THE NATIONAL POLICY DIGEST
FROM
NATIONAL POLICY TEAM
VOL. 1, ISSUE 7—APRIL 18TH, 2012
Bringing you the latest in state and federal early childhood development policy and research.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions for Improvement? Contact Anna Torsney-Weir.
CONTENTS
Policy Trends and Analysis ..................................................................................................... 2
New Research .......................................................................................................................... 2
Policy Developments and Research from Other Fields ........................................................ 3
Other News and Announcements ........................................................................................... 3
Upcoming Events ..................................................................................................................... 3
Federal Updates ....................................................................................................................... 4
News from the States............................................................................................................... 4
Arizona .................................................................................................................................. 4
California............................................................................................................................... 4
Colorado ............................................................................................................................... 5
Washington, D.C. .................................................................................................................. 5
Kansas .................................................................................................................................. 6
Maine ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Mississippi ............................................................................................................................ 6
Nebraska ............................................................................................................................... 6
New York ............................................................................................................................... 7
Washington ........................................................................................................................... 7
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POLICY TRENDS AND ANALYSIS
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Attachment: A new resource from The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early
Childhood highlights what attachment is, why it’s important, and how caregivers and family members
can support it.
Child Care Cuts: An article by Peter S. Goodman in the Huffington Post discusses the severe state
budget cuts to child care that have been enacted over the past several years and their impact on lowincome working parents struggling to find subsidized child care.
Family Child Care Homes: In “Leaving Children to Chance: NACCRRA’s Ranking of State Standards
and Oversight of Small Family Child Care Homes: 2012 Update,” the National Association of Child
Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) reviews small family child care home program
requirements and oversight and concludes with recommendations for Congress and state
policymakers to improve the quality of small family child care.
Financing Strategies: A new report, "Early Childhood 'Pay-For-Success' Social Impact Finance: A PKSE
Bond Example to Increase School Readiness and Reduce Special Education Costs," discusses the
viability of using private financing for public early education, and how these funds can be used to
increase school readiness and reduce public school special education costs.
Head Start: CLASP released two new policy briefs based on the latest Head Start Program Information
Report (PIR) data from the 2010 program year: Supporting Our Youngest Children: Early Head Start
Programs in 2010 and Putting Children and Families First: Head Start Programs in 2010. Also
available are state fact sheets with key information on all Head Start programs in a state, including
preschool programs, Early Head Start, Migrant and Seasonal Head Start, and American Indian/Alaskan
Native Head Start.
Home Visiting: A TIME article discusses the importance of home visiting as a powerful tool to improve
infant mortality rates, help kids do better in school and decrease child abuse.
Parents’ Child Care Decisions: A new brief from the Urban Institute offers greater insight into how
low-income parents’ employment experiences shape their child care decisions.
PreK Funding: NIEER released the 2011 State Preschool Yearbook, the newest edition of the annual
report profiling state-funded prekindergarten programs in the United States. Also available are statespecific data, interactive data, and a video with highlights from the report. A Huffington Post article
discusses the results that over the last 10 years states have gutted funding for public pre-K programs.
Quality: The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released a
publication, Starting Strong III: A Quality Toolbox for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC),
which looks at what defines quality and describes five policy levers that can enhance quality in ECEC.
NEW RESEARCH
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Social Emotional Research: Child Trends’ analysis of data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s
Health reveals the importance of emotional support for mothers during childrearing.
Preschool Research:
 The Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) and colleagues at Rutgers University conducted a
mixed-methods study addressing questions about the specific state policies, regulations and
characteristics of administration regarding PreK that have the potential to influence child care
quality, and access for low-income working families. Read the Executive Summary.
 The latest report from a longitudinal study in the U.K. following children from the age of 3,
demonstrates that, children who had attended high-quality preschools had better outcomes in
math, science, and social-emotional measures than their peers at age 14. The Effective Pre-School,
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Primary and Secondary Education project (EPPE/EPPSE), commissioned by the U.K. Department of
Education, has been following 3,000 children since 1997 and found evidence of an achievement gap
based on socio-economic differences as early as age 3.
Dual-Language Learners:
 A new study demonstrates that newborns with bilingual mothers are more likely to prefer the
mother's two languages over others and are able to separate out the two languages from each other.
