eNotes
October 23, 2015In this Issue:
- Free Training and Technical Support Opportunity for Pay for Success Initiatives Source: Urban Institute - October 14, 2015
- Funding Opportunity - Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel Source: U.S. Department of Education - October 9, 2015
- Achieving Kindergarten Readiness for All Our Children: A Funder's Guide to Early Childhood Development from Birth to Five Source: Pritzker Children's Initiative and the Bridgespan Group - October 20, 2015
- Program for Parents Helps Sustain Learning Acquired by Children in Head Start Source: National Institutes of Health - October 20, 2015
- Public Input Session on Health and Wellness Promotion in Early Childhood Settings Source: U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Education - October 20, 2015
1. Free Training and Technical Support Opportunity for Pay for Success Initiatives
The Urban Institute has posted a Notice of Support Availability (NoSA) offering free Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) services for local and state governments interested in developing a Pay for Success Initiative (PFSI). Selected applicants will receive support around the PFSI strategic planning framework, help with developing a strategic plan, assistance with evaluation design at the start of a pay for success deal, and guidance on the evidence base around potential pay for success interventions. An informational webinar on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at 3:30 p.m. will provide an overview of the Urban Institute's Pay for Success Initiative, the NoSA document, and the application process.
2. Funding Opportunity - Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel
On October 9, 2015 the U.S. Department of Education published a notice in the Federal Register inviting applications for new fiscal year (FY) 2016 awards for Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities: Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Leadership Personnel (CFDA No. 84.325D). The deadline for transmittal of applications is December 8, 2015. The application package and additional information for the 84.325D competition is posted at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepprep/applicant.html#84325d. It can also be accessed at http://www.grants.gov/ (enter the CFDA number in the search box).
3. Achieving Kindergarten Readiness for All Our Children: A Funder's Guide to Early Childhood Development from Birth to Five
A newly released report, Achieving Kindergarten Readiness for All Our Children: A Funder's Guide to Early Childhood Development from Birth to Five (October 2015), highlights a number of effective investments that can meaningfully increase kindergarten readiness beginning at birth, including privately funded initiatives, initiatives that involve public-private partnerships, and federal initiatives, such as the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships and the Preschool Development Grants. The report includes a concise summary of what has been learned related to the following questions:
- What does the research tell us about the importance of early childhood development? What do we know about what works?
- What outcomes matter most for very young children, and to what extent are children in low-income families reaching these outcomes today?
- What are the immediate barriers to achieving better outcomes for low-income children?
- What are the most effective investments philanthropy can make to create meaningful impact for individual children and to achieve step-change improvements in the quality of the systems that surround them in their earliest years?
4. Program for Parents Helps Sustain Learning Acquired by Children in Head Start
Findings from a research study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggest that the Research Based, Developmentally Informed Parent (REDI-P) program helps young children retain the literacy skills and positive learning behaviors acquired in Head Start through to the end of the kindergarten year. REDI-P is centered on home visits from educational counselors, who provide parents with materials and coaching to help reinforce the social and academic lessons that the children learn in Head Start classrooms. Researchers compared children in REDI-P with a group of similar children who received some educational materials but did not participate in REDI-P. The children in REDI-P showed significantly higher retention of literacy and learning skills and sustained improvements in academic performance and social interaction. Read the full press release here.
5. Public Input Session on Health and Wellness Promotion in Early Childhood Settings
On November 5, 2015 from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. ET, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education (ED) will be hosting an Early Learning Interagency Policy Board (IPB) Meeting that will include a public input session for a new HHS/ED policy statement on Health and Wellness Promotion in Early Childhood Settings. This event will air on the EDstream network at http://edstream.ed.gov/webcast/Play/06c6b28b912a4ca0bda7eb64147e34431d. All individuals and organizations are strongly encouraged to submit input in electronic form by Friday, November 6, 2015, at 5:00 pm ET to Jacquelyn.Borman@ed.gov