Researchers found a few basic steps were associated with battling one of the nation’s health concerns, childhood obesity. Preschoolers who got enough sleep, watched limited amounts of television and regularly ate dinner with their families had a lower prevalence of obesity.

In fact, preschoolers who had all three habits were found to have “a roughly 40 percent lower prevalence of obesity than those exposed to none of these routines,” according to an article published today in Pediatrics, the research journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. (You can read a summary here.)

Now, preschool teachers will tell you each of these habits likely helps in plenty of other ways, concentration and social skills for example. In this sense, the report is one more reason adequate sleep, a healthy diet and limits on media consumption are elements of quality preschool.

But, how much TV, sleep and family eating are enough?

The latest research offers one idea.

In the study, children who got 10.5 hours of sleep a night, ate dinner with their families more than 5 nights a week and watched 2 hours or less of television a day were in the healthier group.

Since we know these are all healthy habits, it is also interesting to see how many families actually follow these rules. Researchers found one in seven children were in families who had these habits, while one in eight had none.

They also pointed out they found this association in both high-income and poor homes and in homes where the mother was obese. We should clarify this study didn’t make a causal link, but said findings offer “promising behavioral targets.”

News and Notes: Birth to Five Policy has a cool new website. Check it out here.

Washington State News

• Play sessions slip in some early learning – 2/3/10, Wenatchee World
• State’s entry idling at start line in Race to Top – 2/3/10, The Seattle Times
• New standards for early learning come with a price tag – 2/1/10, The Longview Daily News

National/International News

• The millionth child enrolls in Georgia pre-k. Milestone or mistake? – 2/4/10, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Get Schooled Blog (GA)
• Editorial: Michigan should make preschool the priority – 2/4/10, The Grand Rapids Press (MI)
• Editorial: Call off the toothbrush police – 2/3/10, The Boston Globe (MA)
• New initiative coordinates birth-to-graduate learning in Kentucky – 2/3/10, Business Lexington (KY)
• Op-Ed: Reading is built on rich language exposure throughout preschool years – 2/2/10 (AZ)
• State to offer rating system for child care centers – 2/2/10, Wisconsin State Journal (WI)
• Minneapolis Fed's longtime research chief Rolnick to retire – 2/2/10, The Star Tribune (MN)
• Op-Ed: Igniting a SPARK for early learning – 2/2/10, Asheville Citizen Times (NC)
• Pre-k program could be headed for 'train wreck' – 2/2/10, Orlando Sentinel (FL)
• Op-ed: Playing to Learn – 2/1/10, The New York Times
• Op-ed: Sharp minds, good ideas – 1/30/10, The Oregonian (OR)

Research/Policy

• Our podcast debut: A conversation about early learning councils – 2/4/10, New America Foundation Blog: Early Ed Watch
• Key Questions on the Obama Administration's 2011 Education Budget Request – 2/1/10, New America Foundation Blog: Ed Money Watch
• New tool asks: Are kids ready for kindergarten? – 1/28/10, Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media: Early Stories Blog

I write a lot about funding battles, both federal and state, and hopefully that money eventually goes somewhere and helps someone, though too often we don’t follow the money.  It turns out last year’s economic stimulus package will allow 108 more kids to attend quality early learning this year in Washington State.

Thanks to the law, the federal government is sending $933,171 to this state to allow these kids to enroll in Children’s Home Society of Washington’s Early Head Start programs in King and Walla Walla counties this month. Plus, the money will create 14 new jobs in a region that could use some – the state’s unemployment rate hit 9.5 percent in December.

“The grant will allow CHSW to enhance child development and social competence in children at homes and at childcare centers. Since a strong parent is critical to the success of a young child, the programs also support family development and promote long‐term self‐sufficiency and capability of parents,” Children’s Home Society’s director of Early Learning Cathy Garland said in a statement.

Unfortunately, the new students will not make a big dent in Head Start under enrollment. Only 2.3 percent of Washington’s 69,000 eligible families actually attend Head Start, mirroring the 2 percent national enrollment rate, according to CHSW.

President Barack “Obama hopes to serve five times the amount of families,” the Home Society added.

Hey, 108 new students is a start.
                               
News & Notes: Check out EarlyStories two great posts:

• “New tool asks: Are kids ready for kindergarten?”
• “Are gifted children born, made or purchased?”

The debate over a potential link between autism and vaccines has raged for years, but this week a top British medical journal formally retracted one of the key studies that suggested a possible connection, media outlets reported.

Concerns about vaccine safety have risen in recent years as some parents and researchers suggested there could be a link between recommended shots and autism. The now-retracted research, published in The Lancet, was one of the drivers of those fears. The debate continued even as other studies arrived that showed no causal link between the disorder and vaccines.

The fear of vaccines sparked another fear among public health officials about outbreaks of measles and other diseases.  For example, the percentage of kids who started school lacking at least one of the required vaccinations jumped from 2.7 percent to 5.5 percent in King County alone during the last decade, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported last year.

