eNotes
May 16, 2014In this Issue:
- The State of Preschool Yearbook 2013 Source: National Institute for Early Education Research - May 13, 2014
- Comprehensive Early Childhood System-Building Planning Tool Source: Early Childhood Systems Work Group - May 15, 2015
- Overview and Alignment of Family Engagement Frameworks Source: Center for the Study of Social Policy - May 13, 2014
- Videos From Parents - Enhancing Family Engagement Source: Results Matter, Colorado Department of Education - May 12, 2014
- Comment Request - Case Studies of the Implementation of Kindergarten Entry Assessments Source: U.S. Department of Education - May 15, 2014
1. The State of Preschool Yearbook 2013
On May 13, 2014, the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released its latest annual report profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. The yearbook compares each state program's standards against a checklist of 10 research-based quality standards benchmarks. The State of Preschool 2013 presents data on state-funded prekindergarten during the 2012-2013 school year and documents a decade of progress since the first Yearbook. Some key findings are highlighted in this blog post from NIEER.
2. Comprehensive Early Childhood System-Building Planning Tool
The Early Childhood Systems Work Group (ECWSG) has been working on the development of an early childhood systems framework since 2006. The framework focuses on three components and six core strategies that are critical in the development of comprehensive early childhood systems. The ECSWG recently released a planning tool that is based on this framework and its accompanying graphic (often referred to as "the ovals"). The new tool, Comprehensive Early Childhood System-Building: A Tool to Inform Discussions on Collaborative, Cross-Sector Planning, is designed to assist state and community leaders in their efforts to improve the quality, alignment, and efficiency of early childhood programs serving young children and their families. It can be used to enhance systems thinking when planning for and managing integrated early childhood systems. Learn more about the work of the Early Childhood Systems Work Group here.
3. Overview and Alignment of Family Engagement Frameworks
The Center for the Study of Social Policy recently published a paper, How Strengthening Families Aligns With the Head Start Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework (2014). The paper provides an overview of the Strengthening Families Approach to engaging families and the Head Start (HS) Parent, Family and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework, as well as information about similarities and differences between the two approaches. It is meant to inform leaders in state agencies and early childhood programs about strategies to effectively engage parents as partners to support young children's learning and development and improve outcomes.
4. Videos From Parents - Enhancing Family Engagement
Results Matter, a program of the Colorado Department of Education, recently posted a new video about strengthening family engagement in the Results Matter Video Library.
- Videos From Parents - Enhancing Family Engagement (Runtime: 9:58) - This video illustrates a few ways that a preschool teacher uses video to promote family engagement. The teacher invites families who can't schedule time to be in the classroom to take and share video clips of their occupational and community lives. The children share these videos with their classmates and the teacher integrates the clips in thematic units. The teacher also shares videos of the children with their parents.
All Results Matter videos can be viewed online and downloaded at no cost for use in educational and professional development activities. This clip is posted at the top of the Practices Here and There section of the library.
5. Comment Request - Case Studies of the Implementation of Kindergarten Entry Assessments
On May 15, 2014, the U.S. Department of Education published a request for comments in the Federal Register on a proposed new information collection, Case Studies of the Implementation of Kindergarten Entry Assessments. The purpose of the Kindergarten Entry Assessments (KEAs) implementation case studies will be to document the processes, accomplishments, challenges, and solutions of four states implementing KEAs, and to share what state, district, and school personnel have learned with federal and state policymakers, and practitioners in the field. These findings will support the technical assistance efforts of the U.S. Department of Education regarding the implementation of KEAs across the nation. Comments can be submitted on or before July 14, 2014.