eNotes
May 18, 2018In this Issue:
- Treating for Two: Medicine and Pregnancy Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Teacher Decision Factors That Lead to Preschool Expulsion Source: Infants & Young Children
- Reciprocal Associations between Electronic Media Use and Behavioral Difficulties in Preschoolers Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- It Takes a Community Source: Bellwether Education Partners
- What is the Market Price of Daycare and Preschool? Source: Brookings Institute
1. Treating for Two: Medicine and Pregnancy
Most pregnant women struggle with the decision of taking a medicine before or during pregnancy, because consuming some medicines may result in pregnancy loss, birth defects, premature birth, infant death, or disabilities. The purpose of the CDC's Treating for Two program (April 2018) is to improve women and babies' health by identifying the safest treatment options for common conditions occurring before, during, and after pregnancy. Links to basic information, research, multimedia tools and fact sheets are included in this resource.
2. Teacher Decision Factors That Lead to Preschool Expulsion
The first study to analyze teacher decision factors that result in preschool expulsions was published last month in Infants & Young Children (April 2018). With a sample of 352 preschoolers, the Preschool Expulsion Risk Measure (PERM) was determined to be a reliable tool for assessing the likeliness of expulsion based on 4 identified factors: classroom disruption, fear of accountability, hopelessness, and teacher stress. These findings may help early education administrators and policymakers better understand and address the issue of preschool expulsion.
3. Reciprocal Associations between Electronic Media Use and Behavioral Difficulties in Preschoolers
According to this study published in the April 2018 issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, internet use among preschoolers predicted more emotional and conduct problems, including inattention and hyperactivity, over time. This suggests there are negative effects of electronic media use on a child's development, and that "rapid flow of information, overstimulation and distraction might be especially pronounced during the use of computers and mobile phones."
4. It Takes a Community
Bellwether Education Partners' recent report (February 2018) provides policymakers and community stakeholders recommendations for community colleges to support early childhood educators (ECE) to attain professional development and essential credentials to improve the quality of teaching in early childhood programs. The report also gives examples of how some states are transforming the ECE workforce, as well as, information about promising programs for teachers, such as T.E.A.C.H. and WAGE$.
5. What is the Market Price of Daycare and Preschool?
A new issue of the Brookings Institute's Evidence Speaks series (April 2018) examines the cost of daycare and preschool services nationwide by age, income, parental education, and attendance. An analysis of national data revealed that infants spent much more time in center-based care (a median of 40 hours a week) versus four-year-olds (24 hours). The Northeast and West spent more on childcare than the Midwest and South. Also, annual spending for infant daycare was about 4K more than care for a 4-year-old. Policymakers may find this information useful when addressing policy questions about financing daycare for young children.
Evidence Speaks is a weekly series of reports by a panel of distinguished researchers committed to elevating the role of methodologically rigorous research in education and social policy.