also resources available in Spanish.
• Three Child Trends Reports: Repeating a Grade; IEPs; and Head Start
  New from Child Trends: Repeating a Grade, Individualized Education Plans, and Head Start
• Toolkit for Communications and Advocacy: Jobs and Wages
  This Web site offers information and resources designed to help people who care about building an economy that allows all Americans the opportunity for stable jobs with adequate pay and benefits. It includes a toolkit for communication and advocacy around living wages. (Summary from Connect for Kids  www.connectforkids.org
• Screening Tools to Help Families Access Public Benefits
  This tool provides municipal officials with approaches, considerations, and specific technology options for using screening tools to connect eligible residents to key state and federal benefits. Highlighted in the report are several local, state, and nationally franchised electronic screening tools utilized by city governments.
• High Quality Pre-K Virtual Classroom Tour
  Seeing isn't just believing, it's understanding. That is the principle guiding Pre-K Now's virtual tour of a high-quality pre-k classroom. Understanding what to look for is crucial to families investigating their pre-k options. Policymakers, reporters, and even educators can also learn the hallmarks of high quality on a classroom level. Complete with photographs of a real pre-k setting, the tour brings high quality to life.
• Hotlinks to Websites for Health and Safety in Child Care
  A continuously evolving set of hotlinks useful for child care agencies is available on this site. Please send all questions and comments to natl.child.res.ctr@uchsc.edu and your questions will be answered as fast and accurately as possible.
• Food Prices Linked to Weight Gain in Children
  It's well known that grocery stores are not all created equal - the costs of fresh, healthy foods are typically higher in poorer areas. A RAND Corporation study found links between food costs and kids' health. Where fruits and veggies were more affordable, there were significantly lower gains in Body Mass Index among kindergarteners and first graders. Lower meat prices had the opposite effect. (Summary from Connect for Kids)
• GiftWorks 2006 Available for Nonprofits
  GiftWorks 2006 from Mission Research is a fundraising management package for small- and medium-sized nonprofits. Organizations can use it to track donors and donations and build targeted lists of donors, supporters and prospects. Nonprofits can also use GiftWorks to send mailings and create reports. Admin fee $35 (retail value $299)
• RealVNC (Virtual Network Computing) Free Edition
  VNC stands for Virtual Network Computing and RealVNC Free Edition is remote-control software that allows you to view and interact with one computer (the "server") using a simple program (the "viewer") on another PC, anywhere on the Internet. The two systems don't even need to be running the same operating system. For example, you can use VNC to view a Linux machine at the office on your Windows PC at home.
• American Community Survey: Marriage and Fertility
  About 29 percent of all new mothers in the United States are unmarried and 15 percent are not American citizens, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, which tracks state-specific data. Compared with the national average, most states in the South, and some states in the West, had a higher percentage of unmarried mothers with a birth in the last year who were below the poverty level. Overall, nearly 8 percent of those giving birth each year are teens. Approximately 12 percent of married mothers live in poverty, compared with about half of unmarried moms. (Summary from Connect for Kids: www.connectforkids.org. For more information visit the Census Bureau's website.
• How Does Increased TV Watching "Weigh Into" Childhood Obesity?
  Two articles in the October issue of The Journal of Pediatrics describe the relationship between television watching and childhood obesity.
• Tech Planning: Transitioning into programmatic uses of technology
  This two-part series explores ways that nonprofits have budgeted for technology to help achieve their missions. Most nonprofits start with one person's vision of a better world. But it's tough to reach out if you don't have the right tools. In the second part of the series, read about innovative ways nonprofits used technology to achieve their goals.
• New Compilation of Resources on Family Involvement in Children's Education
  As part of our national work on strengthening the field of family involvement, Harvard Family Research Project has come up with a solution. "Taking a Closer Look: A Guide to Online Resources on Family Involvement" is now available on the Harvard Family Research Project website.
• Child Behavior and the Environment
  In the new edition of Caring Spaces, Learning Places, Jim Greenman addresses the impact of the environment on children's behavior.
• Spanish-language fundraising workshops free for nonprofits
  The Foundation Center is offering one-day fundraising workshops in Spanish for representatives of Spanish-speaking nonprofits during October and November.
• ISTE / NCATE Standards for Educational Technology Programs
  The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) provides leadership to improve teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in K-12 education and teacher education. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) is the official body for accrediting teacher preparation programs in the US. Together, ISTE and NCATE have developed National Standards for Technology in Teacher Preparation.