"This retraction by the Lancet came far too late," said Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a coinventor of a vaccination for babies against a gastrointestinal virus, Rotateq, that is marketed by Merck & Co. "It's very easy to scare people; it's very hard to unscare them." – “Lancet Retracts Study Tying Vaccine to Autism,”—Wall Street Journal.2/3/10.

The debate is obviously a concern for the early learning community, since children’s health is a key element in creating high quality early education.

The next question is what will happen to vaccination rates now that this study has been formally dismissed?

The debate does not appear likely to go away.

“Certainly the retraction of this paper doesn’t mean that MMR doesn’t cause autism and it’s all a farce,” said Wendy Fournier, president of the National Autism Association. It is “possible” that the MMR vaccine causes autism, she said, but “the science is not there in terms of the mechanism.” The concern is that measles virus has been found in children’s intestines after vaccination, said Ms. Fournier. – WSJ, 2/3/10.

Further reading:

• “Time to regroup on autism,” CNN, 2/3/10
• “Vaccine-Autism Study Is Retracted,” The New York Times, 2/3/10.
• “Lancet Retracts Study Tying Vaccine to Autism,” Wall Street Journal, 2/3/10
• “Meeting a Child’s Special Needs,” The Juggle, 2/3/10.

Massive presidential budget proposals are worth a second, third and fourth look and a closer examination of President Obama’s plan reveals more good news for early learning, including a fresh focus on early literacy and a boost for child nutrition.

For example, President Obama tucked a proposed increase of $1 billion for child nutrition in his budget, the National Association for the Education of Young Children reports. Obama also wants to wrap together a group of literacy programs into “a comprehensive birth through high school literacy grant program. $250 million total, of which 15% for birth to kindergarten…”

Even though shiny new programs sound great, CLASP points out Obama is focused on building upon what is already there, such as child care block grants and Head Start. (The president, however, clearly wants to add the creation of the Early Learning Challenge Fund to his resume. He asked for $9 billion over ten years, CLASP reports.)

The administration's FY 2011 budget proposal represents a blueprint for the vision that President Obama would like to put in place. It is clear that high-quality, comprehensive early childhood programs that serve the needs of vulnerable children and their families are at the forefront of that vision. – “Administration Reverses a Decade of Indifference.” CLASP, 2/1/10.

To help you digest Obama’s many plans for early education here are a few resources to get you started:

• “Obama’s FY11 Budget Requests a Boost for Early Childhood Programs.” Early Ed Watch, 2/2/10.
• “President’s Budget Request Places Priority on Early Childhood Investments.” NAEYC, 2/1/10.
• “Administration Reverses a Decade of Indifference.” CLASP, 2/1/10.
• “Administration’s FY 2011 Budget: Early Childhood Highlights.” National Women’s Law Center, 2/1/10.
• "Capitol Connection:CCR&R's Weekly Source for Federal Child Care Policy News" NACCRRA, 2/1/10.

Tomorrow, we will take a look closer to home, examining Gov. Christine Gregoire’s proposed cuts that could trim child care subsidies.

The Obama administration released its new budget this morning and despite the large federal budget deficit it contains new money for Early Head Start, child care subsidies and other incentives for early learning, interest groups reported.

Two of the nation’s biggest early learning programs, Head Start and Early Start, would receive a total increase of $989 million in fiscal 2011 over last year’s level, according to Zero to Three. It should be interesting to watch the Congressional reaction to that request, since Head Start was criticized last month in a federal report.

In the hopeful thinking department, Obama also wants $625 million for his Early Learning Challenge Fund, even though legislation that would create that fund remains stuck in the Senate.

It wasn’t all about raises, however, because Obama proposed freezing funding for Part C Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers at $440 million, the interest group said. (Check out Zero to Three’s Facebook page to read the details of this handy summary.)

Obama already told the nation last week that he wants to nearly double the child care tax credit and add more money to the Child Care and Development Block Grant program. Zero to Three breaks it down this way:

An increase of $800 million (and an additional $11 billion over ten years) in mandatory Child Care and Development Funds to allow states to provide child care subsidies to additional working families. In addition, another increase of $800 million is proposed to provide quality improvements through the reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). Total funding for CCDBG under this proposal would equal $2.927 billion, $137 million of which is targeted for improving the quality of infant-toddler care. – “Breaking News for Babies: President Requests Increased Funding for Key Infant-Toddler Services.”

We are still learning about the president’s new fiscal blueprint, but you can start here:

• The President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2011, Office of Management and Budget. (Check by department links.)

Stay tuned because CLASP and the National Women’s Law Center will host a conference call Wednesday entitled “The President’s Budget Proposal: Opportunities and Challenges for Early Childhood Programs.”

