eNotes
February 3, 2017In this Issue:
- Professional Development Tools to Improve the Quality of Infant and Toddler Care Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation - January 2017
- State Pre-K Funding 2016-17 Fiscal Year: Trends and Opportunities Source: Education Commission of the States - January 30, 2017
- STEM Starts Early: Grounding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in Early Childhood Source: New America and Joan Ganz Cooney Center - February 2, 2017
- The Relationship Between Teacher Qualification and Quality of the ECE Environment Source: The Campbell Collaboration - January 2017
1. Professional Development Tools to Improve the Quality of Infant and Toddler Care
A new report, Professional Development Tools to Improve the Quality of Infant and Toddler Care: A Review of the Literature (January 2017), highlights promising professional development methods for enhancing caregiver interactions with young children, particularly caregivers of infants and toddlers, those with limited education, and those in home-based and family child care settings. It draws on recent reviews, empirical studies, and meta-analyses conducted within the past 10 years, as well as the websites of leading professional development and research organizations.
2. State Pre-K Funding 2016-17 Fiscal Year: Trends and Opportunities
A new 50-state review, State Pre-K Funding 2016-17 Fiscal Year: Trends and Opportunities (January 2017), looks at state investments in pre-K funding by program for the 2016-17 fiscal year (FY). It finds that 2016-17 state pre-K funding increased $480 million or 6.8% over 2015-16. The review highlights a number of state examples and describes early learning opportunities for states under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
3. STEM Starts Early: Grounding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in Early Childhood
The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and New America, with funding from the National Science Foundation, recently collaborated on a project to better understand the challenges to and opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) early learning as documented in a review of early childhood education research, policy, and practice. A comprehensive report, STEM Starts Early: Grounding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in Early Childhood (February 2017) provides key findings and recommendations from the project. See also, a related Preschool Matters blog post from the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).
4. The Relationship Between Teacher Qualification and Quality of the ECE Environment
The Campbell Collaboration recently published the findings from a review examining the empirical evidence on The Relationship Between Teacher Qualification and Quality of the Early Childhood Education and Care Environment (January 2017). Based on published research studies since the 1980s and drawing on information from a number of countries, this meta-analysis provides evidence of a significant and positive correlation between teacher qualifications and higher quality in early care and education environments for all young children, including infants and toddlers.