Tag Archives: Brain Development

Office of Head Start Upcoming Events

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Explore and register for upcoming T/TA events, sorted by topic. Scroll down for General Interest; Education & Child Development; Family & Community Engagement; Financial & Program Management; Health & Social and Emotional Well-being; Partnerships in Education & Child Care; and Non-ACF Events in the Early Childhood Field.

To see events sorted by date, visit the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC).

 

General Interest

Monday, March 12
4–4:45 p.m. ET
Online

MyPeers Orientation

Join this webinar for a 45-minute introduction to MyPeers, a community of practice forum for Head Start programs, staff, and partners. MyPeers is a virtual space for brainstorming, exchanging ideas, and sharing resources. Local program staff across the country can connect with and lend support to fellow early childhood colleagues.

Webinar Repeats (all ET): March 19 at 1 p.m.; April 12 at 2 p.m.; April 23 at 3 p.m.; May 8 at noon.; May 16 at 2 p.m.

Education & Child Development

Wednesday, March 7
3–4 p.m. ET
Online

Spotlights on Innovative Practices: Relationship-Based Competencies for Professionals Who Work with Young Children

This is a live repeat of the December webinar which introduced the updated resource Relationship-Based Competencies for Professionals Who Work with Young Children in Group Settings.

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Tuesday, March 13
3–4 p.m. ET
Online

BabyTalks Series: Supporting Children’s Early Brain Development

For very young children, almost every experience is an opportunity for learning. Explore how children’s brains develop in the first few years of life.

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Friday, March 16
3–4 p.m. ET
Online

Preschool Cognition: Supporting Early Math

Join this Teacher Time webisode to hear from experts about early math development. Learn how to integrate early geometry concepts and skills, like shapes and puzzles, into everyday teaching practices.

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Tuesday, March 20
3–4 p.m. ET
Online

New and Revised: Making It Work – Implementing Cultural Learning Experiences in AIAN Early Learning Settings

Discover the importance of infusing language and culture in early learning programs. Hear about the newly updated Making It Work, a guide for implementing cultural learning experiences in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) programs.

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Family & Community Engagement

Thursday, March 29
3–4:15 p.m. ET
Online

Helping Families Prepare for Income Changes Throughout the Year

Nearly two-thirds of low-income families go through significant changes in household income during the year. Head Start and Early Head Start programs can play a key role in helping families develop a plan to handle sudden income changes. This webinar is part of the Building Foundations for Economic Mobility (BFEM) webinar series.

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Financial & Program Management

Thursday, March 8
3–4 p.m. ET
Online

Program Planning and Data & Evaluation

This session will give an overview of the Program Planning and Data and Evaluation sections of the Head Start Management Systems Wheel. Topics will include coordinated approaches and how data supports continuous improvement.

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Wednesday, March 28
3–4:30 p.m. ET
Online

Successful, Supportive Relationships with State Early Childhood Systems

Explore both grantee and state perspectives on building relationships that support access to the Child Care and Development Fund subsidy. Hear from state representatives and two Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership grantees, one rural and one urban, about the benefits of these relationships and what steps they took in building them. This webinar is part of the “Making Strides” series.

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Thursday, April 12
3–4 p.m. ET
Online

Facilities and Learning Environments

This session continues the exploration of the Head Start Management Systems Wheel. Review key considerations in facilities management. This includes an overview of the facility development and renovation cycle, as well as the health and wellness implications in facility management.

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Thursday, May 10
3–4 p.m. ET
Online

Transportation and Technology

This Head Start Management Systems Wheel session will address the fundamental concepts that support the systems of Transportation and Technology and Information Systems. This will include transportation planning, ensuring child safety, and the role of internal staff and external consultants in supporting your computers and software.

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Health & Social and Emotional Well-being

Monday, March 5
2–3 p.m. ET
Online

Tummy Time: A Simple Concept with Enormous Benefits

Tummy time gives babies a chance to stretch and strengthen their muscles, which helps them push up, roll over, crawl, and walk. Join this webinar to explore a new suite of materials for home visitors and other professionals working with families with infants. Learn to encourage and incorporate tummy time into families’ routines. Help caregivers use tummy time as a special chance to bond and interact with babies.

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Tuesday, March 6
1–2 p.m. ET
Online

Implementing Evidence-Based Hearing Screening Practices for Children 3 to 5 Years of Age in Head Start Programs

Learn about evidence-based hearing screening for children 3–5 years of age. Explore newly released instructional resources designed to assist those using Pure Tone screening.

