Report on Preschool Programs articles from July 2004

Report on Preschool Programs archives from July 2004

Strange days indeed.(Slants And Trends)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... STRANGE DAYS INDEED: The battle between Head Start advocates and the Bush administration is taking another odd turn, with advocates saying the nation's top Head Start official will resign in November. The administration denies such plans. ...

Skeptical staff.(assessment of Head Start programs for 4 year-olds)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... SKEPTICAL STAFF: Head Start staff still need some convincing about the merits of the first-ever national assessment of 4-year-olds in the program. Staff at one-third of programs believe the new test may be developmentally inappropriate and...

Spending bill provides only small head start increase.(Slants And Trends)
July 14, 2004... Citing tight fiscal constraints, a House panel wants to limit education funding gains in 2005 and scale back President Bush's small Head Start increase planned for next year. The powerful House Appropriations panel on human services would...

Early assessments show children make head start gains at age 4.(Conference Report)
July 14, 2004... Head Start children are making academic gains during their time in the child development program--progress in vocabulary and letter recognition--based on preliminary data from the new national assessment of Head Start youngsters. The...

Telehealth program improves health care, reduces costs.
July 14, 2004... An innovative telehealth program in Rochester, N.Y., is reducing absence rates among Head Start children and cutting health care costs for at-risk families, program partners report. Health-e-Access began more than three years ago in a...

Bush signs bill with renewals of CACFP, child nutrition.(George W. Bush Child and Adult Care Food Program)
July 14, 2004... President Bush has signed into law a series of wide-ranging changes in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Among other goals, the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act will make permanent a plan allowing for-profit child...

Infant special education slated for 2005 increase.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... Two special education initiatives would get more money under a 2005 House plan, but the federal preschool program is not one of them. Preschool services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act would be frozen at $387 million...

New project sharpens focus on family literacy services.(Reading Powers the Mind program )(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... The Library of Congress is providing support for 12 innovative family literacy projects as part of its Center for the Book outreach project. The library's Reading Powers the Mind project relies on partnerships among libraries, state and...

Two individuals have pleaded guilty to theft charges stemming from a Head Start fraud case.(Around The Nation)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... Two individuals have pleaded guilty to theft charges stemming from a Head Start fraud case. Vanessa Johnson, an employee of Tom Green Community Action Council in Texas, admitted to defrauding the agency of $51,013 along with J.D. Cortez, former...

Many child welfare systems face "real-time" communications problems, an issue brought before Congress at a hearing that examined the deaths of twin infant girls in Baltimore.(Around The Nation)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... Many child welfare systems face "real-time" communications problems, an issue brought before Congress at a hearing that examined the deaths of twin infant girls in Baltimore. The girls were beaten and their parents were charged in the deaths....

Grants to disabled.(Education Department )(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... GRANTS TO DISABLED: The Education Department is offering new grants to improve services and results for youngsters with disabilities. About $4.8 million is available for projects that focus on accessible reading assessments. The average award...

We are online.(Business Publishers Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... WE ARE ONLINE. Business Publishers, Inc., publisher of Report on Preschool Programs, has information online at www.bpinews.com.

House gives families flexibility in spending day care accounts.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... The House has approved a bill that would allow families to keep some leftover money from tax-free flex accounts for child care and other services. The Working Families Assistance Act from Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) allows families to roll...

Children with computer access improve school readiness.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... Head Start children with access to a computer are more likely to start school ready to learn, say two scholars in a new study. Professors Xiaoming Li of Wayne State University and Melissa Atkins of Ohio State University examined the use of...

ED seeks research center on preschool education.(Education Department )(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... Up to $2 million is available annually to operate a national research and development center on early childhood education. The U.S. Education Department competition is one of several new grants available for research centers. The department...

New appointment.(Jane Knitzer, National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... NEW APPOINTMENT: Jane Knitzer has been named president of the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. A professor of population and family health, she has been acting director since...

Two dozen food banks across the country offer special food programs for at-risk children, recognizing that hunger does not stop on weekends.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... Two dozen food banks across the country offer special food programs for at-risk children, recognizing that hunger does not stop on weekends. One such program, Road Runner Food Bank in New Mexico, serves 1,600 students at 23 elementary schools...

Adults comprise nearly 75 percent of those paid at the minimum wage, and many have to support young children, say proponents of an increase in the nation's base wage.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... Adults comprise nearly 75 percent of those paid at the minimum wage, and many have to support young children, say proponents of an increase in the nation's base wage. At a news conference, congressional Democrats and Children's Defense Fund...

