In "Child Development:" Preschoolers' Classmates Influence Their Language Skills

Past research has shown that children's abilities to both speak and understand words developed faster when they were with classmates with better language skills. Now we have this study by Justice, Petscher, Schatschneider, and Mashburn that indicates that this is true in the early childhood classroom as well. Just recived my copy of The PreK Debates: Current Controversies and Issues as a Comprehensive NAEYC member and it brings these thoughts to mind.

~ Does this information mean we need to rethink universal prek models to ensure classrooms include diverse populations with a range of language abilities?

~Are we doing a disservice when we design programs that are offered to targeted groups of vulnerable children?

Read the story on Science Daily: http://bit.ly/rrLpru

Source: Laura M. Justice, Yaacov Petscher, Christopher Schatschneider, Andrew Mashburn. Peer Effects in Preschool Classrooms: Is Children’s Language Growth Associated With Their Classmates’ Skills? Child Development, 2011; DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01665.x

Are Electronic Screens Really Just Electronic Pacifiers?

How often do you see a parent hand off an ipad or “screen” device to a young child to distract a tantrum in its tracks? If TV is harmful even in the background, then what do you think about the flashing “educational” apps for toddlers?

Read NPR: Will Smartphones And iPads Mush My Toddler's Brain?

http://n.pr/rogego

Bring More Research into Your Program

Educators and directors, did you know about this free resource available from Research Connections? Bring more research-based best practices into the lives of your students or staff. Help them develop the basic skill of finding and using research to inform their knowledge.

Research Connections Faculty Teaching Modules

http://cceerc.org/childcare/modules/

Keep children under age 2 "Screen-Free!"

So says the AAP policy statement released on Oct. 18 at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition. "Media Use by Children Younger Than Two Years," reports that despite recommendations by experts to the contrary many parents still think that “educational” television is good for children. Parents in the study reported that 90% of children under 2 watch electronic media and 66% of 3 year olds have a TV in their bedroom…

To quote the article: “According to Dr. Brown, "In today's 'achievement culture,' the best thing you can do for your young child is to give her a chance to have unstructured play -- both with you and independently. Children need this in order to figure out how the world works."

What else need anyone say? How can we in the ECE community convince parents the best way to stimulate children's early brain development is to play in the real world? Really, I'm asking...

Read the full article: http://bit.ly/o8APuJ

Spend More on Head Start in This Economy: Is This a Joke?

No this is not a punch line to joke. This week New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof posted a piece about the value of early childhood education. He called for increased spending to combat the inequality that exists between rich and poor student. Head Start serves more than 900,000 low-income children a year. Those of us who work in or with Head Start programs know the many ways this comprehensive program supports vulnerable children and families. Yet the debate continues about whether this money is well spent if, as the Impact Study reports, the measured educational “gains” do not last beyond second grade. Some claim Head Start in its current form is a failure.

In an earlier New York Times article, Joe Klein called for “one program” under the Department of Education. In my mind this raises many new questions:

-How do you think moving Head Start into the jurisdiction of the Department of Education would impact how we define and deliver early education?

-Would their oversight improve the quality of care in early childhood?

-Have the Department of Education policies and oversight provided quality education in the K-12 world?

-Do you think all early care programs for the “rich” are the high quality?

-Can the Department Of Education understand the nuances that define high quality in early care programs?

-Can we continue to quote two studies done over 50 years ago with a small group of children and families who lived in a world that is vastly different from today?

We want your comments! Correlation of HS Framework & Common Core for K

Review the Correlation of the Head Start Framework with the Common Core State Standards in Kindergarten. The deadline for Review and comment is Nov. 20, 2011 so as not to get lost in the holiday time frame. We hope this project can spark more dialogues between NHSA, NAEYC, SFL, the early education community and K-3 and produce some positive results.

As the majority of states have already adopted the Common Core State Standards and the Head Start Framework is used nationally, this presents a good opportunity for the entire early childhood community to discuss the wealth of learning experiences and school readiness skills that PreK children in high quality, DAP programs–in this case Head Start “graduates”—bring onto the Kindergarten classroom.

Connections for Success: Ready Set Go & Update!

