eNotes
July 2, 2015In this Issue:
- New Federal Guidance on Basic Standards for Early Childhood Settings Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families - June 29, 2015
- The Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework 2015 Source: Office of Head Start - June 26, 2015
- Three Briefs on the Use of Ongoing Assessment in Early Childhood Programs Source: Mathematica Policy Research - June 30, 2015
- 2015 State Baby Facts Source: ZERO TO THREE - June 30, 2015
- Developmental/Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening Resources Source: Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, State Public Health Autism Resource Center - June 30, 2015
1. New Federal Guidance on Basic Standards for Early Childhood Settings
Until now, there has been no federal guidance to help states establish basic, consistent health and safety standards across all early care and education settings. On June 29, 2015, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released Caring for Our Children Basics: Health and Safety Foundations for Early Care and Education. These voluntary standards represent the minimum health and safety standards experts believe should be in place wherever children are cared for outside of their homes. It is meant to be a baseline for states and other entities as they work to improve health and safety standards in licensing and quality rating improvement systems. It is the result of work from both federal and non-federal experts and is founded on Caring for Our Children, Third Edition, which should be consulted as states work to establish higher levels of quality. Download the full document here.
2. The Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework 2015
The Office of Head Start recently released the newly revised Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework: Ages Birth to Five (June 2015). This new Framework replaces the Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework issued in 2010. It is grounded in a comprehensive body of research regarding what infants, toddlers and preschoolers should know and be able to do. It is intended to assist programs in their efforts to create and impart stimulating and foundational learning experiences for all young children and prepare them to be ready for school.
- Getting Started with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework
- Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework
3. Three Briefs on the Use of Ongoing Assessment in Early Childhood Programs
The use of ongoing child assessment for examining children's performance, tracking their progress, and individualizing instruction to their unique strengths, needs, and interests is considered a best practice in early education programs. In the Fall of 2012, the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) funded a project to learn more about whether and how teachers use ongoing assessments to tailor their instruction and to help develop criteria for determining the quality of teachers' ongoing assessment practices. Three new briefs on this topic are available from the project:
- What Does it Mean to use Ongoing Assessment to Individualize Instruction in Early Childhood? (June 2015)
- What Do We Know About How Early Childhood Teachers Use Ongoing Assessment? (June 2015)
- Tailored Teaching: The Need for Stronger Evidence About Early Childhood Teachers' Use of Ongoing Assessment to Individualize Instruction (June 2015)
4. 2015 State Baby Facts
ZERO TO THREE recently updated State Baby Facts (June 2015), which provides factsheets about the status of infants, toddlers, and families in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data is presented in the framework of good health, strong families, and positive early learning experiences. Select a state on the map or from the drop down list to download the Baby Facts for that state.
5. Developmental/Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening Resources
Developmental screening is an important step in state efforts to ensure effective system-wide programs for screening, referral, care coordination, and access to evidence-based services to meet the needs of children and families. The State Public Health Autism Resource Center (SPHARC) has developed a set of Developmental/Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening Resources, to assist state Title V Maternal and Child Health Programs (MCH) programs in their efforts to bring together stakeholders from many sectors and programs to develop and implement effective system-wide developmental screening services. The set includes resources for Title V action planning, a case study of one state's Title V action plan, a scan of federal and national programs that have a specific objective/measure around developmental screening, and a matrix of which states have had grant or technical assistance programs related to developmental and autism screening.