What this all means is that children are capable of understanding more than one language far earlier
than previously thought.
 Research on English language learners often focuses on whether children learn more when they are
taught only in English or more when they are taught partly in the language they speak at home. A new
paper by Wen-Jui Han of New York University’s Silver School of Social Work, sheds light on a different
question: how the characteristics of an ELL student’s school affects his or her ability to catch up
academically with native English-speaking peers.
POLICY DEVELOPMENTS AND RESEARCH FROM OTHER
FIELDS
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K-12 Education: The Brookings Institution released a new report called Choosing Blindly:
Instructional Materials, Teacher Effectiveness, and the Common Core, which discusses the issue
that scant research exists on the effectiveness of most instructional materials, and very little
systematic information has been collected on which materials are being used in which schools
and makes recommendations for how states can fix this problem.
OTHER NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
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The Ounce’s Professional Development Initiative was featured in an Early Ed Watch blog post by the
New America Foundation highlighting i3 winners with a focus on early education.
The Institute of Education Sciences will host a series of funding opportunities webinars in April August, 2012. These webinars will focus on a wide range of topics for applicants to the FY 2013 grant
programs, including the application process, grant writing, and overviews of specific funding
opportunities. Full descriptions of the webinars are available and registration is now open. Find
further information and register here.
Get Ready to Read, an initiative of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, has launched a new
website with updated content, and streamlined navigation. It includes screening tools, a transition to
kindergarten toolkit, skill-building activities, and other resources on early childhood development,
reading and math.
UPCOMING EVENTS
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April 25th, 2-3pm: CLASP and NWLC are hosting a conference call called Quality Rating and
Improvement Systems: A Conversation with Center Directors. To register, click here.
April 26th, 1-2pm: AMCHP and the CDC will host a national webinar, "Using Evidence to Inform
Preconception Health Initiatives". This webinar includes an introduction to the Guide to
Community Preventive Services as an option for designing evidence-informed strategies and
highlights examples of how data and evidence have informed state-level strategies to address
preconception health issues. To register, click here.
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April 30th, 12-6pm: The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring a virtual conference – the
National Rural Education Technology Summit, which is designed to provide examples of how
technology is being used to overcome the challenges of distance to increase learning for students and
educators. Register here.
May 8th, 10am-5pm: The Department of Education, in partnership with the Alliance for Childhood and
the Gesell Institute, is hosting a seminar called “Giving Young Children the Right Start: Effective
Practices for Experiential Learning” in Washington, DC. Click here to register for free by May 1, 2012.
November 11th-12th, 2012: The Independent Sector Annual Conference will be November 11-12,
2012 in San Francisco, California. There are two pre-conference sessions: the NGen Conference on
Saturday, November 10th; and the Public Policy Action Institute on Sunday morning, November 11th.
FEDERAL UPDATES
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The U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
announced that $133M from the 2012 Race to the Top fund will be available for continued
investments in state-level, comprehensive early education reform. The Departments intend to
fund down the FY 2011 slate and invite the next five applicants to apply: Colorado, Illinois, New
Mexico, Oregon, and Wisconsin. The five states will each be eligible to apply for up to 50 percent
of last year's potential award amount.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced
that 10 states received a total of $72M in grants as part of the Maternal, Infant, and Early
Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) to provide early childhood supports and home
visits to families who volunteer to receive these services. The States are: Colorado, Connecticut,
Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
Read more here.
In a new National Economic Council report, the Obama Administration makes the case that the
so-called “Buffett Rule,” which imposes a minimum 30% tax on households earning more than
$1M per year, is a necessary tool to reduce income inequality.
The U.S. Department of Education has launched a new early learning mapping site on
http://data.ed.gov so that interested individuals can use tools to look at discretionary ED grant
programs that focus on or include early learning.
NEWS FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
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KidsCare (health insurance) has been frozen due to budget cuts adopted by Governor Brewer and the
state legislature, but recently a plan was approved that will link 21,700 uninsured children with
KidsCare coverage. Under the plan, called KidsCare II, three hospitals are contributing their own funds
that will be matched with federal dollars at a three to one ratio for KidsCare II. The new coverage will
be available for a limited number of qualified children who have applied for KidsCare and been put on
the waiting list since the freeze. This coverage will last until the end of 2013.
