eNotes
October 18, 2017In this Issue:
- U.S. Health & Human Services Draft Strategic Plan FY 2018-22 Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)
- State Board Insight - Early Care and Education on the Radar Source: National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)
- Feature Matching of Apps for Students with Disabilities Source: Center on Technology and Disability
- NIH Funds Study for Newborns Affected by Opioids Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Bilingual Babies Listen to Language Source: Science Daily
- Child and Family Development Research Source: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE)
- Resilience - New Documentary about the Science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Source: KPJR Films (Producers: James Redford & Karen Pritzker)
1. U.S. Health & Human Services Draft Strategic Plan FY 2018-22
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Service has shared its draft HHS strategic plan for fiscal years 2018-2022 to provide stakeholders an opportunity to comment. Specifically, Strategic Goal 3: Strengthen the Economic and Social Well-Being of Americans across the Lifespan includes the overseeing of programs that serve young children and their families. The due date for comments is October 27, 2017.
2. State Board Insight - Early Care and Education on the Radar
The State Board Insight is a database that tracks all topics discussed by state boards of education on a monthly basis. The database was recently updated with 2017 data through September, and two topics addressed the most frequently over the summer were early care teacher shortages and early literacy.
3. Feature Matching of Apps for Students with Disabilities
App recommendations for students with disabilities is on the rise, but it is challenging to determine which apps will best meet the needs of the student. The Center on Technology and Disability is offering educators and practitioners a free webinar to address this on Wednesday, October 25th, 2017 from 4-5 pm EDT.
4. NIH Funds Study for Newborns Affected by Opioids
A press release (October 2017) from the National Institutes of Health states its decision to fund a new study to evaluate treatment options for newborns with opioid withdrawal syndrome, a condition caused by exposure to opioids during pregnancy. The study, called Advancing Clinical Trials in Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (ACT NOW), aims to inform clinical care of these infants. ACT NOW is funded by NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the NIH Office of the Director's Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.
5. Bilingual Babies Listen to Language
A recent research study from Princeton University (August 7, 2017) found that bilingual infants can process dual languages quickly and correctly as early as 20 months of age just by listening. The study also revealed that infants can quickly detect when the language is switched in mid-sentence, called "code switches", as regularly experienced in bilingual communities; and "toddlers naturally activate the vocabulary of the language that is being used in any particular setting."
Reference: Byers-Heinlein, K., Morin-Lessard, E., & Lew-Williams, C. (2017). Bilingual infants control their languages as they listen. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 114(34).
6. Child and Family Development Research
This August 2017 OPRE report describes major research and evaluation projects undertaken by its Division of Child and Family Development in 2016. A list of links to all the projects and reports is included on pages 23-26.
7. Resilience - New Documentary about the Science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Resilience: The Biology of Stress & The Science of Hope is a new documentary that explores the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and a new movement to treat and prevent toxic stress to improve the lives of children, especially those living in poor communities. The documentary emerged from the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, initiated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente in the late 1990s.