May 11, 2012
In this Issue

1. New CCSSO Reports on Early Learning Initiatives in the States
   Source: Council of Chief State School Officers - Retrieved May 8, 2012
2. CONNECT Module on Tiered Instruction in Early Care and Education Programs Available
   Source: CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge
3. Grant Notice - Personnel Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services
   Source: U.S. Education Department - May 11, 2012
4. Social Emotional Tips for Families and Providers Caring for Infants
   Source: The Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (CECMHC) - Retrieved May 11, 2012
5. Preconception Health and Health Care and Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems: Opportunities for Collaboration
   Source: National Center for Children in Poverty - May 11, 2012

1. New CCSSO Reports on Early Learning Initiatives in the States
   Source: Council of Chief State School Officers - Retrieved May 8, 2012

   The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) recently published the following two new reports on early learning initiatives in the states.

   • Confronting the Quiet Crisis: The Urgent Need to Build Early Childhood Systems and Quality Programs for Children Birth to Age Five (2012) - This follow-up report to the CCSSO's 2009 report highlights how Chiefs from five states (MD, OK, NJ, RI, MN) have expanded early childhood opportunities in their states and discusses how states can make early childhood investments in the current budget context and provide leadership when early childhood programs are managed by different agencies through different funding streams.
   • Educare: Re-envisioning Education Beginning at Birth (2012) - This report describes the Educare model, provides a summary of recent evaluation data on the impact of Educare on children in the first five Educare schools (Chicago, Omaha, Milwaukee, Tulsa, and Denver), and a discusses the implications for public education and early childhood policy.
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2. CONNECT Module on Tiered Instruction in Early Care and Education Programs Available
   Source: CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge

   CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge has released a new module on Tiered Instruction (CONNECT Module 7). The module is meant to help learners understand the purpose, use and potential benefits of tiered instruction to promote positive behaviors and academic learning in young children in early care and education programs.

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3. Grant Notice - Personnel Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services
   Source: U.S. Education Department - May 11, 2012

   On May 11, 2012, the U.S. Education Department published the following notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2012: Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities—Personnel Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services (CFDA) Number: 84.325K. The deadline for applications is June 25, 2012. [Note: The application packet posted on May 11, 2012 had incorrect selection criteria. An updated and corrected application packet was posted on May 14, 2012.]

   The notice includes 4 Focus Areas:

   • Preparing Personnel to Serve Infants, Toddlers, and Pre-school Age Children with Disabilities
   • Preparing Personnel to Serve School-Age Children with Low-Incidence Disabilities
   • Preparing Personnel to Provide Related Services to Children, Including Infants and Toddlers, with Disabilities
   • Preparing Personnel in Minority Institutions of Higher Education to Serve Children, Including Infants and Toddlers, with Disabilities
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4. Social Emotional Tips for Families and Providers Caring for Infants
   Source: The Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (CECMHC) - Retrieved May 11, 2012

   The Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (CECMHC) has published two new resources: Social Emotional Tips for Families of Infants (2012) and Social Emotional Tips for Providers Caring for Infants (2012), which provide one-page posters with tips that families and providers can refer to during specific daily routines to help nurture the social and emotional health of infants. Each poster offers a rationale for using the tips which are based on research. They are meant to help families and providers:

   • practice using behavior and language that supports healthy, positive connections with children;
   • learn more about social and emotional health; and
   • understand the importance of social and emotional health to school readiness.
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5. Preconception Health and Health Care and Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems: Opportunities for Collaboration
   Source: National Center for Children in Poverty - May 11, 2012

   A new report from the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), Preconception Health and Health Care and Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems: Opportunities for Collaboration (May 2012) by Maya Rossin-Slater and Christel Brellochs, discusses the impact of women's preconception health and health care (PCHHC) on children's birth outcomes, development, and later life wellbeing. The authors provide recommendations for how the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) initiative can help to promote PCHHC and benefit women, young children, and families in their communities.

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