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Thursday, March 15
2–3 p.m. ET
Online

Nutrition Education in the Classroom

Nutrition is key for children’s healthy development, but it can be challenging to make it a part of your daily routine. Explore tips and strategies to create healthier eating environments for children in the classroom and at home.

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April 10–12
All Day
Dallas, TX

I Am Moving, I Am Learning Team Trainings

I Am Moving, I Am Learning (IMIL) is a Head Start program enhancement created to address childhood obesity. It was not designed as a curriculum or an add-on. Join the team training to find out how IMIL fits seamlessly into what programs are already doing to meet the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. Apply online by March 9, 2018.

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Partnerships in Education & Child Care

Tuesday, March 6
2–3:30 p.m. ET
Online

Strategies for Building and Financing the Supply of High Quality Early Learning Webinar Series: State and Local Finance Strategies

The National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance, in collaboration with the BUILD initiative, will facilitate a discussion about state and local revenue-generation strategies that fund quality services for children.

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Tuesday, May 1
2–3:30 p.m. ET
Online

Strategies for Building and Financing the Supply of High Quality Early Learning: Utilizing Grants and Contracts, Payment Rates, and Financial Incentives to Increase Supply and Improve Quality

Hear from states that have used different strategies related to provider payments, grants and contracts, and financial incentives.

May 30 – June 1
All Day
Washington, DC

Research and Evaluation Conference on Self-Sufficiency (RECS)

Explore the latest findings from evaluations or programs, policies, and services that support low-income and vulnerable families on the path to economic self-sufficiency. RECS is presented by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Non-ACF Events in the Early Childhood Field

March 2–6
All Day
Costa Mesa, CA

April 4–6
All Day
Online

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April 17–20
All Day
Washington, DC

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April 23–27
All Day
Anaheim, CA

Promoting Social and Emotional Development: Four New Resources for Communities and Families with Young Children

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January 18, 2017

By Kara Dukakis, Libby Doggett, and Shantel E. Meek

All children are born with the need and desire to connect with those around them. Neuroscience tells us that brain development unfolds rapidly in the first three years of life, and that social and emotional development begins in the earliest days of life. When children feel secure in their relationships and have their needs met in responsive and consistent ways, they begin forming a strong social and emotional foundation. They begin to learn to pay attention, regulate their emotions and behavior, express feelings, and overcome challenges successfully. All of these skills contribute to healthy social and emotional development.

The way in which children experience and manage their feelings and emotions depends a great deal on the relationship with their primary caregiver(s) and other important adults in their lives. The environments where children spend their time – whether at home or in an early learning setting – also affect children’s social and emotional development. Social and emotional development involves several inter-related areas, including social interaction, emotional awareness, and self-regulation.[1]

Social and emotional and cognitive development are interwoven from birth and unfold together. Unsurprisingly, social and emotional development is also closely intertwined with academic success. Learning- especially in the earliest years of life- is inherently a social process. Children learn through and with the adults in their lives. A large body of research shows that children with a strong social and emotional foundation demonstrate stronger academic achievement, are more likely to graduate high school, go to college, and fare better on overall wellness and other positive long-term outcomes.[2] Positive social and emotional development carries important benefits for all children, including young children with developmental delays or disabilities.

Many parents and caregivers, as well as teachers and early learning providers, are eager for information and resources on how to connect with babies and toddlers, manage young children’s behavior,[3] and help children develop relationships, regulate their behavior and emotions, and talk about their feelings. When the adults in children’s lives have appropriate expectations of children’s development at different ages, they have greater success – and much less frustration – with young children.

Building on prior successful partnerships to promote early brain and language development and early STEM education, today, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Education are joining with Too Small to Fail to release a Fostering Healthy Social and Emotional Development in Young Children Toolkit on social and emotional development. All of the resources feature examples of simple actions to take, some of which caregivers might be doing already, such as maintaining consistent routines for young children.

This set of resources on healthy social and emotional development includes:

  • A tip sheet for parents and families of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
  • A tip sheet for infant, toddler, and preschool providers and educators
  • A milestones chart with key information on social and emotional development from birth to age 5
  • A fact sheet on the research behind social and emotional development in early childhood and lifelong outcomes
  • A “Let’s Talk About Feelings” poster

Every day, families and educators have opportunities to nurture children’s social and emotional, development through everyday interactions and easy-to-implement activities, such as those provided in the Toolkit. If we all provide supports for our children early in life, they will have the foundation needed to benefit for a lifetime.