• The 100 Best Communities for Young People
  America's Promise Alliance for Youth has announced the top communities for young people. Ranging from small towns to urban neighborhoods, each keeps five essential promises to young people: caring adults who are actively involved in their lives; safe places in which to learn and grow; a healthy start toward adulthood; an effective education that builds marketable skills; and opportunities to help others.
• Ten Tips for Funding Technology
  There are no silver bullets when it comes to fundraising, especially during tough economic times. Here are ten tips to help you find the funds you need to implement and sustain your critical technology strategy.
• TechSoup Information on Databases
  Databases are crucial for organizing client information, generating reports, and keeping track of financial records. Many times, you can find affordable software to suit your needs, but sometimes a custom solution may be more appropriate. Either way, the following articles can help you pick the right database application.
• Head Start Help On The Way For Katrina's Displaced Preschoolers
  The federal response is not fully developed, but early education experts say Head Start will play a central role. So far, $15 million has been allocated to the Head Start Bureau for temporary enrollment of children displaced by Katrina.
• Spotlight On Katrina: Structuring Recovery Efforts to Help Low-Income Families
  In this special section of our Website, we will publish documents designed to help government, business, nonprofits, advocates and others plan and carry out recovery efforts that offer help to low-income families and communities. Our guidelines, recommendations, and analyses will focus on specific program areas of staff expertise.
• Research-to-Policy Connections Briefs on Infant and Toddler Child Care
  Research Connections has launched a new series of research briefs, titled Research-to-Policy Connections, which summarize current research on key topics in child care and early education, and discuss implications for policymakers. The first three briefs in the series review critical issues related to Infant and Toddler Child Care and are titled: Infant and Toddler Child Care Arrangements, Infant and Toddler Child Care Quality, and Impact of Training and Education for Caregivers of Infants and Toddlers.
• NCFL professional development opportunities for Head Start programs
  Registration is currently open for the following sessions, all held in Louisville, Kentucky: Foundations in Family Literacy, Connecting Parents in Elementary Schools, Children's Literacy, Infants and Toddlers, Children's Literacy, Preschool, and Parenting for Academic Success: A Curriculum for Families Learning English.
• Study to Validate Impact Block Play Has On Focus, Attention, and Learning
  Award-winning educational toy manufacturer, Mega Bloks Inc. (TSX: MB &lt;http://press.arrivenet.com/business/cmpny_snpsh.php?symb=ca:MB>), today announced that the company is underwriting a first-of-its-kind independent pilot clinical research study to evaluate the developmental benefits Mega Bloks' building toys have on focus, attention, and learning.
• Center Teaches Computer Literacy to Low-Income Latina Women
  At the height of San Francisco's dot-com goldrush, Sister Petra Chavez founded the Caminos Learning Center. Read more about the organization and its work teaching immigrant and low-income Latina women computer literacy. View the full article on the Techsoup website.
• Child Care Resources Online Training Site
  Child Care Resources strives to meet the training needs of early childhood professionals through quality online training, available around the clock. No special hardware or software is required.
• E-LECT (E-Learning for Early Childhood Teachers)
  Minnesota's community and technical colleges have created a consortium. The group received an initial grant from the Great Lakes Head Start Quality Network funding the development on on-line courses. Recently, the consortium received a grant from the Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning to fund the completion of adapting and delivering all of the child development courses on-line.
• Statehealthfacts.org Updates Health Status and Health Insurance Info
  For the latest on smoking rates among adults, prevalence of poor mental health among adults by sex and race/ethnicity, and new information on health insurance programs, visit statehealthfacts.org, which offers health data on all 50 states. Summary from Connect for Kids &lt;http://www.connectforkids.org/>
• Social and Economic Characteristics of U.S. Students
  The Census Bureau has released the latest national tabulations of the number of students in school -- from nursery school to college -- with updated information on the more than 75 million people ages 3 years old and over who were in classroom in 2004. Summary from Connect for Kids www.connectforkids.org &lt;http://www.connectforkids.org/>
• Global Guidelines For Early Childhood Education And Care In The 21st Century
  The Association for Childhood Education International presents Global Guidelines for Early Childhood Education and Care in the 21st Century. Includes full guidelines, a self-assessment tool, and self-assessment tool instructions.
