I was reading through the Education Department’s recent Listening and Learning Tour materials when I stumbled across a great resource and argument for the effort to integrate pre-kindergarten with early elementary grades.

The slides lay out the reasons behind the PreK-3rd movement, explaining why we need to create better transitions between pre-k and elementary school, including that third grade is now seen as a critical turning point in a student’s education and that investment in quality early learning needs to be sustained by a K-12 education of similar quality.

It also offers a few research findings that make a strong case:

• “Only one-third of all American children are reading at grade level or above when tested at the beginning of fourth grade.”
• “Over 80 percent of African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian low-income children are not reading at grade level when tested at the beginning of fourth grade.” –

“PreK-3rd: A New Beginning for American Education,” Ruby Takanishi, president of the Foundation for Child Development.

The slide show also lays out recommendations for improving PreK-3rd integration, such as coordinating pay and training for teachers in pre-k and teachers in early elementary grades. Takanishi also has a great handout that lists useful PreK-3rd resources.

Poor sleep linked to bad behavior among grade schoolers: Along with good parenting, schools and diet, a good night’s sleep is a key element in a child’s development. A new study reports “poor sleep was linked with more aggression and delinquency, as well as a higher incidence of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem,” The Juggle reports today.

“All the kids in the study tended to have more emotional and behavior problems when their sleep was impaired. But the effect was largest among children under stress, such as those from poor families. In contrast, when the kids in poverty got enough sleep, their behavior tended to fall near a normal range, according to the study, led by Mona El-Sheikh of Auburn University.” – The Juggle, Wall Street Journal, 6/7/10.

It is worth checking out.