Kara Dukakis is Director of Too Small to Fail, a joint initiative of the Clinton Foundation and The Opportunity Institute

 Libby Doggett is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education

 Shantel E. Meek is Senior Policy Advisor for Early Childhood Development, Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

[1] Social interaction focuses on the relationships we share with others, including relationships with adults and peers; emotional awareness includes the ability to recognize and understand our own feelings and actions and those of other people, and how our own feelings and actions affect ourselves and others; and self-regulation is the ability to express thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in socially appropriate ways.

[2] Jones, Damon E., Mark Greenberg, and Max Crowley. (2015). Early social-emotional functioning and public health: The relationship between kindergarten social competence and future wellness. American Journal Public Health, 105(11), 2283–2290.

[3] Zero to Three, “Tuning In National Parent Survey” (2016).

All materials will be posted on the ECD website when they are 508 compliant. Please see additional resources at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ecd.

 

New Guide for Providing a Trauma-Informed Approach in Human Services

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January 13, 2017

By Mark Greenberg, Acting Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families and Kana Enomoto, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
We’re very pleased to announce that the Administration for Children and Families, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Administration for Community Living and the Offices of the Assistant Secretary for Health and the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at HHS have developed a Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services. The Guide is intended to provide an introduction to the topic of trauma, a discussion of why understanding and addressing trauma is important for human services programs, and a “road map” to find relevant resources.

Staff from our divisions have been working together for the last year to develop this guide. We did so because we know there is increasing recognition in human services programs about the importance of being “trauma-informed,” but there are often important questions about what it means to be trauma-informed, what such an approach implies for service delivery and staff training, and how the answers are similar and different across the array of human services programs. The Guide seeks to address these and related questions, and we hope it will be both immediately helpful and a “living” document to be updated over time as our knowledge and experience grow. Trauma is generally described as an especially stressful experience or event which results in physical or mental stress or pain. All of us may experience trauma at one time or another, and for many people, there may be few or no sustained effects, while for others, longer-term impacts and consequences result. This resulting physical or emotional harm could have lasting adverse effects on the individual’s physical, social or emotional well-being.

Research tells us that experiencing traumatic life events can affect the way people learn, plan, and interact with others. Providing human services to individuals who have experienced trauma calls for an approach that takes into consideration their trauma histories. This guide is designed for professional human services providers to help them decide if their services are trauma-informed and how best to deliver and design those services using evidence-based, evidence-informed, and innovative practices most relevant to their needs.

The guide is a web-linked compilation of resources from a range of HHS agencies, federal partners, and respected sources outside government. The site will contain both information and resources for human services leaders at the state, tribal, territorial, and local levels on recent advances in our understanding of trauma, toxic stress, and resiliency and specifically what these advances mean for program design and service delivery.

Some general trauma resources in the guide, which are applicable to all human services programs, include:

  • What is Trauma?
  • What are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)? How are they different from trauma experienced at other times during the life course?
  • What is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
  • How does exposure to trauma affect brain development?
  • What do we mean by trauma-informed services and why is such an approach important?

Other trauma resources for specific human services programs or populations include topics such as aging populations, child welfare agencies, domestic violence programs, victims of human trafficking and victims of abuse.

Becoming trauma-informed is one part of ensuring that human services programs are informed by emerging work linking traumatic experiences and physical, mental and emotional health and the underlying brain science. Our agencies welcome hearing from those involved in program administration and service delivery about the issues and experiences faced in efforts to become trauma-informed, and how our agencies can support these efforts and build the knowledge base for the future.

Access the Guide to Trauma-Informed Human Services.

This is posted on The Family Room Blog at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/blog/2017/01/new-guide-for-providing-a-trauma-informed-approach-in-human-services.

Windows of opportunity: Their seductive appeal

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10/22/2015

A major theme in early childhood education is that brain research has established the importance of early windows of opportunity that can be exploited to assure optimal brain development and life-long well-being. Explanations involving brain science have a seductive appeal, especially among the general public and policy-makers. Thus, neuroscientific evidence requires special scrutiny in the policy realm. Consideration of the neuroscience behind claims about windows of opportunity reveals a contrast between what is claimed in the policy as opposed to the scholarly literature. The advocacy literature tends to tell only half of the story about the effects of experience on synapse formation. The full story raises doubts as to how much specific guidance neuroscience can provide policy makers about what should go into those windows of opportunity.

Source: The Brookings Institution

Available at: http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2015/10/22-childhood-education-neuroscience-window-opportunity-bruer

HHS Launches National Center for Excellence in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

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10/9/2015

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is pleased to announce the launch of the National Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (CoE), a new $6 million investment to support children’s social emotional development and behavioral health led by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Administration for Children and Families.

