eNotes
July 1, 2016In this Issue:
- Credentialing in the Early Care and Education Field Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Early Child Development - June 29, 2016
- 2016-18 "Learn the Signs. Act Early." State Systems Grants Source: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs - June 30, 2016
- 2016 Grants from National Center for Special Education Research Source: National Center for Special Education Research - July 1, 2016
- The Road to High-Quality Early Education: Lessons from the States Source: Learning Policy Institute - June 29, 2016
- 2014 Head Start and Early Head Start Profiles Source: CLASP - June 29, 2016
- Grant Notices - Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships Source: Office of Head Start - June 28, 2016
1. Credentialing in the Early Care and Education Field
A new report, spearheaded by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, examines comprehensive career pathway systems in the early childhood education (ECE) field. The report provides a national landscape of states' requirements for ECE staff related to credentialing, introduces a career pathways framework in use by several federal agencies, and highlights five states at various points in the development of ECE career pathways. It also offers recommendations for states and the field as they work to design strong, comprehensive pathway systems intended to meet the skill, employment, and advancement needs of individuals entering the ECE field. See Early Learning Career Pathways Initiative: Credentialing in the Early Care and Education Field (June 2016).
2. 2016-18 "Learn the Signs. Act Early." State Systems Grants
The "Learn the Signs. Act Early." (LTSAE) program provides educational information to parents, health care professionals and early care and education providers about the importance of early identification and intervention for children with signs of autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Recently, 12 states and jurisdictions were awarded 2016-18 Developmental Monitoring with State Systems grants designed to increase parent-engaged developmental monitoring by promoting the integration of LTSAE materials into programs and statewide systems that serve young children and their families. To learn more about each grantee's goals, activity areas, and teams, see AMCHP Overview: 2016-18 Learn the Signs. Act Early. State Systems Grants. The grantees include Guam, the Virgin Islands, California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
3. 2016 Grants from National Center for Special Education Research
Thirty-six Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 grants for education research related to students with disabilities and/or those at risk for disabilities were recently funded through the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). A number of these grants will focus on topics related to Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education. View descriptions and structured abstracts for these awards here.
Additionally, the NCSER has awarded 7 new FY 2016 grants for programs that provide training to prepare individuals to conduct rigorous and relevant special education and early intervention research. View the descriptions and structured abstracts for these awards here.
4. The Road to High-Quality Early Education: Lessons from the States
A new report, The Road to High-Quality Early Education: Lessons from the States (June 2016), describes and analyzes the work of four states (Michigan, West Virginia, Washington and North Carolina) to build high-quality early education systems. The experiences of these states provide important lessons about how to best leverage resources and develop policies and practices to improve and expand early learning opportunities. Some common elements of their success include strategies that:
- prioritize quality and continuous improvement,
- invest in training and coaching,
- coordinate the administration of birth-through-grade-3 programs,
- combine multiple funding sources to increase access and improve quality, and
- create broad-based coalitions and support.
5. 2014 Head Start and Early Head Start Profiles
CLASP recently released their 2014 Head Start and Early Head Start Profiles. The profiles provide 2014 data on participating children, families, and staff in all Early Head Start, Head Start, and Migrant Head Start programs in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data is derived from the Program Information Report (PIR) that all Head Start grantees complete.
6. Grant Notices - Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships
The second Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) for the Early Head Start (EHS) Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care (EHS/CC) Partnerships have been posted online. The grants are meant to expand access to high-quality, comprehensive services to low-income infants and toddlers and their families. Applications must be submitted by August 24, 2016. For more information, email EHS.CCPartnerships@acf.hhs.gov.