Tag Archives: Family

Alliance for Early Success: Policy Framework and Guidelines 

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11/2015

The Alliance developed and published an initial Framework in 2013 with input from more than 150 experts representing early childhood and K-12 advocates and leaders, researchers, communication professionals, policymakers, and foundation leaders. The 2015 revision reflects input from a high level Advisory Group as well as additional experts in health and family support. Policy options are updated to reflect the latest research and best practice evidence. The most significant change is the inclusion of cross-cutting policy choices that address multiple issues.

The Framework has four policy pillars.

  • HEALTH:  Children are born healthy, stay healthy, and are surrounded by healthy adults
  • FAMILY SUPPORT:  Families help their children explore, learn, and grow in safe and nurturing places.
  • LEARNING:  Children arrive at Kindergarten with the skills and abilities to meet developmental milestones, read on grade level, and reach achievement goals.
  • CROSS-CUTTING POLICIES: Children thrive in families and communities that support their healthy development.

Source: Alliance for Early Success

Available at: http://earlysuccess.org/our-work/policy-framework

Tipping the Scales – The Resilience Game

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9/2015

In this interactive feature, you will learn how the choices we make can help children and the community as a whole become more resilient in the face of serious challenges. Negative events can occur at any moment, and it’s your job to choose positive events to counteract these negatives.

Choose carefully—you only have 20 ‘Resilience Bucks’ to spend. Certain positives will better counteract certain negatives and have a greater positive effect on children in the community. Your goal is to tip as many children’s scales as possible toward positive outcomes.

Clicking on a child’s scale will give you a more detailed look at their history, scale balance, and the placement of their fulcrum. The positive experiences you choose will alter both the scale and the fulcrum’s position—shaping the outcomes of children and the community.

We will all face adversity in life. But will your community thrive? Or dive? It depends on the choices we make!

Source: Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University

Available at: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/resilience-game/

Early School Readiness: Indicators on Children and Youth

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7/2015

Compared with white or black children, Hispanic children are less likely to be able to recognize the letters of the alphabet, count to 20 or higher, or write their names before they start kindergarten. Black children are similar to white children on these measures, but are more likely than white children to be reading words in books.

Importance

School readiness, a multi-dimensional concept,1 conveys important advantages. Children who enter school with early skills, such as a basic knowledge of math and reading, are more likely than their peers to experience later academic success,2,3 attain higher levels of education, and secure employment.4 Absence of these and other skills may contribute to even greater disparities down the road. For example, one study found that gaps in math, reading, and vocabulary skills evident at elementary school entry explained at least half of the racial gap in high school achievement scores.5

As conceptualized by the National Education Goals Panel, school readiness encompasses five dimensions: (1) physical well-being and motor development; (2) social and emotional development; (3) approaches to learning; (4) language development (including early literacy); and (5) cognition and general knowledge.6 The school readiness indicator reported on here includes four skills related to early literacy and cognitive development: a child’s ability to recognize letters, count to 20 or higher, write his or her first name, and read words in a book. While cognitive development and early literacy are important for children’s school readiness and early success in school, other areas of development, like health, social development, and engagement, may be of equal or greater importance.7,8,9 However, although experts agree that social-emotional skills are critically important for school readiness, to date there are no nationally representative data in this area.

Source: Child Trends

Available at: http://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/07_School_Readiness.pdf

ZERO TO THREE: Parent Portal

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7/2015

There is no such thing as a perfect parent. Parenting is an ongoing process of learning who your individual child is and what he needs to thrive.  Our resources are designed to help you tune in to what makes your child tick, and to guide you in thinking about the best way to meet your child’s individual needs.