CALIFORNIA
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The State Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee rejected Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to
eliminate transitional kindergarten. Last month, the Assembly subcommittee on education finance
also rejected it. Generally, the CA legislative committees are waiting until the release of the
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Governor’s May Revision, to be released in mid-May, before making any decisions on other child care,
early education, and welfare program proposals.
RAND researchers previously conducted a multiyear study of preschool education known as the
California Preschool Study. One of the recommendations from that study was the need for a more indepth analysis of the effectiveness of the early care and education (ECE) workforce professional
development system (PDS) in California. In response, RAND recently released A Golden Opportunity:
Advancing California’s Early Care and Education Workforce Professional Development System,
which focuses on two key questions:
o Does California’s PDS prepare its ECE workforce well and provide ongoing supports to ensure
that children receive the developmental benefits associated with a high-quality ECE system?
o Are the public resources that support the ECE workforce PDS in California used to maximum
benefit?
COLORADO
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The Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) reversed a decision made more than 25 years
ago, opening the door for students to pursue degrees in early childhood education. When the CCHE
initially banned the degree in 1986, the thought was that a degree in early childhood education wasn't
an academically rigorous pursuit, but in recent years there has been a cultural change recognizing its
importance. Read more here.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
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The annual D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) preschool, pre-K and K-12 out-of-boundary lottery received
10% more applications in 2012 than in 2011. School officials said the trend continues to be driven by
strong demand for early childhood programs. More than half of the 7,299 lottery applications were
for seats in preschool and pre-K. Read more here.
ILLINOIS
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Governor Pat Quinn announced several new appointments to his administration:
o Dr. La Mar Hasbrouck, who most recently served as public health director and commissioner
of mental health in upstate New York, will be director of the Illinois Department of Public
Health.
o David Vaught, the Governor’s current budget director, will serve as the director of the Illinois
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
o Senior Advisor Jerry Stermer will serve as interim director of the Governor’s Office of
Management and Budget.
HB 5826, introduced by Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora removes a requirement for school districts
with fewer than 50,000 students (all but CPS) to submit a plan each fall for how they will use
supplementary General State Act funds, so-called poverty grant, to improve academic achievements
of disadvantaged students.
The Early Education Initiative at the New America Foundation released a new policy paper, "Starting
Early with English-Language Learners: First Lessons From Illinois," which discusses how Illinois
changed its laws in 2008 to provide its state-funded preschoolers with ELL services, leading to new
rules concerning teacher preparation and classroom instruction that are to be implemented by 2014.
Chicago Public Schools issued guidance on how the extended day for elementary school students will
impact preschool and kindergarten programs:
o All full day preschool and kindergarten programs should now run 7hrs (increase of 75 mins)
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o
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All half-day preschool and kindergarten programs should now run 2 hrs 40 mins (increase of 25
mins)
All 4-hour programs will remain 4-hr programs
KANSAS
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Kansas secured $56M from the master tobacco settlement. This is the first of two annual payments
that finance the Children’s Initiatives Fund (CIF), which supports early education programs like Early
Head Start, Tiny-K and Parents as Teachers. The second payment is expected soon. In November, the
Kansas Children’s Cabinet delivered CIF funding recommendations to Gov. Sam Brownback based on
an anticipated funding level of $5M, but the governor included less than $40M for the CIF in his
budget proposal. The cabinet recommended increasing funding for the Child Care Quality Initiatives
(an additional $20,743), Kansas Early Head Start (an additional $3.4M) and the SIDS Network (an
additional $25,000).
On April 10th, three prominent Kansas City area business leaders (Tyler Nottberg, CEO, U.S.
