Cohoes police officer John Shanahan read to Abram Lansing preschool students, Feb. 13, 2013
Bonnie Mallonga, Executive Director, 1199 Future of America Learning Center spoke of the importance of full-day Pre-K at the Ready for Kindergarten Ready for College Advocacy Day. February 4, 2013
Cliff Bird, Principal at Abram G. Lansing Elementary School in Cohoes, NY
A pdf of press coverage for the report, Early Childhood Education: Frozen Funding Leads to Cracks in the Foundation is here.
Amparo Sadler, Long Island grandparent
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More press specific to federal legislation can also be found here
The Importance of Preschool and Child Care for Working Mothers
Center for American Progress (May 8, 2013) By Sarah Jane Glynn, Jane Farrell, and Nancy Wu - In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama made a historic pledge to provide universal, high-quality pre-K education to our nation’s children. He chose to make this one of his administration’s priorities with good reason: Early childhood education has myriad benefits, including better, more equitable long-term outcomes for children of divergent economic backgrounds. -see story
Letter: N.Y. smart to invest in early education program
timesunion.com (May 6, 2013) LTE - The Times Union's front page story on the National Institute for Early Education Research's annual report shows how so many states have fallen behind in their commitment to early education ("Largest drop ever for pre-K spending," April 29). -see letter to the editor
Oklahoma offers pre-K model for nation
CBS Evening News (May 4, 2013) By Phil Hirschkorn, Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson - A two-part report by the CBS Evening News on pre-K education. For the past 15 years, Oklahoma has offered public pre-school for all four-year-olds, and 75 percent of them attend, which is the second-highest rate in the nation, behind Florida. -see story and video
A New Commentary Pushes the Education Reform Debate Where It Belongs: Early Learning
ThrivebyFive (May 1, 2013) By Paul Nyhan - A new story is creating a buzz in the early learning world, “No Rich Child Left Behind,” and it could finally push the education reform debate where it should have been all along: the first five years of life. -see story
Largest drop ever for pre-K spending
States spend less on prekindergarten than they did a decade ago: report
timesunion.com (April 29, 2013) Associated Press - Washington-
State funding for prekindergarten programs had its largest drop ever last year and states are now spending less per child than they did a decade ago, according to a report released Monday. -see story
State funding for preschool drops as Obama calls for expansion
The Washington Post (April 29, 2013) By Michael Alison Chandler - State funding for preschool across the country dropped last school year after a decade of growth, tapping the brakes on the quality and reach of programs as President Obama has called for a massive expansion of early childhood education, according to a national survey scheduled for release Monday. -see story
Last Year the “Worst in a Decade” for High-Quality Pre-K, Annual Report Finds
Early Ed Watch (April 29, 2013) By Alex Holt - State pre-K funding shrunk by over half a billion dollars from the 2010-11 to the 2011-12 school year. That was the largest one-year decrease in the last 10 years, leading the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) to declare it the "worst year in a decade” for high-quality pre-K access across the United States. -see story
National Report: New York Pre-K on Track, Other States Lag
Advocates Applaud New Investment in Full-Day Pre-K
Press Release (April 29, 2013) - New York successfully stayed on track with enrollment in Pre-K services, unlike
other states that dramatically cut services during the Great Recession, according to a new national
report released today. Even more importantly, New York’s Governor made a new investment in
Pre-K which positions the state to benefit from the President’s new Pre-K for All plan. -see SCAA & CCI press release
Why America Never Had Universal Child Care In 1971, a national day-care bill almost became law. Therein lies a story.
New Republic (April 24, 2013) By Nancy L. Cohen - The fix for “The Hell of American Day Care,” described in Jonathan Cohn’s heartrending cover story, is obvious: a universal, federally financed and regulated, quality child care system. The aggravating fact is we almost had it. More than forty years ago. -see story
Good Day Care Was Once a Top Feminist Priority, and It Should Be Again
1971's Child Development Act would have established federally funded community centers, but President Nixon vetoed the bill and the movement lost steam.
The Atlantic (April 16, 2013) By Noah Berlatsky - Jonathan Cohn's devastating piece on the inadequacies of American day care in The New Republic does exactly what good muckraking investigative journalism should do—it makes you ask why on earth we let this continue. As Cohn says, other countries (notably France) have safe, well-regulated, subsidized, affordable daycare for all. -see story
The Hell of American Day Care An investigation into the barely regulated, unsafe business of looking after our children
New Republic (April 15, 2013) By Jonathan Cohn - It was 5:30 in the morning when Kenya Mire looked down at her baby girl, Kendyll, who was curled up tight on a foldaway crib. “Night, night,” Kendyll had just murmured in her quiet, serious way. -see story
New Details on the President’s Pre-K Plan
New America Foundation (April 15, 2013) By Laura Bornfreund - The release of the President’s fiscal year 2014 budget provides a clearer picture of the quality standards states would have to meet to receive funds under the Obama administration’s “Preschool for All” proposal. -see story
The push for pre-kindergarten: Has the time come for universal early education?
Syracuse Post Standard (April 11, 2013) By By Paul Riede - On a gray morning at Dr. Weeks Elementary on Syracuse’s Northeast Side, prekindergarten teacher Kim Hickey asks her 5-year-old helper to give the daily weather report. -see story
America’s 4-Year-Olds Need More High-Quality Preschools
Bloomberg (March 31, 2013) By the Editors - President Barack Obama’s call for universal preschool exists more as a noble aspiration than as something the White House can realistically expect the present Congress to enact. -see story
Advocates praise additions to school funding in New York state budget
syracuse.com (March 21, 2013) By Paul Riede - Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state legislators drew praise from education advocates today for adding more money to the governor’s initial school budget plan. -see story
Report demonstrates continuing value of preschool for New Jersey’s poorest kids
The Hechinger Report (March 20, 2013) By John Mooney - One of the common questions raised about preschool is, “Do the benefits really last?”
-see story
Early Childhood Advocates Applaud Assembly & Urge Senate to Support Pre-K Funding
New York Nonprofit Press (March 12, 2013) - The Ready for Kindergarten, Ready for College Campaign is applauding the Assembly for including a $25 million increase in funding for Pre-K expansion, with an option for adding full-day Pre-K services in high-need districts, and is calling on the Senate to step up and do the same. The Assembly's proposal is in line with Governor Cuomo's proposal for new full-day Pre-K funding. However, the Senate's budget bill does not include a new investment in Pre-K. -see story
Advocates of Pre-K Pushing Cuomo, Obama: “Go To The Library”
Public News Service (March 11, 2013) - CENTEREACH, N.Y. - Gov. Cuomo wants to expand full-time pre-K education, and President Obama put support for early learning in his State of the Union address. They should both go to the library, according to advocates for using the public library as a key part of the learning process for toddlers to 4-year-olds. -see story
School aid cut has day in court
Advocate tells state group he's confident $240M will be restored
timesunion.com (March 10, 2013) By Jimmy Vielkind - ALBANY — An education funding advocate said he was confident New York City schools would see a planned $240 million cut restored, either as a result of a court order or legal change. -see story
Campaign for Children Fights for Early Childhood & After School Restorations
New York Nonprofit Press (March 8, 2013) - For the second year in a row, advocates are fighting massive cuts to early childhood and after-school programs proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his preliminary budget for FY 2013-14 which begins on July 1st. -see story
Assembly Democrats to seek more education aid in budget
lohud blogs/Albany Watch (March 7, 2013) By Joseph Spector - Assembly Democrats will put out a one-house budget bill on Monday that will shift some of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s education aid back into the state’s general education funding formula and likely add more aid from $200 million in new revenue to the state, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle indicated today. -see story
The Depressing Data on Early Childhood Investment
PBS Newshour / The Business Desk (March 7, 2013) By Paul Solman - Jerome Kagan is one of the pioneers of developmental child psychology. But I interviewed him a few weeks ago with an economic motivation. PBS NewsHour has begun to explore a virtual reality project designed to help close America's deeply troubling and widening economic gap -- between those in the bottom rungs of the income and wealth ladder and those at the top. -see story
Jon Stewart ridicules preschool critics
The Answer Sheet (March 7, 2013) By Valerie Strauss - Take six minutes and 12 seconds to watch this. Jon Stewart continues to be the best critic of silly education thinking with this “Daily Show” piece about the stupidity of some of the criticism of the idea of government support for high-quality preschool for all kids, an idea President Obama advanced in his State of the Union speech. -view segment
Pre-K Demand Far Outstrips Supply says de Blasio
New York Nonprofit Press (March 5, 2013) - Demand for Pre-Kindergarten seats far outstrips supply across the city, according to a report released yesterday by Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. The study shows that applications for Pre-K seats in Department of Education schools exceed supply in every borough—3.5-to-1 in the Bronx, 4-to-1 in Brooklyn and Staten Island, and roughly 5-to-1 in Manhattan and Queens. -see story
Report: NY Schools 5th Worst in U.S. in School Spending Fairness
Public News Service (March 5, 2013)- ALBANY, N.Y. - New York State ranks fifth in the nation with regard to the gap between rich and poor school districts,
based on spending per pupil. That's the finding in a new report prepared by school reform advocates who will put on a parade and a rally in Albany today. -see story
Capitalists for Preschool
The New York Times (March 1, 2013) Opinion By JOHN E. PEPPER Jr. and JAMES M. ZIMMERMAN - In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for making preschool available to every 4-year-old in America, opening a welcome discussion on whether and how to make the investments needed to realize this vision. -see opinion
Another Voice: Early intervention is key to breaking cycle of poverty
The Buffalo News (February 27, 2013) Opinion by Anne Ryan - In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama called for making “high-quality preschool available to every single child in America.” Economists agree that these investments are not just a good idea, they are critical to ending cycles of poverty. -see opinion
NY education could be hit hard by sequestration cuts
WBNG News/Binghamton (February 27, 2013) By Kelly McCarthy - In just a few days the sequester spending cuts will take effect across the country. If no federal action is taken, it could mean dramatic cuts to education and early learning programs. The impact of across-the-board budget cuts is looming over New York State. Education for children with disabilities and Head Start programs are expected to be among the hardest hit. -see story
Lawmakers, educators predict more painful classroom cuts
School funding formula is called unfair to high-need and average-need students
The Legislative Gazette (February 26, 2013) By CLARA A. SMITH - State Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, D-Duanseberg, and several of her fellow legislators and education advocates submitted a formal letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the leaders of the five legislative conferences last week calling for an increase in education aid to save public schools on the verge of insolvency.-see story
Is Public Preschool a Smart Investment?