• AAP Fire Safety Tips/Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 9-15)
  National Fire Prevention Week is October 9 -15. Help keep your family safe all year round by implementing the following tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• AAP Halloween Safety Tips
  Halloween is an exciting time of year for kids, and to help ensure they have a safe holiday, here are some tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
• Next Steps: TechSoup's Katrina Relief Resources
  Katrina's far-reaching devastation has impacted nonprofits in the Gulf Coast area, leaving many stranded and unsure of how to recover. In an effort to help those in need, TechSoup has created a page with articles, worksheets, and other tools, including a comprehensive, downloadable guide to disaster recovery and listings of regional IT technology support resources.
• Pathways Awareness Foundation
  Pathways Awareness Foundation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the benefit of early detection and early therapy for children with physical movement differences.
• Missing Kids and Families Use the Web to Reconnect after Hurricane
  In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Department of Justice has asked the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to staff a hotline to take reports of missing children, missing adults, and found children. If you are searching for someone who is missing or are caring for a child who is separated from his or her family, please call the Katrina Missing Persons Hotline at 1-888-544-5475.
• NAEYC Beyond the Journal: Teaching and Learning about Social Studies
  In this issue you will find a list of children's books, both fiction and nonfiction, to enhance your social studies teaching and learning. Also: read an overview of social studies curricula in the early childhood classroom, learn how creating social stories can help children with difficult transitions, browse through print and online resources, and additional articles (all available as pdf files or text documents)
• Making Your Website a Better Marketing Tool
  So how do you drive even more traffic to your website? And once visitors are there, how can your site be more effective at helping you generate inquiry calls and center enrollment visits? To learn the answer, go to the new Marketing Exchange feature on the CCIE website - http://www.childcareexchange.com/marketing_exchange/view_article.php?topic_id=51
• Connect for Kids: Hurricane Katrina Online Resources
  In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Connect for Kids has pulled together online resources for helping those affected. We've divided them into three sections: Emergency Guidelines for Helping Victims looks at how government agencies are developing procedures for helping the displaced; Giving & Getting Help is a compilation of information on donating and volunteering, also on help available to those affected; and Help with Healing offers information on supporting kids and families dealing with trauma related to Katrina. We expect to update this resource frequently.
• IM: Info on Hurricane Relief for Head Start and EHS Grantees and Delegate Agencies
  We are asking all Head Start grantees, particularly those in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, to open your doors to those displaced families who have sought refuge in your community and to seek new ways to support children, parents and others affected by this disaster.
• Low-Income Working Families: Facts and Figures
  The vast majority of low-income parents today are working but still struggling to make ends meet: struggling to find and keep a toehold in a changing labor market, to keep up with their bills, to pay the spiraling costs of essentials like health care and housing, and to raise children with a chance of future success. These families have much in common with other American families as they seek to balance work and family life, yet parents and children in low-income families are more financially vulnerable than those in higher-income families.
• AAP Recommendations for Disaster Preparedness
  In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and with more storms to follow during hurricane season, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises creating a family readiness kit. The Disaster Planning section of the AAP website has links to AAP resources, federal resources, medical journals/reports, and links to other related organizations. Visit the Disaster Planning section at: http://www.aap.org/terrorism/topics/disaster_planning.html
• Immigrant children misdiagnosed as language-impaired
  Immigrant children still mastering the English language risk being shuffled into special education services they don't need, because of errors in assessment for speech problems, according to a new University of Alberta study.
• New how-to website supports new voices in community news
  J-Learning.org, a how-to digital handbook for designing, launching and sustaining an online community news site was launched today by J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism at the University of Maryland.
• Virtualization Software: A Computer Inside Your Computer
  Virtualization software (VS) is a way of running multiple operating systems on the same computer, all at the same time. It's like having many computers inside your computer.
• EITC Partnering Opportunities & Resources For National and Local Organizations
  Thousands of organizations nationwide are partnering with IRS to make a difference in their communities. We invite you to join our partner network and provide your clients, employees, organization representatives and/or community members with the information and assistance they need, want and value. With so many tax benefits available today, taxes can serve as the starting point for a dream leading to stronger financial security for many people.
