Child Care Legislative Network

The Child Care and Early Education Legislative Network E-update provides information about the latest research, state activities plus news and events from NCSL and other organizations in the area of early care and education. This update is made possible through a grant from the Birth to Five Policy Alliance. For more information please visit our website.

In this Update

Recent NCSL Publications
NCSL Technical Report: State Approaches to School Readiness Assessment
What’s New
NCSL Receives 3 Year Grant
2010 Budget Survey
Child Care, Early Eduction and Web 2.0
The Achievement Gap Beings Early
Promoting Social-emotional Wellbeing in Early Intervention Services
Upcoming Events
Fall Forum 2009
Recent NCSL Publications
NCSL Technical Report: State Approaches to School Readiness Assessment
Children who enter kindergarten ready to meet its academic, social and emotional demands are more likely to achieve later academic and life success. As the drive to better understand the readiness of kindergarteners for formal schooling increases, states must grapple with how to best assess students and how to appropriately use the information. At least seventeen states require assessment of all public kindergarten students. Find out how school readiness is being assessed and how the data is reported and used. View the full report.

For more information contact: Jennifer Stedron

What’s New
Grant Awarded to NCSL

NCSL has been awarded a $1.6 million grant from the Birth to Five Policy Alliance over three years to assist state legislatures as they pursue policies to improve early childhood and early learning outcomes for young children. With states leading efforts to promote school readiness and healthy early child development, this grant will ensure support to legislatures as critical leaders. With new federal leadership and significant funding for child care, Head Start/Early Head Start, state advisory councils, as well as additional initiatives under consideration, states are well positioned to continue their advances. The grant will enable NCSL to provide policy support and consultation with legislators, to collaborate with other national organizations, and to launch a research-based initiative with the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard and the National Governors Association to generate new ideas for programs and policies that can be implemented by states and communities.

2010 Early Care and Education Budget Survey

Project staff recently sent out our 3rd annual national survey of state legislative fiscal staff on early care and education state budget actions for FY 2010. We have released reports two years in a row now on the survey findings, which have been well-received by people across the country. NCSL gathered and reported on state funding appropriations information on child care, preschool, home visiting and other early childhood initiatives. Last year, most states showed an increase in funding for early care and education, even with the tough budget climate.

Given the current budget situation in states, we are interested in seeing if the economic climate has had an impact on early care and education funding. This year, the survey also asks special focus questions about state appropriated ARRA dollars for early care and education. The survey is sent to state legislative fiscal contacts, so be sure to check in with your fiscal staff to make sure we receive your state’s information to get an accurate picture. After the states’ information is collected and analyzed, look forward to the report being published next year. Please contact Julie Poppe at Julie.poppe@ncsl.org or 303-856-1497 for more information.

Child Care, Early Education and Web 2.0

Social networking has become increasingly popular in the world of early care and education policy. Below is a listing of early care and education organizations who are currently engaged in these new technologies.

National Conference of State Legislatures: Facebook| Twitter
Birth to Five Policy Alliance: Facebook | Twitter
Council of Chief State School Officers: Facebook
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies: Facebook
National Association for the Education of Young Children: Facebook | Twitter
National Center for Children in Poverty: Facebook
National Council of La Raza: Facebook
Urban Institute: Facebook
ZERO TO THREE: Facebook

NCSL also maintains a list of legislative social networking and caucus websites, this list can be found here.
For questions or help with social networking contact Stephen Fagan or the NCSL Communications Department.

The Achievement Gap Begins Early

A new Child Trends study commissioned by the Council of Chief State School Officers finds disparities between poor, at-risk children and more advantaged children as early as 9 months of age. The study identifies low income and low maternal education as the factors most strongly associated with poorer cognitive, social-emotional, and health outcomes among very young children. View the full report.

Promoting Social-emotional Wellbeing in Early Intervention Services

In 2007 over 320,000 young children received services through IDEA Part C. Recent research has shown that this number represents only a fraction of children eligible to receive services through the program. This study from NCCP aims to determine how states use different policy choices in the integration of socio-emotional developmental strategies into early intervention services. View the full report.

Upcoming Events
NCSL Fall Forum 2009 – San Diego, California – December 9-12

New Ideas from a meeting that brings legislators together from around the country to solve problems and influence Congress. New Opportunities to meet the toughest challenges in decades.

The Fall Forum gives you the chance to tackle the difficult policy issues of our time—budget gaps, health care coverage, education affordability and reform, transportation funding, energy costs and many others. Visit the NCSL website for more information.

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This e-update is made possible by the generous support of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance. If you have information you would like to share with us, please email Stephen Fagan.

This e-update is an informational service for state legislators and legislative staff who are part of NCSL’s Child Care and Early Education Legislative Network. Contact Stephen Fagan or call (303) 856-1374 for more information about the content of this update, to submit information about your state or to SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE.