eNotes
August 24, 2018In this Issue:
- Applications for New Awards for Children with Disabilities and Their Families Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)
- Task Force Launched to Develop ECSE Standards Source: Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) & the Division for Early Childhood (DEC)
- Who is Caring for Latino Children? Source: National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families
- Supporting Dual Language Learners (DLLs) in State-Funded Preschool Source: National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)
- Fetal DNA Sequencing Could Reduce Need for Invasive Prenatal Diagnostic Procedures Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
1. Applications for New Awards for Children with Disabilities and Their Families
The Department of Education is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2018 for Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities -- State Technical Assistance Projects to Improve Services and Results for Children who are Deaf-Blind and National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for Children who are Deaf-Blind, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number 84.326T. Application deadline: September 20, 2018.
2. Task Force Launched to Develop ECSE Standards
The CEC and DEC have partnered to develop an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Standards Development Task Force that launched over the summer. The task force plans to assess the benefits and essentials for developing ECSE Standards in accordance with Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation standards development guidelines and will meet for a span of two years. The group is currently working on the development of a Standards Advisory Group and will facilitate meetings at the CEC, DEC, and Teacher Education Division national conferences.
3. Who is Caring for Latino Children?
The National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families released this brief last month (July 2018) that provides the first national portrayal of the early care and education (ECE) workforce serving a large share of Latino families. The brief examines the qualifications, values, and diversity of these teachers and caregivers, and discusses how educational opportunities for this workforce will increase children's access to high quality ECE. A PDF version is also available.
4. Supporting Dual Language Learners (DLLs) in State-Funded Preschool
A special report from NIEER (2018) states that 23% of U.S. preschoolers are DLLs, and they reside in every state. Most state preschools do not collect data on children's home language, causing challenges for implementing policies that support effective DLL classroom practices. Currently, only 26 state-funded preschools in 24 states and Guam are collecting data on child home language; and "only nine state preschool programs have even one policy relating to staff qualifications for teachers of DLLs." Visit the full report for further details and data tables.
5. Fetal DNA Sequencing Could Reduce Need for Invasive Prenatal Diagnostic Procedures
This news release from the NIH (August 2018) reviews a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine that examines how fetal DNA sequencing improves prenatal screening tests for accurately detecting genetic conditions and may reduce the need for other invasive tests. The fetal DNA blood test is mostly used to detect fetal disorders caused by an extra chromosome, e.g., Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, and Patau syndrome. Maternal conditions are also detected with the same blood sample, including blood and sex chromosome abnormalities. The growth of DNA testing and use in health care reveals a need for additional genetic education and an evaluation of the ethics behind broader prenatal testing.