Washington State News

• Environmentally friendly daycare opens in Fremont – 1/26/10, The Ballard Tribune
• Prekindergarten must be part of basic education – 1/24/10, The Olympian
• Op-ed: State’s 10-year Early Learning Plan needs public input – 1/24/10 The (Tacoma) News Tribune
• Letter to the Editor: Early learning prevents crime – 1/24/10, The (Everett) Daily Herald
• Former Bremerton Superintendent Talks Up Early Education on Bainbridge – 1/28/10, The Kitsap Sun

National/International News

• Should Fathers Get Paid Paternity Leave? – 1/28/10, The New York Times: Motherlode Blog
• Ontario eyes lower child care standards – 1/27/10, The Toronto Star (CAN)
• Family-Aid Proposals in State of the Union Address – 1/27/10, The Wall Street Journal: The Juggle Blog
• Politico Interview: Arne Duncan – 1/27/10, Politico
• Report: State preschool programs save millions in long run – 1/25/10, The Detroit News (MI)
• Kids key to improving state’s economic outlook – 1/21/10, The New Mexico Independent (NM)
  

Research/Policy

• Reading, listening and language skills: New findings – 1/22/10, Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media: Early Stories Blog

California has been cutting programs not adding new ideas, but it clearly wants to add early learning work because it’s a major element of the state’s bid for some of $4.35 billion in fresh federal education reform dollars, according to California Progress Report.

… California mentions early learning repeatedly throughout its 129-page application – a recognition that early learning programs play an important role in making the state competitive for a share of the funds. -- “Early Learning Key Part of Race to the Top Education Reform Conversation.”

In its request for billions of Race to the Top dollars, Cali also appeared to endorse PreK-3rd – a movement to better integrate early learning with the first grades of school, Catherine Atkin, president of the non-profit Preschool California, wrote.

…Among the 800 local educational agencies that signed agreements to address each of the Race to the Top reform areas, nearly a third also committed to improving the quality of early childhood education by helping students make better transitions between preschool and kindergarten, a voluntary element of the agreements.

(Check out the relatively short article. It is worth a few minutes.)

Obama Update: I didn’t hear a lot about early learning in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. In fact, I didn’t hear anything until roughly 34 minutes into his speech, when he mentioned his plan to nearly double the child care tax credit.

Don’t Forget English Language Learners: I came across a set of researchers’ ideas on Twitter about how to use economic stimulus funds to help English language learners. There is a section devoted to Head Start, Early Head Start and the Child Care Development Block Grant towards the end.

We’ve seen a lot of different arguments for quality early learning - economic, artistic and wonky - and now rocker Chris Belew will make the case to Washington State lawmakers with a dance party next Friday.

Earlier this month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger kicked off the debate by declaring a fiscal emergency and proposing his new budget, which contained potential child care cuts, the Child Development Policy Institute reported. If California doesn’t receive a big bump in federal funding, it would trigger cuts that could eliminate the state’s CalWorks program, which supports poorer families with child care aid and employment help, and its Healthy Families health care coverage for kids, according to the analysis provided by Preschool California.

You may remember Belew from when he fronted the popular and more parent-oriented The Presidents of the United States of America. Now, he also makes “kindie” rock and wants to make quality child care a top legislative priority.

“Why the dance?  It's a tough legislative session.  We're in an economic downturn and critically important programs designed to support young children and families – from prenatal care to preschool and everything in between – are in jeopardy of being cut just when families need them most,” MomsRising said this week.

Lawmakers will face tough choices this year as they deal with a $2.6 billion state budget deficit, and MomsRising wants them to remember child care, preschool and pre-kindergarten.

We want “elected officials to decide this session right now to invest in quality early learning, so taxpayers get returns,” MomsRising co-founder Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner said in an interview. “The clock is ticking for kids. We can’t afford to wait.”

Details:

Where: The Rotunda, Washington State Legislative Bldg., Olympia, WA
When: Friday, Feb. 5. 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
RSVP here.

Interesting Science of the Week: Kids who are mixed handed are more likely to develop mental health, scholastic and language problems, Pediatrics, the monthly journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, reports.

“This study supports evidence that mixed-handedness, rather than left-handedness, is associated with risk for language and behavioral problems both in childhood and adolescence.”

Read more at MSNBC.com’s “Ambidextrous kids more prone to mental issues.”

California faces yet another large budget shortfall and that means policymakers in the nation’s biggest state may face a new round of tough decisions on early learning spending.

Earlier this month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger kicked off the debate by declaring a fiscal emergency and proposing his new budget, which contained potential child care cuts, Preschool California reported. If California doesn’t receive a big bump in federal funding, it would trigger cuts that could eliminate the state’s CalWorks program, which supports poorer families with child care aid and employment help, and its Healthy Families health care coverage for kids, according to an analysis provided by the advocacy group.

The governor’s budget also contains cuts to child care reimbursement rates. It wasn’t all bad news, however. The governor’s budget “increases by $65.5 million to backfill Pre-School one-time funds used in the current year,” Preschool California said. (We are still waiting for more details about the budget plan.)

Now isn’t a great time to cut child care spending in California because the state received a C for its early learning and development in a recent report card issued by Children Now, an Oakland, California-based advocacy group.

It could be another tough year of state funding battles.