Read the latest update for the Correlation Project. Learn how your fellow practitioners from the Head Start community collaborated on an exciting resource that aligns the Head Start Framework with the Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten. In this day-long session at the NHSA October Institute participants reviewed the importance, challenges, and benefits of aligning early education with the continuum of Common Core State Standards, now used across the nation. Working in small groups, participants reviewed the latest draft of the project and provided additional viewpoints and expertise.

Your input is can help ensure it illustrates a continuity of learning outcomes from Head Start to Kindergarten. Common Core Standards state what a child should know and be able to do at the end of the Kindergarten year.

Stay tuned—this project in it’s entirety will be posted for an open review to the Early Childhood Community at large in the coming weeks.

Baby Bullies? The roots of early childhood aggression

In the past, adults thought that babies had no capacity to be a ‘bully.’ New research suggests that a tendency for aggression appears to emerge —by age one—right as a baby’s the motor skills develop strengthen and make it possible to coordinate and move about. Researchers found that aggressive babies were much more likely to have mothers who were clinically depressed during pregnancy, or who themselves had a history of conduct problems. Of note, no mention is made of the father and his anger threshold or depression, nor if the babies spent time care with other caregivers who might also have the identified “maternal” risk factors for childhood and adolescent aggression: which range “from social class and education to smoking, depression and conduct disorders.”

The Bully in the Baby? - Association for Psychological Science

Children are the most valuable resource in Finland

For over 15 years the one small nation--Finland--has ‘scored” at or near the top of all the nations tested in reading, mathematics, and science. The big news is Finland tests the least and scores the highest. There is a national curriculum of broad guidelines; but teachers are trusted professionals who design the curriculum and the tests. Teachers are respected; children get a rich education rather than vigorously “tested”. Finnish schools are not perceived as a “business”, scores are not productivity reports, and children are not “widgets.”

Finland also has a strong belief in social responsibility with a strong welfare system. Result: child poverty rate =4% vs. US child poverty rate=22+. Finnish children are the nation’s most valuable resource.

Read the full article by Diane Ravitch: Why Finnish schools are great (by doing what we don’t)

Check out PreschoolFirst November 2011 E-Newsletter

PreschoolFirst Curriculum Connections: November, 2011, Issue 1111 - Check out my #constantcontact newsletter

Parent Night Show Stopper: Cool Brain Power!

Need a way to convince your staff and parents that PLAY is the best way for young children to learn? Share this MSNBC Video Clip with your group before they go to the classrooms to talk to teachers. Dr. Patricia Kuhl—one of our favorite researchers in early childhood development shares amazing brain images and her findings in an “easy to listen to” delivery. See what happens in the brain before children ever get to formal school! Watch the brain grow and learn from play and relationships.

Brain Power: Why Early Learning Matters (well spent 21 minutes!)

Be a Voice for America's Children

Read what Virginia knows about early education and readiness! The advocacy group Voices for Virginia's Children agreed to let us share this great resource with our blog readers. You might want to share it with policy makers in your community as a model for a handout in your state. This simple handout makes the point in two easy to read pages.

Open publication - Free publishing - More school success

Conservative or liberal, hard to argue against better health outcomes & improved parenting skills.

Low income children live with stresses that put them at greater risk of becoming adults permanently vulnerable to infection and disease. Poor adult health costs our nation huge sums of money. What to do?

A significant minority of children from low-income families DO become healthy adults. The big difference: MOM paid careful attention to the children's emotional wellbeing, had time for them, and showed affection and caring. These are all crucial aspects of the comprehensive services that early childhood programs need to provide for our nation's most vulnerable children. Support Early Head Start, Head Start, home visiting programs and local efforts in your community to offer parenting classes to all new parents. Conservative or liberal, hard to argue against better health & parenting skills.

Read: How Devoted Moms Buffer Kids in Poverty at http://bit.ly/qJUzBM

Education Associations support more PreK $$$

Key national organizations (such as AFT, the American Association of School Administrators, the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of State Boards of Education, the National Education Association and the National School Boards Association) recommend strengthening, aligning and broadening pre-K access in communities nationwide.

Do you believe our tax dollars are best spent on early childhood education? Do you think this is a good investment? Tell your Senator today!

Read more at Frontline Educators Make the Case for Pre-K Support

Watch Amy Mandel discussing the Capitol Hill briefing! Tweet and pass this link on to friends.