Infant and early childhood mental health consultation is a multi-level preventive intervention that builds the capacity of teachers, home visitors, and families to promote social-emotional development and has demonstrated impacts for improving children’s social skills and adult-child relationships; reducing challenging behaviors, expulsions and suspensions; increasing family-school collaboration; increasing classroom quality; and reducing teacher stress, burnout, and turnover.

Research has also shown that a child’s first years of life are critically important for brain development, including the acquisition of social, emotional, and cognitive skills that create a foundation for later school and life success.  That is why one of President Obama’s key priorities is ensuring that all children have access to high quality early learning opportunities and supports that promote children’s healthy development, including social-emotional and behavioral health.Although we know what a difference social-emotional and behavioral health makes in the lives of our children, too many of our nation’s teachers and early learning providers still lack the professional development and supports they need to foster readiness in children they serve.  Social and emotional health is among the most pressing training needs of early educators, and the early childhood system is often lacking in its capacity to provide the kind of support that teachers need to help them promote healthy social emotional development and address the behavioral challenges of young children.  Lack of sufficient training and support results in higher teacher turnover, and can be linked to poorer child outcomes.

Over the next four years, the Center of Excellence will build strong, sustainable mental health consultation systems across states, cities, and tribal communities across the country through the development of culturally responsive state-of-the-art tools, and through the delivery of training and technical assistance. The new Center of Excellence will provide inclusive and culturally sensitive expertise, including a focus on tribal communities. Work will be steered by a group of experts in the early childhood mental health field, including tribal experts, to ensure that the work is culturally responsive to the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native children and their families. The unique strengths and needs of tribal communities warrant an intentional focus and strong partnership with tribal nations. The Center of Excellence will include attention to racial and ethnic disparities in exclusionary discipline practices, disparities in access to behavioral health services, and will promote tools and trainings that are culturally responsive and relevant, addressing issues of implicit bias, and benefiting all children, their families, and their caregivers.

The need to better support early childhood professionals with access to training and mental health consultation is particularly acute in  in remote rural and tribal communities, where the geography, limited resources, and lack of infrastructure can be significant barriers to the attraction, retention, and ongoing professional development of teachers and home visitors. Additionally, we know that infants, toddlers, young children and their families in rural communities have mental health needs that are not currently being met because there is a lack of available, accessible, and affordable services for young children. In fact, estimates show that 1.9 million children with mental health difficulties live in areas where there are minimal to no resources available to meet their needs.

This project closely aligns with the White House Rural Council’s Rural Impact strategy to address child poverty, which is another of the ways the Obama Administration is addressing the needs of vulnerable young children and families by supporting cross-agency, nonprofit, and private sector partnerships to better serve rural and tribal kids and families.  Expanding access to high-quality early childhood programs that include a strong focus on children’s social-emotional and behavioral health, is a key piece of this strategy.  And this project also aligns with the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) Initiative, and the MBK Task Force Report, which recommends building a strong foundation of social-emotional and behavioral health, fostered by warm, enriching, and secure relationships with adults like parents and early learning providers, as an integral component of entering school ready to learn.

Today’s announcement is an important step forward in boosting the quality of early childhood programs and thereby ensuring the healthy social, emotional and behavioral development of young children across the country, including in rural and tribal communities. Though families in rural and tribal communities face a unique set of challenges, they also possess a strong set of assets. The work of the Center of Excellence will build on those assets to improve school readiness, school success, and the well-being of the next generation.

Source: The White House

Available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/10/09/hhs-launches-national-center-excellence-infant-and-early-childhood-mental-health

What We’ve Learned About Kids And Sleep In 2015

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9/9/2015

Kids’ sleep is truly precious. For parents, hardly anything beats the sight of their little one wrapped in a blanket, curls strewn over the pillow, breathing softly and looking happy and serene. But what if your child is tossing and turning, snoring or moaning in her sleep? How will the quality of her nighttime rest affect how she fares socially, emotionally and academically?

These were some of the questions that leading medical professionals discussed at SLEEP 2015, which took place in Seattle in June. Underscoring the importance of children’s sleep, the conference added to a wave of newly released research that suggests answers to many of the questions weighing on parents at bedtime.

Source: Huffington Post

Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/09/08/sleep-kids-tips_n_7485616.html

Talking is Teaching Community Guide & Resources

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7/2015

On this page, you’ll find resources designed to help you tackle the word gap and support early learning and brain development. Our resources include the Community Campaign Guide, with lessons learned from our “Talking is Teaching: Talk, Read, Sing” campaigns in Tulsa and Oakland. You’ll also find creative assets available for free download, relevant word gap references, training materials, tips for parents and more. This website is intended for a wide audience, so we hope you’ll find what you’re looking for. And if you have questions, feel free to drop us a line.

