News Briefs (September 2006)

Literacy News:

Starbucks Sells Novel, Donates Portion of Funds to Jumpstart
This fall, Starbucks will sell Mitch Albom's latest novel, For One More Day, donating one dollar from each sale (a minimum of $50,000 overall) to Jumpstart, an educational organization that works with preschoolers. Starbucks hopes to expand their book "strategy" which currently includes the children's classic The Little Engine That Could.

For a full story, click here.

For more on Jumpstart, click here.

Get Ready to Read! Participates in Nationwide Campaign
On August 24th, Jumpstart hosted Read for the Record Day, a nationwide read-a-thon of The Little Engine That Could. Get Ready to Read! handed out nearly five hundred free activity bags to participants in Rockefeller Center, where Matt Lauer appeared and read to dozens of preschoolers. Other events were held around the country to build awareness of and participation in quality early childhood education.

To learn more about Read for the Record, please visit www.readfortherecord.org.

Talking about Art Helps Children Develop Literacy Skills
A study released by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum suggests that learning about painting and sculpture improves literacy skills and critical thinking. Although the exact correlation between the two is unknown, it is hypothesized that talking about and finding meaning in artwork helps develop the same skills used while reading.

For a full article, click here.

About Preschool and Childcare:

Early Childhood Education Includes Younger Children
In response to research indicating that the critical development of a child's brain begins at birth, new policy reports suggest a comprehensive early childhood development system that includes such features as a supportive governance structure, early learning guidelines, and infant and toddler initiatives. 

To download a pdf of Starting Off Right: Promoting Child Development from Birth in State Early Care and Education Initiatives, from the Center for Law and Social Policy (52 pages), click here.

To download Birth to 5 and Beyond: A Growing Movement in Early Education, from the ZERO TO THREE Policy Center, click here.

"Academic Redshirting" Proven Ineffective
Holding a child back a year before starting kindergarten or keeping him or her an extra year in kindergarten may do more harm than good, according to a recent federal study. The process, known as “academic redshirting,” may hinder a child’s growth, both academically and socially.    

To download a pdf of the study (21 pages), click here.

Be sure to check out last month's Research Roundup from NCLD's Director of Professional Services, Dr. Sheldon Horowitz, for more information on academic redshirting.

Five Key Components to PK-3 Success
A recently released policy brief identifies the five key components of PK-3 that can improve student achievement to be alignment, school organization, qualified teachers, classrooms as learning environments, and accountability to parents and communities.

To download a pdf of this policy brief (8 pages) from the Foundation for Child Development, click here.

Pre-K Now Reports on Latino Preschoolers
Pre-K Now has released a new policy report on the barriers that Latinos face in enrolling students in preschool in America, including struggles with affordability and language. The report, Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future, discusses ways to improve outreach to Latino students.

To download a pdf of this report (24 pages), click here.

Guide to Calculating the Cost of Quality Early Child Care
The Finance Project has developed this guide to calculating the cost of quality early care and education in order to assist policymakers, community leaders, and developers.

To download a pdf of this guide (40 pages), click here.

New Research Released on Educational Challenges Facing Hispanic Children
In an attempt to increase opportunities for children of Hispanic descent and to influence education policy decisions that most affect this population, the National Task Force on Early Childhood Education for Hispanics is releasing new research that identifies the major educational challenges facing Hispanic children.

For more information, click here.

Structuring the System that Will Change Early Childhood Education
In response to concerns about children's "school readiness," advances in early brain development research, and the increasing need of working mothers for child care, more than twenty states are adding over one billion education tax dollars to their budgets towards a Universal Pre-K System this year. This system will ensure that quality community centers stay open, that poor children get a better start, and that parents play a bigger role in the education of their children.

To read Pre-K: Shaping the System That Shapes Children, from the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, click here.

Upcoming Conferences:

National Accountability Conference on Special Education and Early Intervention
The 2006 National Accountability Conference on Special Education and Early Intervention, formerly the National Monitoring Conference, will be held in Denver, Colorado, from September 18-19, and will address challenges in monitoring and ensuring accountability of local programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

For more information, click here.

Pre-K Now to Reach Thousands of Preschool Advocates Via Satellite Conference
From 1:00—3:00pm ET on September 20th, Pre-K Now will host its national conference, broadcast via satellite across the country. Pre-kindergarten advocates and supporters are invited to organize viewing sites for the live television broadcast in hopes that all fifty states will be represented this year.

For more information on The Pre-K Now 2006 National Satellite Conference, and to set up or find a site near you, click here.

International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families
The 22nd Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families will be held from October 19-22 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and will host conference sessions, workshops, facilitated crackerbarrel discussions, research roundtable discussions, and poster sessions for those who work with young children with special needs.

For more information, click here.

National Black Child Development Institute Conference
The 36th Annual National Black Child Development Institute Conference will be held from October 22-24 in Miami, Florida, and will provide one hundred seminars, forums, and workshops led by renowned experts on child development issues for educators and professionals in early care and education.

For more information, click here.