May 14, 2010

In this Issue

1. Final Stop on Early Learning Tour
   Source: U.S. Departments of Education - May 13, 2010
2. Early Learning Issues in ESEA Reauthorization
   Source: New America Foundation and others - Retrieved May 14, 2010
3. New Series on Early Childhood Research Findings
   Source: Child Trends - May 10, 2010
4. Working Paper Looks at How Early Experiences Can Affect Gene Expression
   Source: National Scientific Council on the Developing Child - Retrieved May 14, 2010
5. New Brief Looks at Maximizing Classroom Time in Pre-K to Promote Learning
   Source: National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education - Retrieved May 14, 2010
6. Promoting Young Children’s Health and Development: Taking Stock of State Policies
   Source: National Center for Children in Poverty - May 7, 2010
7. Link Between Child Care and Academic Achievement and Behavior Persists Into Adolescence
   Source: National Institutes of Health - May 14, 2010

1. Final Stop on Early Learning Tour
   Source: U.S. Departments of Education - May 13, 2010

   The final stop on the Departments of Education (DOE) and Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Listening and Learning about Early Learning tour took place on May 11, 2010, with a session on early childhood standards and assessments hosted at the Erikson Institute in Chicago, IL. Brief summaries of all four sessions can be found on the Department of Education's Early Learning blog at http://www.ed.gov/blog/topic/early-learning/. Presentations and testimonies from some of the meetings will be available online at a later date and eNotes will include a link to those when it is available.

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2. Early Learning Issues in ESEA Reauthorization
   Source: New America Foundation and others - Retrieved May 14, 2010

   The New America Foundation has created a new Web page entitled Early Learning in ESEA, which provides a variety of resources focused on early learning issues and the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the law known for years as No Child Left Behind. It is available at http://earlyed.newamerica.net/publications/special/early_learning_in_esea_31182

   For additional resources of interest related to Early Learning and ESEA reauthorization, see the links below:

   • Recommendations from the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS-SDE) on ESEA - http://www.naecs-sde.org/policy
   • Children's Defense Fund Senate Letter on ESEA - http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/esea-letter-to-help-committee.pdf
   • Pre-k Now letter on ESEA - http://preknow.org/documents/3-26-10_ESEA_Recommendations.pdf
   • Statement on the ESEA from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) - http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/policy/federal/ESEAreauthorizationrecommendations.pdf
   • ESEA/NCLB Recommendations from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) - http://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/PolicyAdvocacy/CECPolicyResources/NoChildLeftBehind/CEC_2010_ESEA_Policy_WEB.pdf
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3. New Series on Early Childhood Research Findings
   Source: Child Trends - May 10, 2010

   Child Trends, a research partner of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance, has launched a new series entitled Early Childhood Highlights, which is meant to provide summaries of recent early childhood research findings to inform state and federal policy discussions. The first two briefs in the series include:

   • Quality Rating and Improvement Systems for Early Care and Education (vol. 1, no. 1 - May 10, 2010)
   • Early Head Start: Research Findings (vol. 1, no. 2 - May 10, 2010)

   To access these, as well as future briefs in the series, go to http://www.childtrends.org/_docdisp_page.cfm?LID=70467B6D-CD19-491A-A0AFC6E4F9611771

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4. Working Paper Looks at How Early Experiences Can Affect Gene Expression
   Source: National Scientific Council on the Developing Child - Retrieved May 14, 2010

   The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, an initiative on the Center for the Developing Child at Harvard, has published a new working paper entitled Working Paper #10: Early Experiences Can Alter Gene Expression and Affect Long-Term Development (May 2010). The report discusses scientific research showing that environmental influences can affect how genes are turned on and off and even whether some are expressed at all. The authors discuss why this growing evidence supports the need for society to re-examine how it thinks about the circumstances and experiences to which young children are exposed. It is available at http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/download_file/-/view/666/

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5. New Brief Looks at Maximizing Classroom Time in Pre-K to Promote Learning
   Source: National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education - Retrieved May 14, 2010

   The National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (NCRECE) has published a new short brief, entitled Maximizing Classroom Time to Promote Learning (NCRECE In Focus, v.1, no.3), which summarizes the findings of a study that examined how children’s use of time in pre-k varied based on three demographic characteristics often associated with low academic achievement: ethnicity, gender, and family income. To read the brief, go to http://ncrece.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/NCRECEInFocus_V1_I3%20Time_in_PreK.pdf

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6. Promoting Young Children’s Health and Development: Taking Stock of State Policies
   Source: National Center for Children in Poverty - May 7, 2010

   The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) recently published Promoting Young Children’s Health and Development: Taking Stock of State Policies (May 2010), by William Schneider, Sheila Smith, Dionna Walters, and Janice L. Cooper. This brief looks at how well states are currently meeting the health needs of young children in low-income families and makes recommendations. It is available online at http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_941.html

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7. Link Between Child Care and Academic Achievement and Behavior Persists Into Adolescence
   Source: National Institutes of Health - May 14, 2010

   Teens who were in high-quality child care settings as young children scored slightly higher on measures of academic and cognitive achievement and were slightly less likely to report acting-out behaviors than peers who were in lower-quality child care arrangements during their early years, according to the latest analysis of a long-running study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

   To learn more, see the press release at http://www.nih.gov/news/health/may2010/nichd-14.htm.
   To read the full report, go to http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/123440074/HTMLSTART

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