Congress has approved another short-term extension of the 1996 welfare reform law.(Welfare Reform Reconciliation Act of 1996)(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... Congress has approved another short-term extension of the 1996 welfare reform law. With lawmakers still unable to agree on a rewrite, they extended the current law through Sept. 30, the end of fiscal year 2004. The new extension, H.R. 4589,...

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the expected Democratic party nominee for president, has a new child care program designed to increase access.(Brief Article)
July 14, 2004... Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the expected Democratic party nominee for president, has a new child care program designed to increase access. Kerry wants to increase the maximum amount of child care expenses eligible for a tax credit from $3,000 to...

Teaching Strategies Inc.
July 14, 2004... Teaching Strategies Inc. has a "Caring for..." series of training materials to help individuals prepare for the Child Development Associate credential. For series includes targeted materials for those working with infants, toddlers,...

It's rare when early childhood advocates applaud a governor for vetoing landmark early childhood legislation.(Jeb Bush)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... IT'S RARE WHEN EARLY CHILDHOOD advocates applaud a governor for vetoing landmark early childhood legislation. But that's exactly the case in Florida after Gov. Jeb Bush's (R) veto of a controversial pre-k bill from the state legislature. While...

Advocates still doubt whether Congress will approve a fiscal 2005 human service spending bill on time this year.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... ADVOCATES STILL DOUBT WHETHER Congress will approve a fiscal 2005 human service spending bill on time this year, given lawmakers' track record of using continuing resolutions to keep the government in business. But House lawmakers continue to...

If it wasn't already clear, a new study confirms the fact: child care is among the lowest-paid professions in the United States.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... IF IT WASN'T ALREADY CLEAR, A NEW study confirms the fact: child care is among the lowest-paid professions in the United States. Among 770 jobs nationwide, child care ranks 751st in pay, says the Center for the Child Care Workforce. Not...

New early childhood plan targets summer prior to kindergarten.
July 28, 2004... The federal government would provide more than $1 billion for a new area of early childhood programming--the summer months before and after kindergarten--under legislation from a coalition of Senate Democrats. The Sandy Feldman Kindergarten...

Foundation seeks applicants for day care teaching award.(Tylenol and Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation National Child Care Awards)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... A Pennsylvania-based foundation is seeking 50 outstanding early care and education professionals for its annual child care teacher awards. The Tylenol and Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation National Child Care Awards honor teachers...

Advocates map new plan to improve Florida pre-k.(pre-kindergarten system)
July 28, 2004... Quality child/staff ratios, a commitment to degreed teachers and more time for staff development must be major ingredients of a new Florida pre-kindergarten system, advocates tell RPP. State lawmakers must go back to the drawing board soon...

Facility design, size may increase interaction, child care quality.
July 28, 2004... A well-designed child care center dramatically improves teacher-child interaction, say researchers who cite a groundbreaking--but unexpected--finding from a Connecticut early childhood project. Despite more attention to child care research...

Feds offering new head start funds for training, technical assistance.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... All Head Start grantees can receive up to $4,000 in one-time training and technical assistance funds this summer, the Department of Health and Human Services says. The supplemental funds will provide one-time-only assistance for grantees...

Child care workers reap few salary gains: center.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... Child care wages increased by less than a percentage point in 2003, part of a trend that contributes to high turnover in the profession, a Washington, D.C., organization says. "We are never going to achieve the high-quality early childhood...

Clinton, Snowe seek approval of new kinship care proposal.(Olympia Snowe, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Kinship Caregiver Support Act )
July 28, 2004... A bipartisan Senate team is making another effort to convince Congress of the merits of supporting kinship care, through which relatives, including grandparents, care for young children. The Kinship Caregiver Support Act from Sens. Olympia...

Maryland study finds gains.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... MARYLAND STUDY FINDS GAINS: Special "Judy" centers in Maryland are closing the achievement gap between low-income and more affluent children, new research shows. For the past two years, the state has funded 24 of these centers, named for Judy...

A new Head Start initiative will help an additional 4,000 children receive services through the early childhood program this year, the Bush administration says.(George W. Bush)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... A new Head Start initiative will help an additional 4,000 children receive services through the early childhood program this year, the Bush administration says. The Head Start Management Initiative identified previously unallotted funds that...

The Head Start Bureau is seeking a new grantee for a program in Plainfield, N.J.(New Jersey)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... The Head Start Bureau is seeking a new grantee for a program in Plainfield, N.J. About $2.1 million is available for a program that previously served 272 children and families. Applicants have flexibility in determining the program model and...

