eNotes
November 11, 2016In this Issue:
- "Learn the Signs. Act Early." Milestones in Action Photo and Video Library Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Retrieved November 10, 2016
- Supporting Young Children with Disabilities Source: Future of Children - Fall 2016
- Preventing Expulsion and Suspension in Early Learning Settings Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - November 7, 2016
- Shortcomings of Pre-K Policies for Children Who are Dual Language Learners Source: National Institute for Early Education Research - November 8, 2016
- Journal of Early Intervention Abstracts Available Online Source: DEC's Journal of Early Intervention - December 2016; Vol. 38, No. 4
- A Portrait of Head Start in the South Source: Institute for Child Success - October 2016
1. "Learn the Signs. Act Early." Milestones in Action Photo and Video Library
"Learn the Signs. Act Early." has developed a free library of photos and videos demonstrating developmental milestones from 2 months to 5 years of age. The Milestones in Action library was created to help parents, early care and education providers, and healthcare providers identify developmental milestones in very young children and recognize any areas of concern. No permissions are needed to use the photos and images in this library for educational or awareness-building purposes.
2. Supporting Young Children with Disabilities
A recently published article, Supporting Young Children with Disabilities, by Kathy Hebbeler and Donna Spiker, co-directors of the Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy), discusses:
- the challenges of identifying young children with disabilities and a new framework for describing disability;
- what is known about effective interventions to support development and learning among young children with disabilities, including language and social skills interventions, preschool curricula, effective instructional practices, and multi-tiered systems of support;
- a critical policy issue: the inclusion of young children with disabilities in regular education classrooms; and
- what is known about supporting children as they transition from one setting to another across the preschool to third grade span.
The article was published in the Fall 2016 issue of The Future of Children, entitled Starting Early: Education from Prekindergarten to Third Grade.
3. Preventing Expulsion and Suspension in Early Learning Settings
An updated report, Spotlighting Progress in Policy and Supports: State and Local Action to Prevent Expulsion and Suspension in Early Learning Settings (November 2016) provides a newly revised snapshot of innovative policies and support strategies State and local leaders around the country are putting into place to prevent, reduce, and ultimately eliminate expulsion and suspension practices in early learning settings. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released two new informational memoranda to support implementation of the HHS-ED Joint Policy Statement on Expulsion and Suspension Policies in Early Childhood Settings, which was published in 2014.
- Office of Child Care Information Memorandum on Expulsion and Suspension (November 7, 2016)
- Office of Head Start Information Memorandum on Expulsion and Suspension (November 7, 2016)
To learn more, go to Reducing Suspension and Expulsion Practices in Early Childhood Settings.
4. Shortcomings of Pre-K Policies for Children Who are Dual Language Learners
A new Preschool Matters Today blog post, entitled Special Report: Shortcomings of Pre-K Policies for Children Who are Dual Language Learners (November 8, 2016) by Alexandra Figueras-Daniel, discusses findings highlighted in the 2015 State of Preschool Yearbook (May, 2016). The 2015 Yearbook included new survey questions and a supplement, Special Report: Dual Language Learners and Preschool Workforce, which provided important information on areas critical to developing quality programs for an increasingly diverse population of preschool-age children. It was the first attempt to collect national data on state policies and supports offered to young dual language learners and their teachers.
5. Journal of Early Intervention Abstracts Available Online
Abstracts of the following articles are now available online at http://jei.sagepub.com/content/38/4
Literature Review - Family Quality of Life: A Key Outcome in Early Childhood Intervention Services - A Scoping Review
Anoo Bhopti, Ted Brown, and Primrose Lentin
Interactive Storybook-Based Intervention Effects on Kindergartners' Language Development
Loes van Druten-Frietman, Heleen Strating, Eddie Denessen, and Ludo Verhoeven
Dialogic Reading: Language and Preliteracy Outcomes for Young Children With Disabilities
Jacqueline A. Towson, Peggy A. Gallagher, and Gary E. Bingham
The Journal of Early Intervention (JEI) is an official publication of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children and SAGE Publications. It offers articles related to research and practice in early intervention for infants and young children with special needs and their families. Freely available Podcasts of interviews with JEI authors can be accessed online.
6. A Portrait of Head Start in the South
The federally funded Head Start program provides comprehensive services to promote school readiness of children ages birth to five from low-income families across the country. All Head Start grantees are required to annually submit a Program Information Report (PIR), which includes data on a range of demographic and operational questions. A new research brief, A Portrait of Head Start in the South (October 2016), reviews recent PIR data on a range of issues and provides a broad picture of the characteristics of children served by Head Start programs in the South, as well as the families and teachers in these programs. The focus is on both the South as a region, as well as individual Southern states. Information is compared to national averages rather than other specific regions.