April 9 , 2009
In this Issue

1. Comment Requests from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
   Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services - April 6, 2009
2. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Speaks at Release of State of Preschool 2008 Yearbook
   Source: National Institute for Early Education Research - April 8, 2009
3. New Report Looks at the Impact of the WIC Program on Very Young Children
   Source: Children's HealthWatch - Retrieved April 6, 2009

1. Comment Requests from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
   Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services - April 6, 2009

   On April 6, 2009, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) published the following comment requests in the Federal Register:

   • Comment Request - Annual State Application under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as Amended in 2004. To learn more see the Federal Register Notice at http://www2.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2009-2/040609a.html. Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before May 6, 2009. The complete Information Collection Package is available at http://edicsweb.ed.gov/browse/browsecoll.cfm?pkg_serial_num=3935
   • Comment Request - State and Local Educational Agency Record and Reporting Requirements Under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. To learn more see the Federal Register Notice at http://www2.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/other/2009-2/040609b.html. Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before May 6, 2009. The complete Information Collection Package is available at http://edicsweb.ed.gov/browse/browsecoll.cfm?pkg_serial_num=3936
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2. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Speaks at Release of State of Preschool 2008 Yearbook
   Source: National Institute for Early Education Research - April 8, 2009

   The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) recently published the State of Preschool 2008 Yearbook, its annual analysis of state-funded preschool programs. The report shows an increase in state preschool enrollment by more than 108, 000 children and an increase in spending of nearly $1 billion (23 percent) over the previous year. Additionally, 11 states improved the quality of their preschool programs and only one fell back. The yearbook is available online at http://nieer.org/yearbook/

   U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined NIEER Director Steve Barnett for the yearbook's release. Duncan spoke about the need for high-quality preschool programs and discussed ways in which the economic stimulus package invests in early education. A video of his speech and follow-up Q&A session is available from C-SPAN at http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=285175-1

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3. New Report Looks at the Impact of the WIC Program on Very Young Children
   Source: Children's HealthWatch - Retrieved April 6, 2009

   Children's HealthWatch has published a new report entitled Feeding Our Future: Growing up Healthy with WIC. The report describes the impact of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) on very young children and highlights new research showing that WIC improves children's health and reduces their risk of developmental delays. It is available online at http://www.childrenshealthwatch.org/upload/resource/Feeding_our_future.pdf

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