Buoyed by the success of programs in their home state, Oregon's two senators are proposing a new national mentoring program for children ages 5 to 7 who are at risk of abuse or neglect.(Gordon Smith, Ron Wyden )(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... Buoyed by the success of programs in their home state, Oregon's two senators are proposing a new national mentoring program for children ages 5 to 7 who are at risk of abuse or neglect. Sens. Gordon Smith (R) and Ron Wyden (D) would provide...

President Bush has signed into law a renewal of federal child nutrition programs, P.L. 108-265.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... President Bush has signed into law a renewal of federal child nutrition programs, P.L. 108-265. The bill makes substantial improvements in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, Women, Infants and Children program and school lunch programs...

The Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families is providing $1.7 million for five Indian tribes to train adults as mentors for children with incarcerated parents.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... The Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families is providing $1.7 million for five Indian tribes to train adults as mentors for children with incarcerated parents. Per capita, the number of American Indians...

The Head Start Bureau is seeking a new grantee for a program in Summers County, West Virginia.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... The Head Start Bureau is seeking a new grantee for a program in Summers County, West Virginia. The former grantee received $546,295 a year to serve 79 children and families. Applications are due by Oct. 22 to: ACYF Operations Center, 118 Q St....

Arkansas has received permission from the federal government to begin serving low-income pregnant women and their unborn children under the State Child Health Insurance Program.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... Arkansas has received permission from the federal government to begin serving low-income pregnant women and their unborn children under the State Child Health Insurance Program. Arkansas is the seventh state to expand its SCHIP program into...

The Department of Health and Human Services is conducting a public service advertising campaign to promote the adoption of children from foster care.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... The Department of Health and Human Services is conducting a public service advertising campaign to promote the adoption of children from foster care. The campaign is part of a five-year initiative, The Collaboration to AdoptUSKids, highlighting...

Pennsylvania child care law too limited, governor says.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) is not happy about a new state law that requires only for-profit child care centers to have an emergency evacuation plan. Rendell let the plan become law without his signature, arguing that the same...

Summer program's limited reach hurts many eligible youngsters.(Food Research and Action Center report of the school launch program)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... Federal summer food programs serve only a fraction of youngsters who receive subsidized lunches during the school year, says a Washington, D.C., advocacy group seeking to increase summer participation. Of the 16 million children who...

Senate, House panel approve Boys & Girls Club assistance.(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... Congress wants to help open another 1,500 Boys & Girls Clubs to promote after-school services for children. Legislation approved by the House Judiciary Committee would authorize more than $350 million over five years to support this goal,...

Head Start Bureau.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... The Head Start Bureau plans to renew its policy of using the Head Start Program Information Report to obtain information about child and family services offered by grantees. July 26 Federal Register, p. 44538.

Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... The Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children will meet Sept. 22-23 in Washington, D.C. For more information, contact: Michele A. Lloyd-Puryear, M.D., Ph.D., Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health...

Food and Nutrition Service.(Federal Register)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... The U.S. Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is announcing new national average payment rates in the Child and Adult Care Food Program for the period July 2004 through June 2005. The notice makes annual adjustments to rates for child care centers,...

FNS.(Food and Nutrition Service)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... FNS also is making its annual adjustments to payments in the National School Lunch program. Contact: Rosemary O'Connell, Section Chief, School Programs Section, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, Alexandria, VA 22302; (703) 305-2590. July 15...

Rearview Mirror: Reflections on a Preschool Car Project.(Resources)(Video Recording Review)
July 28, 2004... Rearview Mirror: Reflections on a Preschool Car Project is a new video based on a popular book of the same name. The video is available from the Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting at the University of Illinois. The video provides an...

Caring and Learning.(Resources)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... Caring and Learning is a video with an accompanying user guide that examines successful family child care homes and their activities. The resource is $42 from Teaching Strategies at (800) 637-3652; www.TeachingStrategies.com.

Early Learning Activities, Project Spectrum.(Resources)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... Early Learning Activities, Project Spectrum is a resource from the National Association for the Education of Young Children with activities to promote musical, visual and mechanical skills. The guide is $15 for members and $18 for non-members...

Adult-Child Interactions: Forming Partnerships with Children.(Resources)(Brief Article)
July 28, 2004... Adult-Child Interactions: Forming Partnerships with Children is a two-part video that introduces interaction strategies and classroom scenes with commentary. The resource is $50.95 from: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation;...