New York Times / Room for Debate (February 25, 2013) Would quality child care that included a preschool curriculum be a better national goal? -see debaters
Child Care “Crisis” to Impact NY Economy?
Public News Service (February 25, 2013) - MELVILLE, N.Y. - Diminished funds, increasing costs and lowered eligibility are creating a "perfect storm" that has New York's child care program at the breaking point. That's the warning from advocates and a new report from business leaders. -see story
LeBrun: Tax cap denies a 'sound, basic' education system
timesunion.com (February 24, 2013) Commentary by Fred LeBrun - A cornerstone of the Cuomo administration's self-declared tower of accomplishments was marked for demolition last week. It can't be blown up high enough or fast enough. -see commentary
Letter: Early learning classes benefit future of state
timesunion.com (February 22, 2013) LTE By Mark N. Egan - A report by America's Edge shows investments in high-quality early learning programs in New York provide a significant boost to children and local businesses while also helping create a work force with the skills Capital Region companies require. -see letter
Federal Report Finds Educational Inequities, Pushes for Access to Early Learning
Early Ed Watch (February 20, 2013) By Clare McCann - The Equity and Excellence Commission, a board established by Congress in 2010 to study school finance issues, released its final report this week, For Each and Every Child. The Commission’s recommendations for federal, state and local policymakers address school finance systems; teacher preparation and quality; access to early learning opportunities; students in high-poverty communities; and accountability and governance measures. -see story
Capital Region reps want more school funding
Times Union / Capitol Confidential (February 20, 2013) By Jimmy Vielkind - Saying area school districts have already been cut to the bone, several Capital Region legislators called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to increase education funding in this year’s budget by $350 million. -see story
Why is Obama calling for a ‘rigorous curriculum’ for 3-year-olds?
The Washington Post / The Answer Sheet (February 19, 2013) By Valerie Strauss - Given that research clearly shows big benefits of quality early childhood education, President Obama’s new proposal to greatly expand these programs seems like a no-brainer. In fact, the first question to ask might be this: Why didn’t he do this sooner? -see story
The Catch-22 of Obama’s Preschool Plan
Time (February 19, 2013) By Erika Christakis - Early childhood advocates were elated by Obama’s State of the Union proposal to vastly expand our infrastructure of early childhood programs. Economists like Nobel laureate James Heckman have long argued that early childhood education is the best financial investment a society can make. -see story
Federal Commission Urges Bold Steps to Boost Education Equity
Education Week / Politics K-12 blog (February 19, 2013) By Michele McNeil - A federally appointed education-equity commission is proposing a five-pronged agenda for states and the federal government to help the 22 percent of children living in poverty and eliminate what the commission calls a "staggering" achievement gap. -see story
White House Details Preschool Plan
Expansion of Early-Childhood Education Would Require Rigorous Curricula, Well-Trained Teachers
The Wall Street Journal (February 14, 2013) - By STEPHANIE BANCHERO and PETER NICHOLAS DECATUR - Ga.—The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled details of a preschool plan that would mark the biggest expansion of early-childhood education since Head Start was launched nearly 50 years ago. -see story
We owe our kids universal pre-school: Column
USA Today (February 14, 2013) Opinion by Jonah Edelman - On Tuesday night, President Obama pledged to work with states to make high quality pre-school available to all children. I immediately thought of Tre Thompson, a 4-year old in Oklahoma. -see opinion
White House Gives Outline of Early-Childhood Ed. Expansion Plan
Education Week / Politics K-12 blog (February 14, 2013) By Alyson Klein - President Barack Obama used his State of the Union speech to make a big splash on early-childhood education, calling for expanding access to preschool programs to just about every child in the country. But he gave almost no details on the plan in his Tuesday address, including how Congress would pay for it in a tight budget year. -see story
Investing in an ounce of prevention
Keeping kids in school, out of jail is aim of new early education effort
timesunion.com (February 13, 2013) By Scott Waldman - COHOES — The food in jail is nasty.
That's what a little voice piped up and said in a prekindergarten classroom at Abram Lansing Elementary School. The children were gathered in a group to hear Cohoes police officer John Shanahan read them a story. He was telling them why they should stay in school and listen to their teachers. -see story
Advocates Cheer President's Early Childhood Proposal
New York Nonprofit Press (February 13, 2013) - President Barack Obama electrified the early childhood services community last night when he made universal access to pre-school a key policy priority as part of his State of the Union address. -see story
State of the Union features historic focus on early education
The Hechinger Report (February 12, 2013) By Sarah Butrymowicz - President Obama made an unprecedented called for universal preschool in his State of the Union address Tuesday, while insisting that all of his proposals will not add to the country’s deficit. -see story
Full-day Pre-K cheaper than jail, law enforcement officials say
The Legislative Gazette (February 12, 2013) By Josefa Velasquez - Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget plan to invest $25 million for implementing full-day
pre-kindergarten classes has been endorsed by law enforcement agencies in the Capital Region as a way to reduce long-term expenses. -see story
Schools teeter on edge of cliff
Audience at regional meeting urged to be strong advocates for their respective districts
timesunion.com (February 12, 2013) By Paul Nelson - NISKAYUNA — The executive director of the state Council of School Superintendents told an audience of educators and concerned residents from the Capital Region that "more school districts are closer to their fiscal cliff today than ever before."