• EITC Assistant
  Available in English and Spanish Will you qualify for the EITC this year? Tired of guessing? Don't guess. Know. There's a lot to know about qualifying for EITC, but the most important thing to know is you can get help figuring it all out. The EITC Assistant is a convenient way for you to find out if you are likely to qualify for the EITC by answering questions online, about yourself, your children, your living situation, and your income. You will see the results of the eligibility check right away, on your computer screen. The EITC Assistant can be used by individuals, tax practitioners, employers, community and public service organizations, and IRS partners. The EITC Assistant is: Easy to follow Simple to navigate Also visit the main EITC page for full information on EITC www.irs.gov/eitc
• Medicare and Medicaid at 40
  The Medicare and Medicaid health coverage programs were signed into law July 30, 1965. The Kaiser Family Foundation has some new resources that examine how Medicare and Medicaid came into existence and how they have evolved over the past 40 years. You will find new documentaries and extended interviews with key policymakers and government officials examining the origins of Medicare and Medicaid, new interactive historical timelines, a chart pack of key information and statistics, a webcast of a retrospective of the two programs with historian Robert Dallek and key government officials responsible for the programs over the past 40 years, and many other background resources on the two programs.
• National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center
  The purpose of the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) is to respond to the needs of states and communities in addressing current and emerging public oral health issues. OHRC supports health professionals, program administrators, educators, policymakers, and others with the goal of improving oral health services for infants, children, adolescents, and their families. The resource center collaborates with federal, state, and local agencies; national and state organizations and associations; and foundations to gather, develop, and share quality and valued information and materials.
• InFocus: The Autistic Child
  With controversy over its causes, autism is among the most hotly debated child health issues. It's also one that demands increasing attention from parents, teachers and caregivers - as more than 120,000 children with autism are served by public schools under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and a rapid increase in incidence has been reported. The Center for Health and Health Care in School offers a new resource on the issue. Summary from Connect for Kids (www.connectforkids.org)
• Healthy Steps for Young Children
  Healthy Steps for Young Children is a national initiative aimed at enhancing the quality of preventive health care for young children. Healthy Steps emphasizes a close relationship between health care professionals and parents in addressing the physical, emotional, and intellectual growth and development of young children from birth to age 3.
• August 2005: National Immunization Awareness Month
  August is recognized as National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM). The goal of NIAM is to increase awareness about immunizations across the lifespan, from infants to the elderly. This year's campaign is focused around the theme, "Are You Up to Date? Vaccinate!," to remind people of all ages of the importance of immunization. August is the perfect time to remind family, friends, co-workers, and those in the community to catch up on their vaccinations. Parents are enrolling their children in school, students are entering college, and health care workers are preparing for the upcoming flu season. Visit the website for more information.
• CDF Children's Sabbaths Manual Now Available
  The Children's Defense Fund urges people of faith to join thousands of congregations and religious organizations in seeking justice for children living in poverty by joining in the 14th annual National Observance of Children's Sabbaths. To offer guidance in organizing these events, the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is selling the National Observance of Children's Sabbaths Manual: Putting our Faith into Action to Seek Justice for Children. This resource provides materials to be used in worship services, educational programs for adults, youth and children, study groups, newsletters, and bulletins.
• Website with Resources for Teachers of English Language Learners
  Colorín Colorado is a web-based service that provides information, activities, and advice for Spanish-speaking parents and educators of English language learners (ELLs).
• AAP: Back to School Tips
  The following health and safety tips are from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
• AAP: Travel Safety Tips
  Keep your family safe when on vacation by following these tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
• Kids Count Data Book 2005 Is Now Available Online
  The 16th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book released July 27 reports that national trends in child well-being are no longer improving in the rapid and sustained way they did in the late 1990s. Among the negative trends: the number of children who live with parents facing persistent unemployment grew to 4 million, an increase of more than 1 million since 2000. This year's essay, "Helping Our Most Vulnerable Families Overcome Barriers to Work and Achieve Financial Success," examines four employment barriers that policymakers and others consider among the most difficult to overcome: substance abuse, domestic violence, a history of incarceration, and depression. These burdens can diminish a person's motivation and ability to find work. The state-by-state data contained in the 2005 Data Book are now part of an interactive database.
• International Children's Digital Library
  The International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) is a five-year project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to create a digital library of international children's books.
• Fit Source: A Web Directory for Providers
  Welcome to Fit Source! This site links child care and afterschool providers to a wide variety of physical activity and nutrition resources. You will find links to activities, lesson plans, healthy recipes, information for parents, and many other downloadable tools that can be used to incorporate physical activity and nutrition into child care and afterschool programs.
