eNotes
April 10, 2019Updates from the ECTA Center
Practice Improvement Tools: Family Practice Guides now available in Spanish!
Our Practice Guides for Families are now available in Spanish! The Practice Guides are intended for practitioners to share with families to illustrate implementation of the DEC Recommended Practices (which are also available in Spanish). Each practice guide includes a description, a brief video illustration with Spanish-language closed captions, a scenario, and changes to expect as a result of implementing the associated practices.
Family Capacity-Building Online Module
Our online module on Family Capacity-Building in Early Childhood Intervention addresses strategies to engage parents in activities to build their competence and confidence in providing learning opportunities for their child. The module is divided into 4 lessons ranging from 10-15 min. each, and includes short video demonstrations, checks a learner's understanding through a variety of interactive formats, and; includes a family capacity-building checklist for self-assessment or planning home visits.
News from the Field
A Multisite Study Evaluating the Benefits of Early Intervention via Telepractice
This study sought to determine the effectiveness of telepractice as a method of delivering early intervention services to families of infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing. A comparison group design was applied to ascertain the child, family, and provider outcomes via telepractice compared with traditional in-person home visits. The Family Outcomes Survey (The Early Childhood Outcomes Center, 2014) was used to assess important EI outcomes pertaining to supporting, educating, and increasing community inclusion of families. The study results support the effectiveness of telepractice in delivering early intervention services to families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
State of Babies Yearbook: 2019
The State of Babies Yearbook: 2019 is a collaborative effort between ZERO TO THREE and Child Trends, and was produced as part of ZERO TO THREE's Think Babies campaign. The State of Babies Yearbook: 2019 is a resource for stakeholders who recognize the critical importance of supporting the healthy development and well-being of America's babies and toddlers. It seeks to bridge the gap between science and policy with a state-by-state snapshot of how babies and their families are faring. The national and state profiles provide the building blocks for strong policies which support parents and caregivers in nurturing the youngest children and placing them firmly on a path to success in school and in life.
Why The K-12 World Hasn't Embraced Early Learning
The paper first explains why it is absolutely essential for K-12 leaders to pay more attention to the early years; this includes the pre-kindergarten birth-to-five years, and then also the early elementary years (K-2). The paper then explains how state policy can set the wrong incentives for local action, and discusses the state and local cultural issues that can perpetuate a divide between K-12 and early learning. The paper then identifies some promising practices, and concludes by proposing some next steps for states and districts that really want to change.