-see story
Pre-K Advocates Lobby in Albany
wamc.org (February 5, 2013) By Dave Lucas - Advocates for early childhood education lobbied Monday at the Capitol in support of Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposal to expand pre-K programs in New York's school districts. -see story and listen to audio
‘Pay now, or pay later’: Advocates push for pre-K
Politics on the Hudson (Feb. 4, 2013) By Jessica Bakeman - School advocates, educators, parents and police stressed the importance of pre-kindergarten at a lobbying event Monday. -see story
Support shown for full-day Pre-K
fox23news.com (February 4, 2013) - Dozens of parents, educators, and law enforcement made their way to the Legislative Office Building on Monday to ask lawmakers to support full-day Pre-K education. -see story
Lobbyists argue for more funding for pre-k programs in New York
The Saratogian (February 4, 2013) By Kyle Hughes - ALBANY — Advocates for early childhood education held a lobbying day Monday to urge legislators to support Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal to expand pre-K programs in school districts statewide. -see story
NY ed commissioner outlines Regents budget request
UTICAOD.com (January 30, 2013) The Associated press - ALBANY —The Board of Regents is seeking a 3.5 percent increase in funds for New York's public schools, about $100 million more than what Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposes in his budget for the next fiscal year.-see story
Union Backs 'Bar Exam' For Teachers
npr (January 29, 2013) By Claudio Sanchez - The system for preparing and licensing teachers in the U.S. is in such disarray that the American Federation of Teachers is proposing a "bar exam" similar to the one lawyers have to pass before they can practice. -see story
Cuomo looks to reform education system
Legislativegazette.com (January 28, 2013) By Amanda Conto - Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his education spending plan which includes a total year-to-year increase in aid for education of $889 million, or 4.4 percent. -see story
To grow the economy, invest in early childhood education
The Hill (January 28, 2013) By Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Kris Perry - In Washington there is much discussion about how to address the nation’s long-term fiscal situation, but very little about how to grow the economy and ensure we are meeting the needs of the next generation of Americans. To achieve both of these objectives, Congress and the administration should start the new year by making a strong investment in high-quality early childhood education. -see story
The Good News & The Bad in Governor's Budget
New York Nonprofit Press (January 25, 2013)- Nonprofit providers and advocates are continuing to examine Governor Andrew Cuomo's Executive Budget Proposal for FY2013-14 to determine the potential impacts on human services programs. Here are some more comments on what the sector likes and doesn't like. -see story
Can We Be Hard-Headed About Preschool? A Look at Universal and Targeted Pre-K
Brookings (January 23, 2013) By Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst - Last week I wrote about the findings from the recently released federal study of the impact of Head Start and placed those findings in the context of research on other preschool interventions. I concluded that whereas other preschool interventions have been shown in randomized trials to increased student achievement at least into the elementary school years, Head Start does not have positive effects beyond the Head Start year. -see story
For Obama’s New Term, Start Here
New York Times (January 23, 2013) Op-Ed by Nichilas D. Kristof - Point to a group of toddlers in an upper-middle-class neighborhood in America, and it’s a good bet that they will go to college, buy nice houses and enjoy white-collar careers. -see op-ed
Questions Swirling Around Obama’s Second-Term Steps on Early Learning
Early Ed Watch (January 22, 2013) By Lisa Guernsey - As President Obama gave his second inaugural address yesterday, many of us couldn’t help but linger over these words: “We are true to our creed,” Obama said, “when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.” -see story
Pre-K, teacher quality top education agenda in Cuomo’s budget
GothamSchools (January 22, 2013) By Philissa Cramer- Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo used his budget address to issue a teacher evaluations ultimatum heard around the state.-see story
Early Education For All: Are We In or Are We Out?
The Huffington Post (January 22, 20130 By Susan Ochshorn - Preschool is back in the news in New York. Just recently, on the recommendation of his Education Reform Commission, Andrew Cuomo placed squarely on his agenda increased access to high-quality full-day pre-kindergarten for students in highest needs school districts. A win, if bittersweet, for early childhood advocates. -see story
Cuomo’s education spending proposals
timesunion.com / Capitol Confidential blog (January 22, 2013) By Scott Waldman - Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s education spending plan includes 4.4 percent increase, or $889 million, in school aid spending to $21.1 billion. The plan calls for a Fiscal Stabilization Fund, a one-time payment of $203 million, to help districts grappling with fixed costs like pensions. -see blog
Better learning costs money
timesunion.com (January 21, 2013) Opinion by Michael A. Rebell - Gov. Andrew Cuomo has endorsed a number of initiatives proposed by his education reform commission, on which I serve — including full-day prekindergarten, extended learning time, community schools for high-needs districts and more effective teacher recruitment. -see opinion
Ambitious goals for overhauling public education
Longer
school year, expanded Pre_k among recommendations in report to governor
Legislative Gazette (January 8, 2013) by
James S. Gormley - The governor's Education Reform Commission has unveiled a preliminary report that recommends expanding Pre-K statewide, better coordination of social services in schools, lengthening the school day and academic year, increased transparency for how spending is reported by school districts, and raising the bar for teacher performance. -see story
Cuomo touts school changes
Governor's commission recommends ideas gleaned from hearings
timesunion.com (January 3, 2013) By Scott Waldman - New York students would begin school at a younger age, spend more time in class and have better-prepared teachers instructing them, under recommendations issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Education Reform Commission. -see story
Full-Day Pre-K? Okay! - NY Education Advocates
public news service (January 3, 2013) - ALBANY, N.Y. - Gov. Cuomo created the Education Reform Commission in April 2012 to come up with ways to improve a state education system he says has "failed our kids miserably." On Wednesday, it presented eight preliminary recommendations that were developed after the group held 11 public hearings around the state. A key proposal is to expand pre-K classes to full day. -see story
Commission Recommends Core Changes in Education
New York Times (January 2, 2013) By Al Baker - Forcing teachers to pass a kind of bar exam, like the ones aspiring lawyers and doctors must sit for. Extending the number of hours and days students must spend in school, to break with academic calendars formed in an agrarian age. -see story
Education reform React-O-Mat
timesunion.com / Capitol Confidential (January 2, 2013) By Rick Karlin - The preliminary recommendations from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Education Reform Commission is one of our stories of the day and the reactions from a variety of groups are rolling in. Here are some of them: -see story
Expanding Pre-K Among Education Reform Panel’s Suggestions
Politics on the Hudson (January 2, 2013) By Joseph Spector - A panel of education experts today presented to Gov. Andrew Cuomo a series of recommendations for reforming New York’s public education system, including suggestions to expand pre-kindergarten programs and consolidate schools and districts to save money. -see story
Unifying school districts on reforms list
Education reform panel offers consolidations as way to save money amid fears of change
timesunion.com (January 2, 2013) By Rick Karlin - ALBANY – It's an idea that sounds so obvious the first reaction is frequently "Why isn't this done more often?" Consolidating some of the state's nearly 700 school districts has long been touted as a way to save money on administrative overhead and, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo put it, achieve "economies of scale," in the same way that businesses do. -see story
Changes Ahead for Early Education’s Head Start Program
The Epoch Times (December 19, 2012) By Kelly Ni - Head Start, the federal preschool program created for low-income families, has a major makeover ahead and is at a crossroads. After the spring of 2013, some towns may see different organizations facilitating the government’s early learning program. -see story
A Smart Investment: Skilled Early Childhood Workforce
huffingtonpost.com (December 17, 2012) By Elaine Weiss and Rob Grunewald - This blog was co-authored by Rob Grunewald of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. It is the second in a series of BBA blogs on early childhood education that explain the benefits of a comprehensive approach to early childhood and highlight effective efforts in specific states. -see blog
Quality is key to pre-K programs
timesunion.com (December 15, 2012) Letter to the Editor by Rensselaer County sheriff Jack Mahar - Carl T. Hayden's commentary ("Universal pre-K will help close the gap," Dec. 11) resonated in many ways. Like others in the state, I am eager to see the Education Reform Commission's recommendations this month. I hope we will see an expansion of universal pre-kindergarten — especially to high-needs districts — that will, as Mr. Hayden said, help close the achievement gap. -see letter
How Will the Fiscal Cliff Impact Education Funding?
PBS NEWSHOUR (December 14, 2012) By John K. Wilson - Education and politics in the U.S. are far from strangers, and the current ruckus in Washington over the so-called "fiscal cliff" is making no exceptions.-see story
Ensure access, quality early on
timesunion.com (December 13, 2012) Letter to the Editor by Kate Smith - As children make their lists for Santa, there's one item Gov. Andrew Cuomo needs to deliver to New York's children this year: More high-quality early education programs. -see letter
Universal pre-K will help close the gap
timesunion.com (December 11, 2012) Commentary by Carl T. Hayden - This December, after four months and 11 public hearings, the Education Reform Commission — some of New York's smartest education policy experts — will submit preliminary recommendations to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on how to improve student success. Those recommendations must include strategies for closing the "achievement gap." -see commentary
Taking the Bus Around “Roadblocks” to Better School Funding
Public News Service (December 5, 2012) By Mark Scheerer - ALBANY, N.Y. – Buses are to converge on the capital today from various points in the state as part of an action aimed at addressing what some call a crisis in public-education funding. -see story
Prioritize investments in early learning
The Hill's Congress Blog (December 4, 2012) By Lt. Gen. Norman R. Seip, (Ret.), U.S. Air Force - As a retired Air Force officer who served our great nation for over 35 years, I feel strongly that national security should be a primary consideration when
addressing the deficit. But strong national security is about more than aircraft, ships and tanks — it is about the men and women who operate this high-tech equipment. -see story
Lifetime Benefits: Quality early childhood programs pay benefits
syracuse.com (December 2, 2012) Reader's page By Peggy Liuzzi - Soon it will be time to make New Year’s resolutions for 2013. I’d like to add a resolution to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s list: “I will use my power and influence to make more high quality early education programs available to New York’s young children.” -see story
Obama's Education Agenda for His Second Term
huffingtonpost.com (November 29, 2012) By Matthew Lynch - Having been reelected for a second term, President Obama has been vocal about focusing more on the area of education. Being the foundation of a prosperous economy and a bright future, the president believes that the education sector deserves the utmost attention. -see story
Group May Sue Over Money Owed to Poor New York School Districts
New York Times (November 28, 2012) By Danny Hakim - ALBANY — Six years after New York’s highest court forced the state to substantially increase financing to poor school districts, the group that won that ruling is threatening a new lawsuit unless Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the Legislature come up with billions of extra dollars for those districts. -see story
Start Early to Close the Achievement Gap
Huffington Post (November 27, 2012) By Joanne Goldblum - By age 3, children in low-income families have smaller vocabularies than middle-class kids of the same age. This “achievement gap” persists throughout school and culminates in lower graduation rates for children growing up in poverty. -see story
New York School Districts Face Financial, Educational Insolvency: Superintendents Survey
Huffington Post (November 20, 2012) - More than half of New York's superintendents say they won't be able to keep up with student instruction mandates, and 41 percent say it'll only be two to four years before they will no longer be able to survive financially, according to a recent survey.-see story
A Recommendation for a First Step Toward Better Pre-K and K Data
Early Ed Watch (November 19, 2012) By Alex Holt & Lisa Guernsey - Currently, it is impossible to know how many children are enrolled in publicly funded pre-K within the boundaries of any given district. This is a serious impediment, not just for local superintendents and principals who are in the dark about the educational backgrounds of their schools’ incoming kindergarteners, but also for policymakers, who can’t effectively discuss issues of equity and access without good data to make comparisons. -see story
Preschool Education Deserves Expansion, Investment: National Education Policy Center Brief
Huffington Post (November 13, 2012) - In a brief released Tuesday, National Education Policy Center managing director Dr. William Mathis urges policymakers to invest in high-quality preschool education, citing its universally acknowledged economic and social benefits. -see story
State banking on power of pre-K
Top education officials want to boost investment in early education as a way to head off problems later on
timesunion.com (November 9, 2012) By Scott Waldman - ALBANY — Early learning is likely to be one of the few bright areas in the 2013 state budget after years of retreat. -see story
Focus on early childhood
Democrat and Chronicle.com (Nov. 3, 2012) Opinion by Larry Marx and Richard A. Markus - Last week at Rochester City Hall, the new NY Education Reform Commission held the last of 11 meetings across the state, soliciting input from experts and advocates about ways to improve New York’s struggling education system. Now, the commission has until December to issue its final recommendations to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. We join hundreds of other early childhood supporters and Winning Beginning NY members across the state to ask the commission to include three recommendations: -see story
FOCUS ON: 2012 ELECTIONS: Education Issues Underscore Election Stakes at All Levels
From presidential race to state initiatives, voters face policy choices
Education Week (October 30, 2012) By Andrew Ujifusa and Alyson Klein - Education policy and funding—from common standards and college access to the prospect of "doomsday" budget cuts—have been a steady theme in this year's presidential campaign, even as more specific K-12 debates lighted the political landscape in various states. -see story
Chilling Brain Scans Show the Impact of a Mother's Love on a Child's Brain Size
A shocking comparison of brain scans from two three-year-old children reveals new evidence of the remarkable impact a mother's love has on a child's brain development.
Medical Daily (October 29, 2012) By Christine Hsu - The chilling images reveal that the left brain, which belongs to a normal 3-year-old, is significantly larger and contains fewer spots and dark "fuzzy" areas than the right brain, which belongs to that of a 3-year-old who has suffered extreme neglect. -see story
A Path to PreK-12: How Good Data Will Lead To Better Policy
Early Ed Watch (October 24, 2012) By Alex Holt - Last month, the New America Foundation’s Early Education Initiative and Federal Education Budget Project (FEBP) partnered to roll out a major expansion to FEBP’s education database. For the first time, the site now includes data on pre-K in states and school districts. -see story
Will NY Reform Commission Champion School Funding Equity?
Huffington Post (October 24, 20120 By David Sciarra - Last April, Governor Andrew Cuomo established the New New York Education Reform Commission, charged with identifying "successful models and strategies" to "boost student achievement without increasing spending." The Commission must issue preliminary recommendations by December 1, 2012, and a final report by September 1, 2013. -see story
Banks Get Investing and One of the Biggest Supports Early Learning
ThrivebyFive (October 24, 2012) By Paul Nyhan - Banks know how to invest money, and when one of the nation’s biggest talks about the importance of investing in early education, it is worth listening.
This month, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s philanthropic arm laid out a compelling case for high-quality early learning, one defined by quality rating systems, smooth transitions from pre-kindergarten to K-12, well-trained staff and access. -see story
Cuddle Your Kid!
