Resources for Early Childhood Education - National Education Association
Tue, 17 Oct 2006 04:00:00 GMT
Resources
Full-Day Kindergarten: An Advocacy Guide
NEA's "advocacy guide" offers Association leaders and staff and other early childhood education advocates tools, resources, and research that will help them in securing full-day kindergarten programs in their states. It contains research, organizing tools, policy recommendations, model legislation, and case studies from states that have enacted full-day kindergarten. "Full-Day Kindergarten: An Advocacy Guide" can be downloaded here (
PDF, 2.8MB, 52 pages).
Full-day Kindergarten: Making the Most of It
"Full-day Kindergarten: Making the Most of It" provides evidence-based strategies to help teachers implement high quality full-day kindergarten programs. It features articles and resources from prominent researchers, teacher educators, and practitioners on topics a variety of topics, and it includes reproducible parent guides that teachers can disseminate.
The publication can be purchased online from NEA's Professional Library ($21.95 for members, $24.95 for non-members).
'Building Blocks' Takes a Hard Look at Early Learning
The Foundation for Early Childhood Development is recommending Building Blocks, Making Children Successful in the Early Years of School by Gene I. Maeroff to anyone with an interest in early childhood education
The book uses real-world examples to support the PK-3 approach to education that looks at Prekindergarten through Third Grade as a self-contained unit.
The Foundation says, "In his latest book, education expert Gene Maeroff takes a hard look at early learning and the primary grades of schooling. Building Blocks describes PK-3 -- a concrete and groundbreaking strategy for improving early education."
The Foundation for Early Childhood Development is a partner of the National Education Association.
NEA Offers Policy Roadmap for Early Childhood Education
Full-day kindergarten. Universal preschool. Well-trained teachers and teaching assistants. These recommendations are front and center in the National Education Association (NEA) policy on educating the nation's youngest students.
In a new publication, "NEA on Prekindergarten and Kindergarten," ( PDF, 748 KB, 16 pages ) NEA draws on the expertise and commitment of its 2.7 million member-educators to produce this roadmap to a better start for all children.
NEA believes that all children ages three and four should have access to prekindergarten programs that are high quality, universal and publicly funded. Research shows that a child exposed to good preschool programs before age five will reap lifetime benefits. Quality preschool also increases the chances of a student doing better in early grades, closing the achievement gap and graduating from high school.
Harvard Group Offers Research, Other Resources
The Harvard Education Letter has established a Web site that provides an entire series on early childhood education available in full text (including research, resources, articles, comments from practitioners, etc.) . Additional articles in this ongoing three-year series will be posted as they are published.
The Web site's introduction says:
A growing body of research demonstrates the critical role high-quality early childhood education plays in students’ success, not only in the elementary grades but throughout their lives. The decisions we make now about the ways in which today's preschool and early elementary students are taught will affect our entire society for many years to come. Our hope is that the articles, comments, and resources in these pages will spark thought, discussion, and -- ultimately -- improvement in the education of America's youngest students.
Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten and Beyond
Children's earliest experiences can make a big difference in how their brains develop and how well they do in school. That's why finding good child care and preschool programs that help children to learn and grow is so important. Parents' Action for Children offers tips for finding quality child care and preschool programs, as well as advice to help you decide what type of arrangement is best for your child.
Policy Brief Discusses NCLB and Early Learning
The so-called No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal education law has no accountability requirements that apply directly to early childhood education programs for children in second grade and below, but there are implications for the early learning field and they are discussed in a new policy brief issued by the Education Commission of the States (ECS).
The policy brief, "No Child Left Behind – Implications for Early Learning," 
(PDF, 8 pages), notes that "… some early learning professionals are concerned the push for academic accountability in 3rd grade and above will trickle down to younger children, perhaps culminating in inappropriate assessment practices for these children. Others in the early learning field suggest that NCLB provides an opportunity to promote and expand early learning as a critical and viable solution for improving academic achievement, particularly for low-income and minority children. Both positions deserve attention; there are both challenges and opportunities created by NCLB in terms of accountability for early learning programs."
NIEER Offers Research-Based Information
The National Institute for Early Education Research supports early childhood education initiatives by providing objective, nonpartisan information based on research.
NIEER works to "produce and communicate the knowledge base required to ensure that every American child can receive a good education at ages three and four. The Institute seeks to provide policy makers with timely information addressing the practical problems they face. The Institute offers independent research-based advice and technical assistance to four primary groups: policy makers, journalists, researchers, and educators."
Video Shows Features of Quality Program
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) has produced a five-minute video, Growing and Learning in Preschool (Part 1), (Part 2), (Part 3) which shows the essential features of a high-quality preschool program. You’ll see how a preschool curriculum based on solid research builds school and life-related skills, why well-qualified teachers are so important, and how play is integrated into learning.
Business Group Backs Preschool for All
The Committee for Economic Development (CED), a non-profit, non-partisan organization of more than 200 business leaders and university presidents, recommends that every child have access to universal, free, high quality Preschool for All and views early education as critical to the well-being of society as a whole.
ECS Features Prekindergarten Database
The Education Commission of the States has a Prekindergarten Database and a Kindergarten database. Each provides a variety of information on prekindergarten and kindergarten, respectively, allowing users to find state policy information (statutory and finance) for all 50 states. ECS also offers a collection of reports and studies on Early Learning Issues.
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Resources for Early Childhood Education - National Education Association
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