eNotes
February 20, 2023Updates from the ECTA Center
Response Rate and Representativeness Calculator (2023)
This Excel-based Response Rate and Representativeness Calculator calculator allows state staff to easily compute response rates for their IDEA Part C family survey data and determine if these data are representative of the target population. This is an important step in data analysis and subsequent interpretation. Developed by the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center Family Outcomes Team, the calculator uses statistical formulas to determine if the overall distribution of survey responses across subgroups is similar to the distribution of those subgroups in the population. The representativeness tab on the calculator has been revised; however, this should not impact previous results.
Visual Supports for Toddlers
Visual Supports for Toddlers are the focus of the most recent module in the Autism Focused Intervention Resources & Modules (AFIRM). This set of evidence-based practices (EBPs) uses images, pictures, or objects to cue the child to engage in a desired skill or behavior that provide them with meaningful information about an activity, routine, behavioral expectation, or skill. Visual supports are effective because they promote everyday routines and activities within the toddler’s natural environment. Developed in partnership with the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center, this module takes two to three hours to complete.
Announcements
Funding Opportunity from Health Resources and Services Administration
A new funding opportunity to improve developmental outcomes among children ages 0-5 served by health centers through increased screenings and needed follow up is available from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Early Childhood Development (ECD), for fiscal year (FY) 2023. Applications are due Friday, March 17. It makes approximately $30 million available for up to 150 awards (up to $200,000 per award).
Health centers will use funding to:
- Increase the number of children ages 0-5 who receive recommended developmental screenings.
- Increase the number of children and their families assisted with accessing appropriate follow-up services.
- Build early childhood development expertise into their care teams.
An Applicant Technical Assistance (TA) Webinar, hosted by HRSA, will be held on Tuesday, February 21, 1:00 p.m - 2:00 p.m. ET. Applicants may join by phone at 833-568-8864; Webinar ID: 160 838 9102.
NBCDI Fellowship to Amplify Diverse Voices
The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) is accepting applications for the Public Voices Fellowship on Racial Justice in Early Childhood in partnership with The OpEd Project. The application deadline is March 19, 2023. The year-long fellowship will be offered to a cohort of twenty thought leaders, the majority of whom will be from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups in writing and thought leadership. The cohort will build leadership skills and knowledge to ensure their ideas shape not only their fields but also the greater public conversations of our age through support from extraordinary mentors. The anticipated result is to build a cadre of powerful changemakers to mobilize communities and ignite movement through the written word.
ACF Announces New Birth to Five Grants Totaling Nearly $300 Million for 42 States
The latest round of Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B–5) awards will invest nearly $300 million across 42 states to strengthen their early care and education systems and early childhood workforce. To better serve young children and their families, states will invest in such areas as early childhood workforce development, mental health integration in early care and education programs, and program coordination. These investments support states to conduct a needs assessment, develop a strategic plan to meet their unique needs, and the implement that plan. The announcement includes a full list of grant awardees and their funding amounts.
News from the Field
OSEP Chief Discusses Impact and Harm of Exclusionary Discipline
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Director Valerie Williams has begun a Discipline and Behavior series to highlight effective and equitable disciplinary practices for children with disabilities. The initial discussion, "The Impact and Harm of Exclusionary Discipline," provides an overview of the importance of adhering to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements to prevent the disproportionate suspensions of children with disabilities, particularly children of color. Williams says, “We cannot suspend our way to better behavior, but we can invest in what works... When we pair these tools with leadership and motivation to have honest and reflective discipline discussions, the outcomes can be powerful for children with disabilities and their families.” The blog series will continue with topics such as informal removals, alternatives to exclusionary discipline, and proactive approaches to supporting a child’s behavioral needs.
Roadmap for Advancing Family-Engaged Developmental Monitoring
A Roadmap for Advancing Family-Engaged Developmental Monitoring helps build a foundational understanding of what family-engaged developmental monitoring (FEDM) is, how programs can utilize it, and how it fits into an overall framework of children’s healthy development and family well-being. Including "family-engaged" in the terminology centers families as experts about their child and being equal partners in the process. The Roadmap establishes a shared understanding of best practice across the early childhood field and includes evidence-informed strategies as well as self-assessments to help providers and systems determine the extent to which they are practicing FEDM and how to strengthen that work.
2022 March of Dimes Report Card
The 2022 March of Dimes Report Card presents the state of maternal and infant health in the United States (U.S.), Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The report card indicates the maternal and infant health crisis is worsening for all families. It continues to examine mom and baby health and the supplemental report presents how states are progressing towards pregnancy and childbirth targets, using the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2030 objectives. This year, the Report Card also includes a new section to describe March of Dimes organizational programmatic initiatives and advocacy efforts happening in each state to improve the health of moms, babies, and families.
Child Maltreatment Report 2021
The Child Maltreatment 2021 report presents the latest national data about child abuse and neglect known to child protective services (CPS) agencies in the United States. Approximately 60 data tables and exhibits - such as characteristics of victims and non-victims; services to prevent maltreatment and assist children and families; and fatalities that occurred as a result of maltreatment – are included in the report. The child maltreatment data collected from states and analyzed for this year’s report continue to show decreases that can partly be attributed to the continuing pandemic caused by COVID-19.
Research
Adverse Childhood Experiences, Stress, and Resilience Among Early Childhood Teachers
Adverse childhood experiences, stress, and resilience among early childhood teachers examines whether workplace stress and history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are unique or redundant predictors of teacher resilience and classroom behavior, including teacher-child interaction quality, child classroom misbehavior, and staff affect regulation. Early childhood teachers play a critical role in supporting young children's cognitive, social, and emotional development. Unfortunately, teachers’ abilities to promote young children's well-being can be hindered by their own stress. The present findings suggest that addressing trauma-specific stress is important for early childhood teacher interventions, beyond general relaxation and stress management strategies.