New York Times SundayReview (October 20, 2012) OpEd By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF - AS the presidential candidates debate how to strengthen America, maybe they can learn from rats. -see OpEd
Obama’s Best-Kept Secrets
New York Times (October 20, 2012) Op-Ed by Thomas L. Friedman - ONE thing that has struck me about the debates so far is how little President Obama has conveyed about what I think are his two most innovative domestic programs. While I don’t know how Obamacare will turn out, I’m certain that my two favorite Obama initiatives will be transformative. -see opinion
Education Reform: NY-Style
ECE PolicyMatters (October 19, 2012) By Susan Ochshorn - This week, I spent three hours at a public hearing of New York State’s Education Reform Commission, hosted by the Bank Street College of Education. I listened, along with a respectable, if not overflowing, audience—this was smack in the middle of the work day—to testimony that covered the waterfront: from system structure, to teacher quality, to early education, technology, parent engagement, and equity. -see story
477: Getting Away With It
This American Life (October 19, 2012) Produced by Alex Blumberg - How Oklahoma developed the first preschool program that was publicly funded, and ended up a leader on early education -against huge odds. -listen to 21 min. broadcast
Episode 411: Why Preschool Can Save The World
NPR / Planet Money (October 19, 2012) - On today's show, we meet a self-described robber baron who decided to spend his billions on finger paint and changing tables. We revisit decades-long studies that found preschool made a huge difference in the lives of poor children. And we talk to a Nobel prize-winning economist who says that spending public money on preschool produces a huge return on investment. - listen to episode
Vargas emphasizes early childhood education
Rochester City Newspaper (October 18, 2012) By Tim Louis Macaluso - The Rochester school district has become a “remedial district,” Superintendent Bolgen Vargas said today at an early morning meeting with parents and students. The term is used by educators to describe a teaching atmosphere that emphasizes helping students catch up to as close to grade level as possible. -see story
New York City’s Move Towards Selling Early Learning Bonds Could Improve Early Ed Around the Country
ThrivebyFive (October 17, 2012) By Paul Nyhan - The early learning market too often breaks down, with supply, demand and pricing out of sync. Child care is too expensive for many families, the cost of providing that care is too high and public subsidies are not closing the gap. -see story
Obama, Romney and Their Advisors Fail to Outline Visions for Early Ed
Early Ed Watch (October 17, 2012) By Maggie Severns - Monday evening, for the first time, the Romney campaign offered some much-needed clarification on what Governor Romney would or wouldn’t do for early learning if he were elected president: Speaking at a mock debate hosted by the Columbia Teachers College, Phil Handy, a co-chair of Romney's Education Policy Advisory Group, said that Romney would make Head Start more of an educational program, and criticized the current program, saying it functions “more as a social experience.” - see story
Jaffee, educators want additional funds to evaluate state's Pre-K programs
Legislative Gazette (October 15, 2012) By Roberto Cruz - Advocates for the funding of early learning programs met in Albany last Wednesday to call for increased investment in QUALITYstarsNY, New York state's first comprehensive rating system for evaluating and improving education opportunities children receive prior to kindergarten. -see story
It's Pretty Clear That Preschool Is Way More Valuable Than College
Business Insider (October 12, 2012) By Rob Wile - The extent of one's early childhood education is a pretty accurate predictor of later success in life. -see story
Early education a wise investment
timesunion.com (October 9, 2012) Letter to the Editor By Marsha Basloe and Kristen Kerr - In "State budget's aim is low growth," Oct. 3, cost reduction for preschool special education is cited as a priority. The almost $1 billion cost certainly needs to be addressed. The key to reducing this cost is prevention. -see letter
Onondaga County participates in new quality rating and improvement system for early child care and learning programs
syracuse.com (October 9, 2012) By Kathleen Poliquin, The Post-Standard - Whether it's stars, thumbs up or down, smiley faces or numbers, rating systems can give consumers information that's particularly useful when spending decisions are being pondered. -see story
Start Educating Early: Pre-k is a good investment, but New York is lagging behind
syracuse.com (October 7, 2012) By The Post-Standard Editorial Board - New York’s educational establishment is engaged in a renewed effort to fix the state’s schools and raise student achievement. Only three-fourths of New York high school students graduate, and only one-fourth of those graduates are ready for college. -see editorial
Guest view: Panel can chart new course for state education
UTICAOD.COM (September 30, 2012) Opinion By Billy Easton - More than 25 years of research shows when 4-year-olds attend pre-kindergarten they do better in school and are more likely to graduate. They are more likely to succeed in college, they earn higher incomes over the course of their lives, and they are less likely to end up in prison. -see opinion
Democrats fight for low-income child care program funds
lohud.com (September 29, 2012) By Elizabeth Ganga - Democratic legislators have asked a judge to stop Westchester County from freezing applications to a child-care subsidy program that serves thousands of low-income children in the county. -see story
Speaking Up: What the Presidential Candidates Should be Saying About Child Care and Early Learning
New America Foundation (September 27, 2012) - American families struggle to find quality, affordable child care and preschool close to home. More and more parents and educators are realizing that children have a better chance of success in school and life if they are enrolled in effective programs in their earliest years. Given that this issue affects so many Americans, why have candidates so rarely mentioned it on the 2012 campaign trail? -see story
3 Reasons Why Early Learning Deserves More Attention in This Election
Early Ed Watch (September 25, 2012) By Lisa Guernsey - Last week, the Newark Star-Ledger's Linda Ocasio asked me why our presidential candidates should be talking about early learning and child care -- the lead topic in an open panel discussion hosted by the Early Education Initiative and the Workforce and Family Program in Washington, D.C. this Thursday. -see story
City to Add Pre-K Efforts in Poor Areas Next Year
New York Times (September 24, 2012) By Al Baker - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said Monday that the city would open a new type of preschool in Brooklyn next year, introducing a cradle-to-kindergarten approach to education for very young children in poor neighborhoods.-see story
Suggestions include ending competitive grants
Syracuse Post Standard (September 24, 2012) Opinion by Billy Easton - To the Editor: New York state is at an educational crossroads. Will our high-need schools sink into what the state education commissioner calls ''educational insolvency,'' or will New York state fulfill its commitments to educational excellence and opportunity? -see opinion
In Cincinnati, orchestrated academic support boosts students from cradle to career
Early intervention, synchronized services are boosting test scores across the board
NBCNEWS.com / Education Nation (September 23, 2012)- By Maura Waiz - CINCINNATI — Eight-month-old Calvin Boggs Jr., grinned when social worker Heidi Sullivan pulled a cardboard book emblazoned with the face of the character Thomas the Tank Engine out of her bag. -see story and 10-part series on education solutions
Program Preps Kids for School
School-readiness program in Chemung County proves early intervention is a key to success
New York NOW / WMHT television (September 21, 2012) - Most school kids in New York are settled into their routines by now and ready to tackle the new year ahead. But one area of the state found that many of their youngest pupils over the years were not ready to make that first step into kindergarten. Community leaders in Chemung County got together to create the School Readiness Program and in five years, the numbers of children deemed school ready has risen from 48% to 69%. Watch the episode online and learn about the program, including its cost and why it has worked in Chemung County. (The story begins 14 minutes into the show, so advance the video) -see video
Chemung County project claims success in prepping kids for school
Chemung County School Readiness Project unveils evaluation of program
stargazette.com (September 20, 2012) - The eyes of Chemung County — and perhaps beyond — are upon the Class of 2024. The Chemung County School Readiness Project announced Thursday that its five-year pilot project to better prepare kids for kindergarten is showing big results. -see story
State Officials Tout Full Day Pre-Kindergarten
schoolbook.org (September 14, 2012)By Hiten Samtani - New York State Education Commissioner John King and Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch touted the virtues of early childhood education during a Friday morning visit to P.S. 229 Emanual Kaplan in Maspeth, Queens. -see story
Child care costs exceed rent in most states
CNNMoney (August 16, 2012) By Emily Jane Fox - NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- While the experience of raising a child may be priceless, the cost to provide care for them is getting to be more than most parents can afford. -see story
Child Care Advocates Achieve Victories in Several States
OPPOSINGVIEWS blog (August 14, 2012) Submitted by the National Womens Law Center - While a number of states have made cuts to their child care assistance programs—leading to more restrictive eligibility criteria to qualify for help paying for care, longer waiting lists to receive help, higher copayments for parents receiving child care assistance, or lower provider reimbursement rates—several states have more positive news to report. -see blog
Before Back-to-School, Some Back-Talk to School Reformers
public news service (August 14, 2012) By Mark Sheerer- SYRACUSE, N.Y. - As it continues a series of regional meetings, Governor Andrew Cuomo's Education Reform Commission pulls into Syracuse today. -see story
For Quality, Low-Cost Child Care, Join the Military.
Early Ed Watch (August 13, 2012) By Maggie Severns - Rosa Brooks, a law professor at Georgetown University and now a senior fellow at New America, wrote a thoughtful column for Foreign Policy recently on the pay and benefits structure in the U.S. military. -see story
Race To The Top Competition Opens To School Districts For New Grants To Close Achievement Gap
huffingtonpost.com (August 12, 2012) By Josh Lederman- WASHINGTON -- Hoping to build on state-level reforms aimed at closing the education achievement gap, the Education Department opened its Race to the Top competition to school districts on Sunday, inviting the poorest districts across the country to vie for almost $400 million in grants. -see story
Early Learning Is an Economic Issue, But Not a Campaign Issue … Yet
ThrivebyFive Washington (August 1, 2012) By Paul Nyhan - On Tuesday, politicians, advocates and journalists got together in the nation’s capitol to talk about the importance of high-quality early learning and their message was clear: It is an economic issue but not really a campaign issue. -see story
New Reports Analyze Federal and State Investments in Children
Early Ed Watch (July 30, 2012) By Clare McCann - The economic recession has thrust more families into poverty and slowed federal, state and local revenue. A new report out this week from First Focus, “Children’s Budget 2012,” examines the amount of federal dollars directed toward children in this challenging climate. -see story
Smaller U.S. budget for smallest citizens - report
Reuters (July 19, 2012) - Federal spending on children has fallen for the first time in three decades, at a time when more than one in five U.S. children are already living in poverty, according to a report released on Thursday. -see story
Business Leaders Call for Investments in Early Childhood Programs
New York Nonprofit Press (July 18, 2012)- Business leaders issued a call for greater investment in child care and early education at a gathering on Tuesday sponsored on the Committee for Economic Development (CED), the Center for Children’s Initiatives (CCI) and JP Morgan Chase. The event also highlighted research showing that New York State’s investments in these critical programs has weakened in recent years. -see story
Brooklyn after-school programs get largest $4.1M cut in local City Council pork, senior groups in second
Daily News (July 17, 2012) By Elena Milin and Reuven Blau - After-school programs in Brooklyn were the big $4.1 million winners of local City Council pork in the upcoming fiscal year, a Daily News analysis shows. -see story
Larger Class Sizes, Education Cuts Harm Children's Chance To Learn
Huffington Post (July 14, 2012) By Joy Resmovits - NEW YORK -- When Shania started third grade at P.S. 148 last fall, she was thrilled to be back at the Queens public school. An outgoing eight-year-old, she said she was happy to be among her friends again, and she had loved her class the previous year. Her second-grade teacher would take the time to explain tricky topics like addition and subtraction one-on-one. She had even been named "student of the month." -see story
A new path for education
Panel explores ways to help kids become higher achievers through better schools
timesunion.com (July 10, 2012) By Scott Waldman - ALBANY — Costly mandates, school aid cuts and inflexible adults are some of the problems that a new education reform commission must tackle. -see story
Business Group Calls for More Spending on Early Learning, Including by Corporations
ThrivebyFive Washington (June 10, 2012) By Paul Nyhan - Chief executives are typically paid to be selfish and focus on a company’s profits and success. So, when a business-friendly group tells them to spend more on early learning it is worth noting. -see story
New City Budget Restores Money for Day Care and After-School Programs
nytimes.com / SchoolBook blog (June 26, 2012) By Mary Ann Giordano - Tuesday either is or isn’t the next-to-last day of school for public school students, depending on which version of the end-of-year schedule their school has adopted. But it begins with good news for children and families in New York City. -see story
Ain't No Cure For The Summertime Blues – Or Is There?
