Wednesday, November 12 -- Early Child Care and Education

October 2008



In this Update:



Upcoming Events
Prekindergarten Institute: Building on State Leadership
NCSL's National Education Seminar

Recent Events
NCSL State Assistance
New Mexico Forum on Home Visiting
New Hampshire Pre-K Study Committee

What's New
Child-Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Five Pioneer States
Assessing the Validity of the Qualitstar Quality Rating and Improvement System…
Lessons Learned from the Qualistar Rating and Improvement System RAND Validation Study
The Critical Importance of Addressing Chronic Absence in the Early Grades
Preschool Education and Its Lasting Effects

Early Care and Education News
UD's new institute is a gift to early childhood education in Delaware
Child care costs rise as economy tanks
Upcoming Events



Prekindergarten Institute: Building on State Leadership
December 10-11, 2008

Atlanta, Georgia
The Prekindergarten Institute will offer legislators the opportunity to engage with their peers from across the country in a high-level meeting on early education. The meeting will feature national and state experts and researchers who will present research, data and examples of states initiatives. This Institute will address several pre-k topics, including the latest research findings, early childhood advisory councils, and policy and funding options for early education initiatives in tough economic times. Pre-registration is required. To register, please contact Qiana Flores at (303) 856-1540 or qiana.flores@ncsl.org. Please contact Julie Poppe for more information about the agenda at (303) 856-1497 or julie.poppe@ncsl.org. The institute occurs immediately before NCSL's 2008 Fall Forum, for more information on this conference visit http://www.ncsl.org/forum/.



NCSL's National Education Seminar
February 27-March 1, 2009
Scottsdale, Arizona
NCSL is pleased to announce the addition of an Early Learning Track for NCSL's National Education Seminar, Feb 27- March 1, 2009 in Scottsdale, Arizona. This track is in addition to our Higher Education, Elementary and Secondary Education session tracks. Stay tuned for more details.



Recent Events


NCSL has been active in supporting state efforts on early care and education, including the following October events.


New Mexico
In October, NCSL assisted New Mexico's Legislative Finance Committee in planning a full day forum on home visiting. New Mexico's efforts this fall stem from House Bill 168 (2007) that called for a planning work group to develop a comprehensive, long-range plan to phase in a statewide system of universal voluntary home visiting. NCSL helped plan the agenda and arrange speakers for the forum and provided testimony about research and state approaches. In addition, NCSL arranged for an economist to share evaluation research on home visiting programs and an expert from Virginia to talk about their state's experience in building an effective, coordinated home visiting system.


New Hampshire
NCSL participated in a one-day hearing of the New Hampshire Legislative Pre-k Study Committee on October 15 in Concord, New Hampshire. The committee is exploring the feasibility of creating a preschool incentive fund program. New Hampshire is one of ten states that currently do not have a statewide preschool program. NCSL facilitated bringing in two presenters for the meeting. Dr. Steve Barnett with the National Institute for Early Education Research spoke about research findings and outcomes of preschool programs and components of high-quality programs. Dr. Janice Gruendel, Connecticut Governor's Senior Policy Advisor on Children and Youth, and co-chair of Connecticut's Early Childhood Education Cabinet, presented about Connecticut's public-private partnership on early childhood and lessons learned for legislators to consider when setting up a cabinet. NCSL staff moderated a panel on New Hampshire's current status and possible next steps concerning preschool.



If you or your committee is interested in receiving technical assistance, please contact Steffanie Clothier (steffanie.clothier@ncsl.org), (303)856-1416.



What's New

Child-Care Quality Rating and Improvement Systems in Five Pioneer States: Implementation Issues and Lessons Learned
As demand for child care in the United States has grown, so have calls for improving its quality. Quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) are multi-component assessments designed to make child-care quality transparent to providers, parents, and policymakers. This monograph discusses the development and implementation of QRISs in Oklahoma, Colorado, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. The full report can be viewed here.



RAND Qualistar Validity Study and Repsonse

This RAND Corporation study explores the effectiveness of Qualistar Early Leaning's child care Quality Rating and Improvement system. This report can be read in full here. Qualistar has released a response regarding lessons learned from the RAND study. The full response from Qualistar can be viewed here.



Present, Engaged, and Accounted For: The Critical Importance of Addressing Chronic Absence in the Early Grades

Thousands of our youngest students are academically at-risk because of extended absences. The report outlines the consequences to these early absences. To access the report click here.



Preschool Education and Its Lasting Effects: Research and Policy Implications

This brief focuses on the short- and long-term effects of various models of early education such as private child care, preschools, Head Start and state sponsored pre-k. The report provides recommendations to foster effective early education policy including information on standards. Read the full report here.



Early Care and Education News: News from around the country

UD's new institute is a gift to early childhood education in Delaware

In Delaware, less than 60 percent of teachers of children ages 3 to 5 have education beyond high school; some lack literacy skills beyond a sixth-grade level. However, the creation of a new early childhood education program at the University of Delaware is seeking to improve the education of young children through professional development. To read the full article click here.

Child care costs rise as economy tanks
As the economy goes south, child-care costs are projected to heap an even bigger burden on working families. Market rates for infant center day care have risen by almost 40% to about $19,200 in the past four years. To read the full article click here.


For more early care and education news visit the Newsroom section of the Birth to Five Policy Alliance website

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This e-update is made possible by the generous support of The Pew Charitable Trusts and The Buffett Early Childhood Fund. If you have information you would like to share with us, please email Stephen Fagan.



This e-update is an informational service for state legislators and legislative staff who are part of NCSL's Child Care and Early Education Legislative Network. Contact Stephen Fagan or call (303) 856-1374 for more information about the content of this update, to submit information about your, or to SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE.