This was a week about early learning money. The news was full of stories about fragmented funding for preschool, pre-kindergarten and child care in California, how to spend economic stimulus cash on child care ratings and Texas money on better classes.
A promised deluge of federal stimulus funds for preschools, a major priority for President Barack Obama, will start flowing to centers in San Diego just as state funding is being clipped.
That might sound like a blessing, but dollars from state, federal and other programs cannot be easily swapped to plug gaps. The push-and-pull on preschool money is putting many centers in the paradoxical position of juggling expected cuts with investments in better programs and training, benefiting some families and not others. The fates of different preschools and their different programs will vary dramatically depending on where they get their money, and whether they can find ways to tap the stimulus. – VoiceofSanDiego.org, 4/28/09 (Thanks to Early Stories for finding this news.)
The stimulus presents a unique opportunity for states to invest in QRIS, which can help them ensure the quality of their growing investments in pre-K and early childhood programs while also driving improvements in child well-being and educational development across the ECE sector. Several states have “shovel-ready” plans for QRIS expansion or pilot programs that could put stimulus funds to work immediately. – New America Foundation, April Issue Brief.
Plus: Making a Connection Between Social Behaviors in Preschool and Kindergarten Success
Hanish and her colleagues also found that, in preschool, children who play well with their peers are more likely to do well in preschool teachers' assessments of their math and literacy skills, as well as their ability to pay attention and follow instructions.
Contrary to what some researchers expected, however, the data did not show any significant link between social behaviors in preschool and literacy and math skills in kindergarten. – Early Ed Watch, 4/28/09.
Vanderbilt University’s new Peabody Research Institute and the Tennessee Department of Education today announced a partnership to conduct the first statewide evaluation of the effectiveness of Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre-K Program. (Cost is $6 million). – Vanderbilt University, 4/27/09.
Oregon WIC is now at 103 percent of capacity, serving more people than they're actually funded for. – The Oregonian, 4/26/09.
In Texas, though, the sky’s the limit. Of the 38 states that sponsor pre-K classes, Texas is the only one that doesn’t cap student-to-teacher ratios. In the Houston area, we hear of classrooms in which a lone teacher wrangles a herd of 28.…The Texas Legislature is considering bills to raise the quality of our state’s pre-K programs. – Houston Chronicle, 4/28/09
(Thanks to Pre-K Now for finding many of these news stories.)