public news service (June 25, 2012) - ALBANY, N.Y. - The school doors close and New York kids joyfully embrace a summer of fun and frolic. That's an idyllic notion, but it's outdated for many families with working parents, limited income and local summer programs for kids that were cut back by belt-tightened budgets. -see story
Troubled RFPs Complicate City Budget Negotiations
New York Nonprofit Press (June 22, 2012) - Late June is always a time of great anxiety for nonprofit human service providers as the City Council and the Mayor haggle over the future of programs scheduled to close – sometimes within days – unless planned funding cuts are restored as part of the final Adopted Budget. This year, however, the situation is worse than usual for hundreds of early childhood and after school programs. -see story
Bill Is Passed to Make Kindergarten Mandatory for 5-Year-Olds
nytimes.com (June 22, 2012) By Al Baker - State lawmakers in Albany voted this week to make kindergarten mandatory for all 5-year-olds in New York City, lowering the required age for schooling by one year. -see story
Naps improve spatial learning in preschoolers
health24.com (June 20, 2012) - Taking a nap appears to improve preschool children's spatial learning and recall, researchers said last week. -see story
Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Increases in FY2013 Funding for Early Education
Early Ed Watch blog (June 20, 2012) By Clare McCann - The Senate Appropriations Committee voted last week to approve a fiscal year 2013 appropriations package for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, the key agencies that fund early education programs. -see blog
Big Payoff: To raise graduation rates, invest in early education
syracuse.com (June 13, 2012) Opinion By the Post-Standard Editorial Board - The 2011 high school graduation rates are in. While they are still dismal for the Syracuse City School District, at least they are moving in the right direction — up. -see opinion
State budget squeezes school Pre-K programs
north country public radio (June 12, 2012 ) - When New York State first started funding universal pre-kindergarten programs, educators and policy-makers cited studies that showed the early schooling was a big plus for children. Some 14 years later, the educational impacts of pre-K are still recognized, and more parents are enrolling their kids. -see story and play audio
Pre-Kindergarten for All? Not By a Longshot
Which states are walking the walk when it comes to funding pre-K programs -- and which are lagging far behind?
AlterNet (June 4, 2012) By Mariya Strauss - Trying to guess which states fund pre-K adequately is like going on "Jeopardy" with no preparation—it’s easy to draw a blank. But for the 1.3 million children in public pre-kindergarten classes around the country, it's a more than a game: live in the wrong state, and you may not have access to these crucial programs at all. -see story
New Buzz: Report Calls for Better Coordination of Early Ed Federal Funding
ThrivebyFive Washington (June 4, 2012) By Paul Nyhan - A new report that focuses on ways to create a better early education system by coordinating federal funding for early education is creating a buzz among analysts and educators. -see story
Experts Call for More Uniform Standards for Early Childhood
Education Week / Early Years blog (June 1, 2012) By Lesli A. Maxwell - To maximize the return on its investments in early childhood education for disadvantaged kids, the federal government ought to encourage states to adopt a "common approach" to setting learning content and program standards in publicly-funded programs that serve children up to age 5. -see blog
Preschool: The Littlest Job-Readiness Program?
Wall Street Journal (May 31, 2012) By Chana R. Schoenberger - Can finger-painting, cup-stacking and learning to share set you up for a stellar career? Research says yes, according to Dr. Celia Ayala, chief executive officer of Los Angeles Universal Preschool, a nonprofit that funds 325 schools in Los Angeles County, Calif., using money from tobacco taxes. -see story
Podcast: Improving the Quality of Early Child Care
Early Ed Watch (May 29, 2012) By Clare McCann - According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 1.7 million American children receive federal child care subsidies. But poverty-level wages for child care workers, varied state standards across the country and a lack of accountability for many programs mean parents and policymakers are left in the dark about where those funds go and how well children are being cared for. -access podcast
How ed policy is hurting early childhood education
The Washington Post (May 26, 2012) By By Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Diane E. Levin and Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin - A coalition of national leaders in the field of early childhood education are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of recent federal education policy reforms on early childhood education and care around the country.-see story
Eyes on 2012: Romney Introduces Education Agenda, Says Little About Early Ed
Early Ed Watch (May 24, 2012) By Maggie Severns - In a speech yesterday to the Latino Coalition’s Annual Economic Summit in Washington, D.C., Mitt Romney outlined his K-12 education platform, which includes expanding school choice, offering parents more access to information on school performance, and consolidating federal teacher quality programs into block grants to states. Though Latino voters have demonstrated strong support for pre-K programs, Romney did not discuss early education in either his speech or in an education policy white paper released by his campaign. -see story
Education advocates say state funding system has to change
YNN.com (May 24, 2012) By Erin Clarke - For the last couple of years, school districts across the state have faced the difficult task of balancing a budget. Spending plans that often include cuts to programs and personnel are expected to fall within the governor's two percent property tax cap. All with less state funding to depend on than in the past. As YNN's Erin Clarke tells us, education advocates say something has to change and soon. -see story
New Ideas: Social Impact Bonds Could Someday Pay for High-Quality Pre-K
Birth to Thrive Online (May 24, 2012) By Paul Nyhan - Could bonds pay to improve pre-kindergarten access and school readiness? One of the most interesting ideas to emerge about early education in recent months is that social impact bonds could finance pre-k for at-risk children. -see story
Don't cut funding for child care
Times Union (May 24, 2012) LTE By Marsha Basloe - Early childhood advocates pored over the 2012-13 state budget. We looked for services in the field to be maintained and hoped desperately for additional funds for our youngest citizens. -see letter
OST & EarlyLearn RFPs Make Bad Budgets Seem Worse
New York Nonprofit Press (May 24, 2012) -Most of the current advocacy concerning NYC’s Out-of-School Time (OST) and EarlyLearn NYC programs has focused on the significant cuts to service capacity that will be imposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed budget for FY2012-13. -see story
Education Groups Start New Campaign To Fund Schools
wgrz.com (May 23, 2012) -By AARON SCHOLDER, Albany Bureau - ALBANY -- School officials from around the state joined with advocacy groups on Wednesday to announce the creation of a campaign to boost funding and seek reforms to education. -see story
Education Advocates Tell Gov, Lawmakers: “Back to the Drawing Board”
public news service (May 23, 2012) - ALBANY, N.Y. - Frustration over teacher layoffs and public school program cutbacks around the state has prompted a new, year-long campaign to get the governor and legislature to "go back to the drawing board." An alliance of educators, parents, administrators, school board members, unions, and community groups is launching what it calls "Educate NY Now!" -see story
City Child Care Plans Debated In Council Budget Hearings
ny1.com (May 22, 2012) By Grace Rauh - City budget discussions got heated Tuesday over Council concerns about 36,000 child care positions and the city's new Early Learn program. NY1's Grace Rauh filed this report. -see story
Administration widens scope of ‘Race to the Top’
The Washington Times (May 22, 2012) By Ben Wolfgang - The Obama administration is taking its signature “Race to the Top” education grant competition to the micro level. Individual school districts, or consortia of districts that decide to pool their resources and work together, now will be eligible for multimillion-dollar awards in exchange for detailed reform plans that meet the approval of the federal Education Department. -see story
In Rochester, Regents tout early education
DemocratandChronicle.com (May 21, 2012) By Tiffany Lankes- New York’s school system needs to put more resources into classrooms for its youngest students, even as it develops stronger programs to prepare older students for college and the future. -see story
Home visiting programs help reduce child abuse
BuffaloNews.com (May 18, 2012) LTE by Tim Howard - The recent article, “Early intervention reduces the chance of violence,” is on point. The scope of child abuse and neglect is shocking. The most recent data from 2010 show that 77,000 children were abused or neglected in New York State, enough to fill Madison Square Garden nearly four times. -see letter
What Early Learning Can Teach K-12 About Reform. And Kindergartners Reviewing Teachers
BirthtoThrive Online (May 16, 2012) By Paul Nyhan - Education reformers trying to improve K-12 systems could learn lessons from early educators. -see story
Big Idea: Universal Pre-K to Teach Children and Create Jobs
GOOD NEWS / The Campaign For Big Ideas (May 1, 2012) By Dana Goldstein - The snarky back-and-forth of the 2012 presidential campaign may be entertaining, but this is our once-every-four-years chance to mix it up over the big challenges the United States is facing. We're launching the Campaign for Big Ideas to make the run for the White House smarter, bolder, and a lot more ambitious. -see story
Child Care Subsidies Help Parents Work, But Families May Have a Harder Time Getting Aid
Birth to Thrive Online (April 30, 2012) By Paul Nyhan - Child care subsidies are a critical part of the early learning system that help struggling families pay for care, and, according to one study, get or keep jobs. -see story
Schoolkids from NY's Small Cities Want Their Day in Court
Public News Service (April 26, 2012) - ALBANY, N.Y. - Public school students in smaller New York cities, such as Troy, Newburgh and Utica, have a stake in arguments before an appeals court today. The decision could result in their case for more education funding getting its day in court. -see story
New York’s Diminishing Investment in NYC Children and Working Families
Who Cares? I DO. blog (April 25, 2012) by Grace Mwopa- New York is one of the most expensive cities to live in and currently, childcare is by far the greatest expense for most working parents. According to the National Association of Childcare resource & referral agencies, New York’s working parents have to dedicate 15.7% of their salaries to put children in childcare. -see blog
Crafting QRIS Standards That Work Across Sectors
Education Week/Sara Mead's Policy Notebook blog (April 25, 2012) Guest post by Louise Stoney - In my previous post I described QRIS as a powerful tool for early care and education (ECE) system reform if it is used as a framework for co-creating a new, cross-sector structure for quality, accountability and finance. Let's look more closely at what that statement means and how it might look in various states. -see blog
QRIS: A Powerful Tool for System Reform
Education Week/Sara Mead's Policy Notebook blog (April 24, 2012) Guest post by Louise Stoney - As someone who has worked on early care and education policy and finance in many states, I have come to believe that Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) are an incredibly powerful tool for system reform. Why? Because a QRIS is more than just a way to involve parents and funders who seek to differentiate early care and education (ECE) programs by quality, or a way to encourage programs to invest time and resources into improving quality; it can also be a way to structure and shape ECE markets.-see blog
District attorneys from Queens and Staten Island tout visits by nurses to homes
silive.com (April 18, 2012) By Frank Donnelly - STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A first-time mother, Natasia Young Gurley fretted when she saw her young daughter rock back and forth continuously. -see story
Council Members Join Parents in Call for Child Care and After-School Funding
New York Nonprofit Press (April 18, 2012)- Hundreds of children, parents and providers gathered at City Hall Park yesterday urging Mayor Bloomberg not to cut child care and after-school programs for 47,000 children. -see story
Christine Quinn: Mayor Bloomberg's Child Care Cuts 'Unacceptable'
Huffington Post / Education (April 17, 2012) By Saki Knafo - Hundreds of parents, children and teachers gathered on the steps of New York's City Hall Tuesday to protest Mayor Michael Bloomberg's budget plan, which calls for big cuts to city early childhood education and after-school programs. -see story
Suffolk anticipates $8M child care deficit
newsday.com (April 16, 2012) By Laura Figueroa - More than 1,900 children enrolled in government-subsidized child care in Suffolk County could be dropped from the program due to cuts in state aid and increased demand for services spurred by the weak economy, county officials said. -see story
Study Points to Drop in Per-Pupil Spending for Pre-K
Education Week (April 10, 2012) By Lesli A. Maxwell - Enrollment in state-funded preschool programs has more than doubled over the last decade—ticking upward even through the recession years—but an accompanying slide in per-child spending in many states is threatening the quality of early-childhood programs designed to serve poor children, according to a new national report. -see story
NY Slips to 9th in the Nation for Access to Pre-K
public news service (April 10, 2012) - NEW YORK - It's not the best mix for quality, according to a new report: More children making their way into state-funded pre-kindergarten classrooms, but a lot less money to support early education. -see story
Early Education Faces 'Crisis' As Funding Plummets, Report Says
huffingtonpost.com (April 10, 2012) By Saki Knafo and Joy Resmovits - Before Diamande Montague started preschool, she was the kind of kid who clung to her mother's skirt. -see story
Quality needed in early education
lohud.com (April 7, 2012) Opinion by Marsha Basloe and Kathy Halas - Congratulations Gov. Cuomo, you did it again. An on-time budget in New York is certainly something to be proud of. We know it takes a lot of calculating to do what’s best for the people of New York with the resources you have. We did a little calculating of our own on behalf of the people of New York that are sometimes forgotten— the 1.2 million children in the birth to age 5 category. -see opinion
Making the case for pre-K: some fiscal and economic arithmetic
investinginkids.net (April 6, 2012) Blog by Tim Bartik - Andrew Rotherham has an April 5th Time magazine column with the ominous title, “Are Pre-K Programs About To Get Gutted?” Mr. Rotherham apparently has access to an advance copy of the forthcoming annual report on state preschool programs from the National Institute for Early Education Research, which is to be released on Tuesday, April 10. Mr. Rotherham reports that “Roughly two-thirds of the 39 states with early-childhood education programs cut spending in 2011…[M]any states are planning on additional cutbacks in the next several years.” -see blog
Are Pre-K Programs About To Get Gutted?
New cuts in early education spending are endangering young children and costing all of us
TIME Ideas (April 5, 2012) By Andrew J. Rotherham - When a little girl, who I’ll call Tina, arrived in a pre-kindergarten program in Washington, D.C. she was unable to recognize any sounds or letters. By the time she left for kindergarten she knew all her letters and more sounds than D.C.’s standards require. -see story
Survey Says Setting Rigorous Pre-K Expectations Not Beneficial
Educatinno Week/Early Years blog (April 4, 2012) By Julie Rasicot- Should academics play a role in preschool? No, says a majority of educators who responded to a survey on perceptions of school readiness. -see blog
151 Orgs Urge Bloomberg to Restore Child Care & After-School Funding
New York Nonprofit Press (April 2, 2012) - A total of 151 organizations claiming to represent more than 1 million New Yorkers have joined the Campaign for Children and signed a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg opposing proposed cuts to child care and after-school programs. The groups say that the Mayor’s Executive Budget proposals for FY2012-13, which begins July 1st, will eliminate funding for 47,000 child care and after-school slots. -see story
Some school districts get last minute boost for aid increase
Hornell budget gap smaller, but programs still threatened
The Evening Tribune (April 1, 2012) By Al Bruce and Neal Simon - At this point, it’s safe to say as school administrators put finishing touches on district budgets, anything will help. -see story
State education aid may be back on the right track
Olean Times Herald (March 31, 2012) By Dee Bunk-Hatch - After years of cuts and freezes, education aid in New York appears to be moving in a positive direction. -see story
Guest Viewpoint: Pre-K, kindergarten under threat
Cutting programs would make achievement gap worse
stargazette.com (March 30, 2012) By Carl T. Hayden -School districts across New York are caught in a huge squeeze right now. Three years of reductions in aid from Albany have many running huge deficits. -see viewpoint
Public Prekindergarten Programs Threatened in New York City
Education Week /Early Years blog (March 30, 2012) By Julie Rasicot - We've reported that shrinking budgets have forced some states to stop expanding and, in some cases, cut back on existing public prekindergarten programs. Now comes news from New York City that parents are pushing to eliminate prekindergarten programs in public schools. They want to make room for their incoming kindergartners who have been waitlisted for their neighborhood schools. -see blog
NYS Budget Gives NYC $7.92 Billion In School Aid
City schools will get a $75 million boost in funding under the budget deal hammered out by state lawmakers and Gov. Cuomo.
nydailynews.com /DailyPolitics (March 29, 2012) By Celeste Katz- The soon-to-be-adopted budget provides $7.92 billion in total school aid to the city, surpassing the $7.84 billion Cuomo initially proposed in January, according to figures released Thursday afternoon. -see story
Bloomberg's Budget Proposal Elicits Protest From Campaign For Children
huffingtonpost.com (March 29, 2012) By Saki Knafo - A coalition of more than 150 New York organizations, ranging from the Police Athletic League to the Children's Aid Society, have signed a letter urging Mayor Michael Bloomberg to restore $170 million for children's services to his proposed budget. -see story
Observe teachers of the youngest children too, researchers say
Gotham Schools (March 28, 2012) By Jessica Campbell - Teachers should undergo standardized observations well before their students can read, talk, or even walk, according to researchers who discussed the role of observations in improving teacher quality during a panel on Tuesday. -see story
Paulin: "School Aid Roughly The Same"
ScarsdalePatch (March 28, 2012) By Rasheed Oluwa- State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin said funding additions to school aid and programs for sexually exploited children are some of the highlights in the state's $132.6 spending plan for 2012-2013. -see story
NY schools, taxpayers wary of tax cap budget hits
www.news10.com (March 28, 2012)- ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The proposed New York state budget being voted on in Albany is a major factor for public school officials and taxpayers headed into a dicey two months preparing and voting on budgets. -see news video
Education advocates rally at the Capitol
capitalregion.ynn.com / YNN News (March 28, 2012) - Parents, students, and teachers rally in reaction to the state education budget. The Alliance for Quality Education organized the rally at the state Capitol. Lori Chung has the details. -see news video
Education lobby says budget gives half a loaf
Capitol Confidential blog / timesunion.com (March 28, 2012) By Rick Karlin - Education funding advocates including superintendents, union activists, parents and school board members say they are glad that the 2012-13 budget puts back $805 million (thanks to the new millionaires tax) and they like the fact that only $50 million will be allocated on the basis of competitive grants, compared to the original call for $250 million. -see blog
Penny Wise and Pound Foolish: NYC's Budget Cuts to Leave Lasting Wounds
Huffingtonpost.com (March 26, 20120 by Richard Buery - On March 5th, I joined my colleagues on the steps of City Hall to launch the Campaign for Children to protest the mayor's massive budget cuts to early childhood and after-school programs. I understand that the mayor and the city will have to make difficult choices during the coming budget cycle, but decimating these critical programs for children is the wrong choice. -see story
Campaign Calls for Support of Child Care and After-School Programs
New York Nonprofit Press (March 23, 2012) - A coalition of advocates and service providers are urging supporters of child care and after-school programs to call on City officials to reverse proposed budget cuts which could eliminate services for 47,000 children. The Campaign for Children Fights Cuts to Child Care and After-School Programs is a partnership between the Emergency Coalition to Save Child Care, which led last year's fight to successfully restore $80 million in child care subsidies, and the NYC Youth Alliance. -see story
School of Priorities
Hundreds turn out to lobby the state for more school aid where it’s needed most
Metroland (March 15, 2012) By Erin Pihlaja - “It was a very emotional day. Students were crying. There were no answers given,” said Mark Emanation, a community organizer with Citizen Action of New York and the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) in the Capital District. -see story
Legislative Budget Proposals Set Stage for Final Negotiations
New York Nonprofit Press (March 15, 2012) Early Childhood: United Way of New York State President Susan Hager expressed concern about the continued erosion of child care subsidies. “The Governor did make whole the current year federal cut to child care subsidies with a $93 million infusion of state funds,” she said. “However over the years this program has suffered. Federal cuts combined with an increase in market rates has resulted in waiting lists all over the state. -see story
Economic Arguments for Early Learning Investments and How Much Do You Know About Early Learning?
Birth to Thrive Online (March 14, 2012) by Paul Nyhan - Around the country, early learning advocates are engaged in another round of debates over state budgets. Economist Tim Bartik has come up with excellent arguments to support them and investments in early education. -see story
Race to the Top Could Help Change the Debate about School Readiness Assessments in Early Ed
Birth to Thrive Online (March 13, 2012) By Paul Nyhan - The Race to the Top was designed to spur innovation not only in winning states but among losers, who might continue to develop their ideas even without an infusion of federal dollars. -see story
LI students to rally for education funding
newsday.com / Long Island Education (March 12, 2012) By Jo Napolitano - Students planning to attend education rallies in Albany and on Long Island this week say they want lawmakers to restore funding that could be used to bring back vital programs in their schools. -see story
Sen. Tom Harkin: Fixing Economy Starts With Early Education
Huffington Post (March 8, 2012) By Joy Resmovits & Saki Knafo - When Sen. Tom Harkin asked a panel of education experts at a Thursday Senate committee hearing how they would improve the country's public schools, he was surprised by what they didn't say. -see story
Lobbying intensifies for universal Pre-K
Legislative Gazette (March 6, 2012) By Amanda Verrette - Advocates stressed the importance of quality early education during meetings with their state representatives in the Assembly and the Senate Feb. 28. -see story -See videos of speakers
GAO Report: Preschool Teachers Making Poverty-Level Wages
Early Ed Watch blog (March 6, 2012) By Clare McCann - Last month, the Government Accountability Office published a report examining the compensation and credentials of teachers and child care workers in early education. While many of the findings echo long-held concerns within the early childhood world, the implications are stark: State and federal programs do not sufficiently address the problems of workforce quality for young kids. -see blog
Child Care Aid Could Fall in FY 2013, Gifted Education in Pre-K and Early Learning in Social Media
Birth to Thrive Online (March 5, 2012) By Paul Nyhan - Federal child care assistance could drop to the lowest level in 15 years in the next fiscal year, CLASP reports. -see story
Protesters Urge Mayor to Spare Programs for Children
New York Times / SchoolBook (March 5, 2012) By Theodoric Meyer - Bill de Blasio, the city’s public advocate and a likely mayoral candidate in the 2013 election, joined half a dozen City Council members, parents and other advocates on the steps of City Hall on Monday afternoon to criticize proposed cuts to the city’s child care and after-school programs. -see story
Does Preschool Matter?
Wired (March 5, 2012) By Jonah Lehrer - For many kids, the most important years of schooling come before they can even read. Consider the groundbreaking work of the Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman, who has repeatedly documented the power of early childhood education. -see story
Budget Cuts May Threaten City Programs for Children
New York Times (March 4, 2012) By Kate Taylor - It has become an annual New York drama: cutbacks in the mayor’s proposed budget loom, with threats of firehouses being shut down, arts programs slashed and senior centers closed, only to be followed by restorations in the City Council. Yet the drama does not have a happy ending for everyone, and some of the cutbacks are eventually enacted. -see story
Rating System for Child Care, Early Learning Shows Promise
Education Week / Early Years blog (March 1, 2012) By Jullie Rasicot - A new study has found that "quality rating and improvement systems" designed to strengthen child care and early learning offer a road map to improvement, but need a few tweaks to be truly effective. -see blog
Advocates Call for State Investments in Early Childhood Programs
New York Nonprofit Press (February 29, 2012) - Parents, providers and advocates turned out to in Albany yesterday to call for greater investment in quality early education programs which they say have been proven to help improve opportunity and succes for children while also benefiting local economies. Attendees met with their representatives in the Assembly and Senate. -see story
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