• Visit TechSoup's Free Downloads Section
  If you're like most busy nonprofit professionals, the last thing you want to do is spend your time searching for software. That's why Techsoup has compiled a list of free applications in the following categories: Databases, E-mail and Communications, File Compression, Network Administration, Office Applications, Operating Systems, Security and Privacy, and Web Applications. In this section you won't find a comprehensive list of every free program in existence. What you will find is a short list of excellent applications (for both newbies and geeks) that will meet most nonprofits' needs for end-user software -- no 30-day downloads, no guilt-trip messages, no crippled features.
• Organizational Development Tools
  The Center for Community Change is about helping to build strong organizations. Our technical assistance and training programs can help provide groups with the skills and techniques that will take them in the directions they want to go.
• Better Brains for Babies (BBB) Initiative
  BBB is a collaboration of State, local, public, and private organizations dedicated to promoting awareness and education about the importance of early brain development in the healthy growth and development of infants and young children in Georgia. BBB shares research on brain development through their Web site (the What You Need To Know link); a speaker's bureau of trained volunteers who can speak to community organizations and professional groups about brain research; a lending library; and train-the-trainer workshops. The What Information is Available link provides information on fact sheets, resources, and additional Web sites.
• North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA)
  The North American Reggio Emilia Alliance is a network of educators, parents, and advocates seeking to elevate both the quality of life and the quality of schools and centers for young children. The organization features conference information, the periodical Innovations, bibliographies of Reggio Emilia resources, news, and membership information.
• Reggio Emilia Resources
  This site features information on Reggio Emilia including: Reggio Emilia-Related Conference Schedule-regularly updated Reggio Children: Information, Contacts, Resources The Hundred Languages of Children Exhibit Schedule Reggio Emilia Study Tour Information Resources Related to the Reggio Emilia Educational Philosophy North American Reggio Network Contact Information
• Creating a Service Delivery Flowchart
  Flowcharts are graphical representations of a process. Learn why they're useful and how to create one. This free download is a Visio chart that shows an example of a service delivery process model.  Flowcharts are useful in the following ways: * Documenting or describing an existing process. * Developing modifications to an existing process. * Investigating where problems might occur in a process. * Designing an entirely new process.
• Creating Digital Video: An Introduction to the Technical Stuff
  This brief article by Merle Marsh, Ed.D., provides basic information about: * Video Cameras: Digital & Analog * Ports, Plugs and All That * Guidelines for Macintosh and PC computers This ia useful resource for those getting started in creating digital video.
• Spring 2005 Issue of Early Childhood Research and Practice
  The Spring 2005 issue, volume 7, number 1, of Early Childhood Research & Practice (ECRP) is now available online. ECRP, which is published by CEEP, is the first peer-reviewed, Internet-only journal in early childhood education; and the first early childhood journal to be completely bilingual English-Spanish.
• Basic Facts About Low-Income Children: Birth to Age 3
  Visit the website to view related graphs and charts, as well as comparable information about all young children (separate reports ara available for children under 6 years old and for all children under 18 years old).
• Website offers resources to photograph special kids' beauty
  families with special needs children sometimes find an event that should be routine can become a mini-nightmare - upsetting and frustrating for everyone.
• Harvard Education Letter Focus on Early Childhood Education
  Welcome to the Harvard Education Letter's special web page on the education of children from preschool through grade three, made possible by a grant from the Foundation for Child Development (FCD).
• Announcing the Call for Presentations for "Serving Children Through Partnership and Collaboration", Head Start's 8th National Research Conference
  presented by the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with Xtria, LLC; Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health; and, Society for Research in Child Development to be held June 26-28, 2006 in Washington, DC. Proposals are due no later than August 15, 2005.
• TechSoup Hot Topic: New Site Offers Nonprofit Wish List
  Oodle is launching a free community service in several US cities to make it easier for people to find places to donate goods, such as clothing, furniture, computers, household appliances and/or vehicles.
• Illinois Gateways to Opportunity: Statewide Professional Development Network
  Check out Gateways to Opportunity, the new Web site of the Illinois statewide professional development network for early care and education practitioners, to see a list of careers in the field, a searchable higher-education directory, a job board where you can post and search for jobs, and online training calendars.