  • Learn all about how development unfolds in the early years and how you can support your child’s healthy, overall growth.
  • Explore how you can help your young child learn to manage emotions, gain self-control, build self-confidence, and make great friends.
  • Discover how children are learning all the skills they need to be successful in school, starting from birth, with your loving guidance.
  • Explore everyday ways to help babies and toddlers learn important concepts, to be good problem-solvers, and to get along with others, through play.
  • Gain understanding about the root causes of some of the most common challenges parents face in children’s early years and how you can respond in ways that teach self-control and critical coping skills.
  • Read about what to expect around sleep in the early years and how to prevent and troubleshoot challenges that arise.
  • Learn about ways to manage your own emotions and reactions to your child that reduce stress–for you and your child–and that empowers you to nurture your child’s healthy development.

Source: ZERO TO THREE

Available at: http://www.zerotothree.org/parenting-resources/

Family Financial Stability

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4/2015

Financial stability is a critical part of family well-being. Increasing family financial security can lead to positive, long-term outcomes for families and children. Use the following resources to learn more about asset-building. Find strategies to share with families, such as participating in financial literacy activities and claiming tax credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Source: Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center, National Center on Program Management and Fiscal Operations

Available at: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/family/family-financial-stability

Four Important Things Research Tells Us About the Transition to School 

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3/19/2015

The transition to school is a rite of passage in the lives of children and their families. For children, it means meeting new teachers and friends, adapting to a different and often larger hustling and bustling environment, and adjusting to new rules and expectations. For families, the transition to school can bring about a variety of emotions.

At Harvard Family Research Project we define transition as a process—not just a one-time event—that begins during children’s preschool years and continues into and through 3rd grade. Keep in mind that transition is also a time when children begin to take part in an increasing number of learning settings, both in and out of school. In this commentary (PDF), we highlight four important things that research tells us about the transition to school, including that:

  • Transition is a matter of equity
  • A smooth transition to school makes a difference for children’s outcomes
  • Families play an important role in the transition to school
  • Relationships among families, early childhood programs, schools, and communities are the foundation of effective transition practice

A number of research articles, many using data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 (ECLS-K), have informed our thinking about the transition to school. We have provided the references in this commentary (PDF) in alphabetical order as a helpful resource.

Source: HFRP – Harvard Family Research Project

Available at: http://www.hfrp.org/early-childhood-education/publications-resources/four-important-things-research-tells-us-about-the-transition-to-school

Parents’ and Providers’ Views of Important Aspects of Child Care Quality 

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3/2015

Understanding the match – or mismatch – of parents’ and providers’ perceptions of quality can inform efforts to improve quality, to strengthen family-provider relationships, and to assist parents in selecting child care that fits their child’s and family’s needs. As part of a larger project examining factors that shape parental decision-making, 92 QRIS providers in two states (46 in Maryland and 46 in Minnesota) and 19 parents of young children (ages zero to six) in Minnesota who recently applied for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program were asked their views on what is important to the overall quality of a child care arrangement.

Source: Child Trends

Available at: http://www.childtrends.org/?publications=parents-and-providers-views-of-important-aspects-of-child-care-quality

Healthy Habits for Happy Smiles Series

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January 2014

This series of handouts for pregnant women and parents of infants and young children provides simple tips on oral health issues. Head Start and Early Head Start staff are encouraged to share the handouts with families to promote good oral health. The handouts are available in English and Spanish.

Source: Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center

Available at: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/health/oral-health/education-activities/healthy-habits.html

Child Care Development Fund Reauthorization Page

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November, 2014

On November 19, 2014, President Obama signed the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 into law.  This reauthorizes the child care program for the first time since 1996 and represents an historic re-envisioning of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program.  The new law makes significant advancements by defining health and safety requirements for child care providers, outlining family-friendly eligibility policies, and ensuring parents and the general public have transparent information about the child care choices available to them.

Source: Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families

Available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/occ/ccdf-reauthorization

Strategies to Support and Encourage Healthy Active Living course

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November 2014

The Strategies to Support and Encourage Healthy Active Living course is an online, interactive self-study course for Head Start and Early Head Start staff. It is focused on healthy, active living for children and families. Practice building skills to effectively communicate and engage with families around creating and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle.

Source: The Head Start National Center on Health and the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center

Available at: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/health/healthy-active-living/story.html