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A News Service from the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center

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May 7, 2010

In this Issue

  1. The State of Preschool 2009 - 7th Annual Yearbook Released
    Source: National Institute for Early Education Research - May 4, 2010
  2. Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program - Introductory Materials Available
    Source: HRSA and ACF - May 7, 2010
  3. GAO Report Shows Decline in Children Served by the Child Care and Development Fund
    Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office - May 5, 2010
  4. WWC Examines Early Childhood Education Interventions for Children with Disabilities
    Source: What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences - April 27, 2010
  5. New Grants Opportunities from the U.S. Department of Education
    Source: U.S. Department of Education - May 6, 2010
  6. Spring 2010 Issue of Early Childhood Research & Practice
    Source: Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - May 6, 2010
  7. Tips for Using Assistive Technology with Young Children
    Source: Tots 'n Tech Research Institute - Retrieved April 28, 2010
  1. The State of Preschool 2009 - 7th Annual Yearbook Released
    Source: National Institute for Early Education Research - May 4, 2010

    The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) has released its 7th annual State Preschool Yearbook profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the U.S. At the press release on May 4, 2010, NIEER co-director Steve Barnett said this year's data show that the recession is affecting states' ability to continue the trend toward expanding pre-K. Some states have cut pre-K enrollment to levels not seen in years and at least 11 states are considering pre-K cuts for 2011. To see both the full report and the press release, go to http://nieer.org/yearbook/

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  2. Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program - Introductory Materials Available
    Source: HRSA and ACF - May 7, 2010

    The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Administration on Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released introductory materials related to the new Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program, which was created as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act earlier this year. HRSA and ACF will be partnering with the States and other interested parties to develop an effective and well-coordinated program to promote early childhood health and development and improve outcomes and opportunities for children and families. To learn more, see http://www.nectac.org/~docs/enotes/home_visiting.doc

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  3. GAO Report Shows Decline in Children Served by the Child Care and Development Fund
    Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office - May 5, 2010

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently published a report, Child Care: Multiple Factors Could Have Contributed to the Recent Decline in the Number of Children Whose Families Receive Subsidies. GAO-10-344 (2010), which shows that from 2006 to 2008, the estimated average monthly number of children served by the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) declined by about 170,000 (10 percent). Multiple factors that could have influenced this recent decline are presented.

    Full report - http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10344.pdf
    Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d10344high.pdf

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  4. WWC Examines Early Childhood Education Interventions for Children with Disabilities
    Source: What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences - April 27, 2010

    The Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has started to examine research on curricula and instructional strategies for 3 to 5 year old children with disabilities. The first intervention report in this new topic area looks at Dialogic Reading, an interactive shared picture-book reading practice designed to enhance young children's language and literacy skills. To see the report, go to: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/reports/ece_cd/dialogic_reading/

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  5. New Grants Opportunities from the U.S. Department of Education
    Source: U.S. Department of Education - May 6, 2010

    The U.S. Department of Education recently published notices in the Federal Register for the following grant opportunities:

    • Training and Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities (CFDA#s 84.328C and 84.328M)
      Federal Register: May 3, 2010 (vol. 75, no. 84) - http://www2.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2010-2/050310a.html
      The purpose of this program is to ensure that parents of children with disabilities receive training and information to help improve results for their children. Applications are due June 17, 2010.
    • Promise Neighborhoods Program (CFDA# 84.215P)
      Federal Register: May 5, 2010 (vol. 75, no. 86) - http://www2.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2010-2/050510b.html
      The purpose of this program is to support the development of a plan to implement aligned services for high-need children from birth through college. Letters of intent are due May 21, 2010 and applications are due June 25, 2010.

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  6. Spring 2010 Issue of Early Childhood Research & Practice
    Source: Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - May 6, 2010

    The Spring 2010 issue of Early Childhood Research & Practice (ECRP) is now available online. It includes a special section on working with infants and toddlers, an article on young children’s mental health services in the U.S., and more... To access the full-text of this peer-reviewed, free, bilingual journal go to http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v12n1/index.html

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  7. Tips for Using Assistive Technology with Young Children
    Source: Tots 'n Tech Research Institute - Retrieved April 28, 2010

    The appropriate use of simple adaptations and/or assistive technology (AT) can support inclusion and natural learning opportunities for young children with disabilities. The Tots 'n Tech Research Institute (TnT) publishes a newsletter that provides many useful tips on how to adapt everyday materials to enhance the participation of infants and toddlers in a variety of daily activities and routines. Current and past issues are available online at http://tnt.asu.edu/home/news

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The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
919-962-2001 • phone         919-966-7463 • fax         www.nectac.org • web         nectac@unc.edu • email
eNotes is compiled and distributed by the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC), pursuant to cooperative agreement H326H060005 with the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education (ED). Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express their judgment in professional and technical matters. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the Department of Education’s position or policy. Additional copies of this document are available from NECTAC at http://www.nectac.org/enotes/enotes.asp

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