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Early Learning:
America's Middle Class Promise Begins Early
"By the end of this decade, let's enroll 6 million children in high-quality preschool.
That is an achievable goal that we know will make our workforce stronger."
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NEW Joint Statement on Collaboration and Coordination of the MIECHV and IDEA Part C Programs
This joint statement from the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Health and Human Services (HHS) sets a vision for stronger partnerships, collaboration, and coordination between awardees of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C Program.
NEW Pyramid Equity Project—January 2017 Update
Pyramid Equity Project (PEP) is working in partnership with two Preschool Development Grant programs: Clifton Early Learner Academy in Clifton, New Jersey and Cambridge Early Learning Center in Antioch, Tennessee to implement the Pyramid Model to address inequities in early childhood discipline practices. Specifically the project is implementing the program-wide use of effective practices and procedures for promoting the social and emotional skills of all children, preventing challenging behavior of children at risk of challenging behavior, and providing individualized interventions for children with persistent challenging behavior. The goal is, in fact, to demonstrate how programs, children and families all thrive in an environment where no suspensions and expulsions occur.
Read more (PDF, 397KB).
NEW Updated Dear Colleague Letter on Preschool Least Restrictive Environments.
OSERS' Office of Special Education Programs released an updated Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) related to Preschool Least Restrictive Environments (LRE). The policy guidance provided in the DCL covers:
- Key statutory and regulatory requirements,
- Preschool placement options,
- Reporting educational environments data for preschool children with disabilities, and
- Use of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B funds for preschool children with disabilities.
Much of the information provided is reaffirming our guidance from the past but we have included new clarification around definitions, data collection, and funding.
Download:
Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) related to Preschool Least Restrictive Environments (LRE) (PDF, 287KB)
The Department of Education released another resource to explore how educators might build on and sustain the positive effects of preschool. A new case study of five programs examined two types of promising strategies to support children's learning in early elementary school: 1. aligning instruction from preschool through grade 3, and 2. differentiated instruction.
Download:
In order to help expand and improve preschool for three and four year olds, the U.S. Department of Education announced it is providing $3 million to eight governmental entities around the country for Preschool Pay for Success Feasibility (PFS) Feasibility Pilots. These grants will allow states, school districts, and other local government entities to explore whether PFS is a viable financing mechanism for expanding or improving preschool in their communities. For more information about PFS, visit ED's PFS Webpage.
Join the OSEP-funded DaSy Center and privacy and legal experts from the U.S. Department of Education on Thursday, December 15 at 3 p.m. ET for Privacy, please! Safeguarding the privacy of young children with disabilities under IDEA & FERPA. Experts from the U.S. Department of Education will address answers to frequently asked questions related to privacy and confidentiality for IDEA early childhood programs.
U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr. announced that 18 states will receive $247.4 million for their third year funding awards under the Departments of Education and of Health and Human Services jointly-administered Preschool Development Grant program to continue their work in expanding access to high-quality preschool. King visited an inclusive Preschool Development Grant program in Baltimore, Md., to see first hand how early education is preparing our most vulnerable children for success in school and beyond. King also announced that release of the Preschool Development Grants Annual Progress Report and 18 individual state reports, which detail how states are meeting the high-quality standards and improving access for our country's children from low- to moderate-income families.
The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education (ED) announced the release of a report that will help states refine their capacity to use existing administrative data from early childhood programs to improve services for young children and families. The report covers key considerations when states integrate data and highlights progress in eight states that are actively developing and using early childhood integrated data systems (ECIDS). The report discusses technical assistance and other resources available to states as they develop their ECIDS.
The Integration of Early Childhood Data (PDF, 1.5MB)
Interagency Policy Statement on Early Childhood Homelessness
The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Education (ED) announced the release of an interagency policy statement on early childhood homelessness. The statement recommends ways early childhood and housing providers at the local and state levels can collaborate to better meet the needs of pregnant women and families with young children who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The statement is being released due to the importance of addressing early childhood homelessness, as this infographic shows. In the United States, infancy is the age at which individuals are most likely to enter shelter or transitional housing, followed by ages one to five, and homelessness during pregnancy and in the early years is harmful to children's development.
Interagency Policy Statement on Childhood Homelessness (PDF, 994KB)
As part of the #RethinkDiscipline chat series, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence in African Americans, in partnership with the American Psychological Association (APA), hosted a Twitter chat on the topic of preschool suspensions/expulsions on October 26. Read the Twitter chat using the hashtag #AfAmEdChat as participants discussed the factors that contribute to disproportionate discipline practices and strategies for eliminating or severely reducing suspension and expulsion practices in preschool.
The U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services today released a policy brief on the use of technology with early learners (PDF, 1.5MB) to help families and early educators implement active, meaningful and socially interactive learning. The brief includes a call to action for researchers and technology developers, highlighting topics for further research and encouraging the development of research-based products.
OSERS' Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has released a guidance document, Understanding the Confidentiality Requirements Applicable to IDEA Early Childhood Programs Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 284KB). The purpose of this document is to assist early childhood programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) with addressing privacy and confidentiality questions. This document is intended to provide responses to frequently asked questions to facilitate and enhance states' implementation of IDEA privacy and confidentiality provisions and can be used in conjunction with the 2014 side-by-side guide of the IDEA and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Confidentiality Provisions.
The U.S. Department of Education released non-regulatory guidance for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to help ensure young children from birth through third-grade get the strong start they need to achieve success in school and in life. This is the Department's first comprehensive look at how the nation's new education law supports our youngest learners. This guidance is intended to remind state and local decision-makers about the importance of investing in early learning, highlight the opportunities available under the new law to strengthen early education, and provide examples of how states and local communities can support young children's success in school. Read more.
Google Hangout Celebrating the 30th Birthday of IDEA, Part B, Section 619 and IDEA Part C
This October marks the 30th Anniversary of the passage of Public Law 99-457, which established Part C and mandated Part B, Section 619 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Watch the below Google Hangout with OSERS' Office of Special Education Program's (OSEP) Acting Direct
or Ruth Ryder and distinguished guests discuss how the law has impacted the early childhood field.
Check out the other celebration videos and visit the 30th Anniversary page for more.
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