eNotes
September 7, 2017In this Issue:
- Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Policy Convening Report Source: ZERO TO THREE
- America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2017 Source: Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics
- Leveraging Early Learning Challenge (ELC) Funds to Support Inclusion Source: Early Learning Challenge Technical Assistance (ELC TA)
- Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start Source: U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services
- Early Childhood Workforce Text4Teachers Source: U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services
- Child Care & Early Education - Research Connections Source: National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) & the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)
1. Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Policy Convening Report
Last October (2016), ten states gathered to discuss the topic of infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH), with a primary focus on strategies to enhance assessment, diagnosis and treatment. As a result, ZERO TO THREE released this summary report, as a resource for all states. The report reviews presentations from national experts, cross-state and cross-sector discussion sessions, and the development of state action plans focused on IECMH financing policy.
2. America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2017
The 2017 edition of America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being is now available online. This is the 19th annual report in an ongoing series that presents key indicators of children's well-being in seven domains: family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education and health.
3. Leveraging Early Learning Challenge (ELC) Funds to Support Inclusion
This new resource developed by ELC TA describes how the six Phase 3 ELC states (Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Vermont) are utilizing ELC funds and other state funds to support inclusion. To gather this information, ELC TA contacted the ELC grant coordinators in June 2017, and asked them to address five specific questions. This information will be helpful to other states as they consider how to continue to increase the quality of early learning for children with special needs.
4. Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start
The Health and Human Services Administration is campaigning for fathers (August 2017). "In a 26-year-long study, researchers found that the number one factor in developing empathy in children was father involvement." This overview from Head Start's responsible fatherhood program explains how father-love is different from mother-love, and how fatherlessness negatively impacts all aspects of early childhood development and school readiness. A reading list is also included.
5. Early Childhood Workforce Text4Teachers
Text4Teachers supports Head Start and Early Head Start teachers, staff members, and others who care for and teach young children in center-based and family child care settings. You can sign up to receive two free text messages per month with information, tips, research, and resources to strengthen and support your teaching practices. Text4Teachers will also share messages about key events and professional development (PD) opportunities. To sign up, text ECDTL to 22660, and you will have access to the newest resources as soon as they are released. Text4Teachers is also available in Spanish.
6. Child Care & Early Education - Research Connections
Research Connections, supported by grant from OPRE, promotes high-quality research and informing policy through free access to thousands of publications and datasets for researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, and other early child care stakeholders. Access recent announcements from Research Connections, here.