Engineering Company; Neal Sharma, CEO, Digital Evolution Group; Dr. Terry Calaway, President,
Johnson County Community College; and Susan Gates, National Director of America's Edge) released a
report showing that investments in high-quality early care and education provide a big boost to
local businesses in Kansas and play an important role in helping the state’s economic recovery. Also
included in the report is research documenting the long-term economic impact of quality early
learning programs. The business leaders called upon Kansas lawmakers to continue to dedicate the
proceeds of the Master Tobacco Settlement, approximately $56M in FY2012, to early education
programs – like Early Head Start, Parents as Teachers, and Tiny-K. And with the future of the Master
Tobacco Settlement proceeds unclear, they called upon state lawmakers to identify sustainable
sources of funding to ensure these programs can continue to ensure the foundation needed for a
skilled future workforce and sustained economic security.
MAINE
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The Maine Senate voted to approve LD 1984, which will eliminate the provision that allowed family
child care providers to unionize and bargain collectively. It now goes to the House.
Families who have been receiving TANF for 5 or more years have received notice that their TANF
benefits will end on May 31st. However, if they have a job before that date, they would be eligible for
transitional benefits to help keep the job. This is particularly important right now because the Child
Care Subsidy Program currently has a waiting list of approximately six months to get help with child
care. However, there is no waiting list to get help with child care if the parent qualifies for Transitional
Child Care through TANF.
MISSISSIPPI
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Senate Bill 2401, a bill to broaden allowances for public charter schools in Mississippi, did not pass
the House Education Committee. Governor Bryant said he was considering calling a special
legislative session within the current session to revisit charter schools.
NEBRASKA
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The legislature passed LB599, a prenatal healthcare bill reinstating coverage for all low-income
unborn children in Nebraska. Advocates anticipate that Gov. Heineman may veto the bill and are
encouraging legislators to support the bill.
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NEW YORK
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Parents are pushing a plan to eliminate pre-kindergarten in New York City schools because some
children can't get into kindergarten in their own neighborhoods.
Joel I. Klein and Michelle Rhee, the former schools chancellors in New York and Washington, have
formed a statewide political group in New York with an eye toward being a counterweight to the
powerful teachers’ union in the 2013 mayoral election. Also on the board are former Mayor Edward I.
Koch; Geoffrey Canada, the founder of the Harlem Children’s Zone organization,; and a number of
venture capitalists and hedge fund managers, who have served as the movement’s financial backers.
New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott announced that the city will close and reopen 26
schools this summer, regardless of whether New York State’s education commissioner approves the
plans.
WASHINGTON
The legislature passed a final budget, concluding the legislative session, which has the following provisions
for early childhood:
 Restoration of eligibility to 200% FPL for Working Connections Child Care
 $1M in new funding for WaKIDS (Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills)
 Maintenance funding for ECEAP (PreK), home visiting, R&R, Reach Out and Read, and WaKIDS
 Transfer of funding from state to federal for Child Care Resource and Referral and Reach Out and
Read (ROR’s shift is noted as a one-time change)
 $126M reduction from State’s TANF Box, which the state uses to fund a portion of Working
Connections Child Care in addition to TANF obligations
 $2.07M cut for Seasonal Child Care Admin (and $1.025M transferred from DSHS for Seasonal Child
Care subsidies)
 $446k reduction from Department of Early Learning (DEL) administration
 Creation of a subcommittee of the Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC) to craft an
implementation proposal for the state's current birth to three services plan. Co-chaired by the
Department of Early Learning and Thrive by Five Washington, this subcommittee is charged with
identifying the level of funding needed for birth to three services (including an option that 30
percent of all early learning funding be carved-out for birth to three); presenting options for
funding sources; drafting eligibility criteria for providers and programs; and developing an
implementation timeline.
The Ounce of Prevention Fund gives children in poverty the best chance for success in school and in life
by advocating for and providing the highest quality care and education from birth to age 5.
The Ounce National Policy Team partners with and supports early childhood leaders in states as they
advance a comprehensive agenda for at-risk children and families. We do this by providing individualized
strategy and policy consultation and resources; facilitating peer-to-peer learning and networking across
states; and supporting Educare Schools and the Educare Learning Network in the development of their
policy and advocacy work.
The National Policy Digest: a bi-weekly newsletter that shares up-to-date and noteworthy developments
in state and federal early childhood news, policy and funding changes, research, policy trends and
analyses, upcoming events, etc. culled from diverse sources in the field. To subscribe, please contact
Anna Torsney-Weir, National Policy Associate (atorsneyweir@ounceofprevention.org).
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