Pre-registration is required for some of these materials, so please fill out the registration form where indicated and follow the accompanying instructions. We hope these resources will serve you well, and are truly grateful to you for joining this effort.

Source: Too Small To Fail

Available at: http://toosmall.org/community

Welcome to OHS Health Talks

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7/2015

A Health Talk is a pre-recorded video or podcast that allows health managers to explore deeper into specific health topics.The Health Talks include two series:

  • Health Chats: Listen, as new tools and strategies are discussed to improve health outcomes for children.
  • Ask the Experts: Get answers to frequently asked questions from pediatricians, dentists, psychologists, and other health professionals.

Health Talks offer an easy way to learn more about some of the health issues that concern the early childhood community. Health professionals, technical assistance providers, and other early childhood health and safety staff share information on a variety of topics. The topics are chosen based on questions and suggestions submitted from the field. Send your suggestions for the next Ask the Expert or Health Chat presentations to nchinfo@aap.org.

What is a Health Chat

  • Digging Deeper into Safety and Injury Prevention Data
  • Using Stepping Stones and Compliance with Care to Support Infants and Toddlers
  • Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect

Ask the Expert

  • What is Ask the Expert
  • Head Lice
  • Head Start and the Medical Home
  • Nurturing Health and Wellness in Early Childhood: Nurturing the Brain, the Environment, and the Nurturer

Source: Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center, National Center on Health

Available at: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/health/health-services-management/program-planning/health-talks.html

Word Health: Addressing the Word Gap as a Public Health Crisis

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5/1/2015

Over the past twenty years, scientists and researchers have built the case that the earliest moments of a child’s life offer a unique opportunity to shape her future. The brains of infants and toddlers develop at an incredible rate, forming the foundation for lifelong learning and health. The stimulation that children receive in these early years powerfully influence not only their academic and material success, but also – critically – their physical and mental health as well. An emerging body of research links poor health outcomes and chronic illness to unmet social and environmental factors, as well as to adverse childhood experiences.

While higher-income families seem to be reaping the benefits of this brain research and boosting their children’s advantage, families with fewer resources and less education are not. There is a gap in knowledge and understanding about the power of language-rich interactions – such as talking, reading, and singing – with infants and toddlers that has long-term implications for children, and society at large. Decades of research, including studies that have been replicated and deepened in recent years, demonstrate that there are important disparities in the language exposure of young children. These disparities are predictors of children’s development, success in school and even long-term health outcomes.

Taken together, the brain research coupled with these disparities suggest a public crisis related to the early development of young children, which impacts not only those children and families, but also the promise of social mobility, equality, health, and economic future of our country.

One tangible, feasible, and actionable strategy is to address the “word gap,” or the difference in both the number of words and the quality of conversation heard by low-income children as compared to children in higher income households.

This paper provides a framework to consider early childhood development broadly, and the word gap specifically, as not only a school readiness issue, but as a public health issue and the topic of a public health campaign. Like efforts to put babies on their backs to sleep and to reduce tobacco use, this paper argues that we need to combine media and action campaigns aimed at changing personal behavior with changes in public policy to support the broader ecosystem for parents and caregivers. Through a widely targeted and thoughtful campaign, individuals and the public and private sectors will come to understand the problem and help to raise awareness, which will lead to more families and caregivers talking, reading and singing with young children, and ultimately improving children’s health and educational outcomes for all children.

Too Small to Fail has issued a Community Campaign Guide, which walks local leaders through the steps of creating a word gap campaign, or enhancing a current campaign with word gap messaging. Those interested in building a local word gap campaign should review that guide, as well.

Source: Next Generation

Available at: http://thenextgeneration.org/publications/word-health-addressing-the-word-gap-as-a-public-health-crisis

The Raising of America

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5/2015

The Raising of America is the first national, fully integrated media/public engagement project that aims to reframe the way Americans look at early child health and development.

The Documentary Series

The Raising of America Series is a five-part documentary series that explores the question: Why are so many children in America faring so poorly? What are the consequences for the nation’s future? How might we, as a nation, do better? The series investigates these questions through different lenses: What does science tell us about the enduring importance of early life experiences on the brain and body? What it is like to be a parent today? And what policies and structures help or hinder the raising of healthy, happy and compassionate children? The Signature Hour covers all three of these issues. The four subsequent episodes each dive in for a closer look.

Source: The Raising of America

Available at: http://www.raisingofamerica.org/about-documentary-series