• Framework for Staffing All High-Poverty, Low-Performing Schools
  This Framework offers a systemic set of actions for addressing a long-standing problem: Our most vulnerable students, those in high-poverty, low-performing schools, are far less likely than their wealthier peers to attend schools with the most qualified teachers, administrators, and other school staff. The result of wide-ranging research, decades of collective experience, and sustained conversation between the leaders and staff of LFA member organizations, the Framework is intended to guide the efforts of LFA organizations and their affiliates as they work together to ensure all students access to highly effective educators. In addition, it offers a shared vocabulary and vision to help other stakeholders understand the roles they can play in this important work. Visit the above website to download the report or an overview of the 8 part framework.
• Resources for and about Fathering
  "The Daddy Project," "Fathers 4 Justice," "Dads & Daughters" -- Connect for Kids' parenting pages offer a wide variety of articles, tools and links about fathers, fatherhood, and how dads are serving as advocates for kids and communities everyday.
• Assistance with Media Relations for Nonprofits
  Dupont Circle Communications can help you create a communications strategy and plan, start up your first media relations department, build relationships with reporters when communications staff is not available and much more. There are free materials available on their website including: How to Create News and Pitch Stories Writing Press Releases Talking to the Press
• EVALULEAD: Guide for Shaping and Evaluating Leadership Development Programs
  The purpose of the EvaluLEAD methodology is to assist in the exploration and documentation of a leadership development program's complex results. EvaluLEAD suggests the use of a set of nine lenses for exploring a program's multiple influences. Intended for use by individuals or teams, this Guide explains each of those evaluation lenses in detail and provides tools and instruction for applying them to forward-looking evaluation of leadership development programs. After explanation of the key concepts underlying the EvaluLEAD approach, a series of steps that can lead to a well-articulated and strategic evaluation plan are introduced. Available at the website above as a 51 page pdf file.
• Mental Health Resources on Connect for Kids Website
  Connect for Kids' Mental Health topic area has information, tools for parents and advocates, and a comprehensive list of links to resources on children and teens' mental health.
• Hispanic Family Learning Institute
  The Hispanic Family Learning Institute (HFLI) was established by NCFL in 2003. The Toyota Family Literacy Program (TFLP), funded by a generous $3.2 million grant from Toyota, is the first initiative under the HFLI umbrella and supports family literacy services for the educational advancement of Hispanic and other immigrant families in need.
• Caring Across Cultures: Achieving Cultural Competence
  Research has documented that ethnic and racial minorities are less likely to have access to health care, more likely to experience health problems, and frequently unable to get the best help available from the health care system.
• Website focused on Kids and Car Safety
  KIDS AND CARS' mission is to assure no child dies or is injured in a non-traffic, non-crash motor vehicle related event. We hope you find this information useful and will want to help us work to prevent children from being injured or killed.
• Organizations Database Searchable on Connect for Kids Website
  Find out what organizations are dedicated to improving the lives of children and families. Find organizations working on the issues that matter to you. CFK's organization database can help you find what you're looking for.
• Selected Distance Learning Organizations and Associations
  There is a wealth of resources and information on distance learning principles, practices, technologies, and applications on the Internet. Here are links to a few selected distance learning organizations and associations that will connect you to the broader conversations about teaching and learning online beyond early care and education.
• Website Devoted to the Relationships between Dads & Daughters
  Dads and Daughters ®, the national advocacy non-profit for fathers and daughters whose mission is to inspire fathers to actively engage in the lives of daughters, has impacted the lives of tens of thousands of fathers and daughters with outstanding educational resources and advocacy work supporting fathers involvement in girls lives.
• Website focuses on Fathers of Children with Special Needs - The Fathers Network
  The Fathers Network advocates for and provides resources and support to all men who have children with special needs
• Organization and Website focused on Violence Prevention in Early Childhood
  ACT-Adults and Children Together-Against Violence is a violence prevention project that focuses on adults who raise, care for, and teach children ages 0 to 8 years. It is designed to prevent violence by providing young children with positive role models and environments that teach nonviolent problem-solving. The project includes a national media campaign and training for community professionals.
• AFT Convenes Early Childhood Education Summit: Working for Peanuts Campaign
  
• "Growing Ideas" Tipsheets on Early Childhood Topics
  The Growing Ideas Tipsheets are presented in 3 formats including small PDf, large PDf, or text only versions. For eac