Voices for America's Children - nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy for better child policy » Early Care & Education

Keeping Track of New York City’s Children, 2010

Voices_staff — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:59:55 +0000

Keeping Track has become an indispensable asset for citizens, elected and appointed officials, academics, foundations, and service providers seeking to understand and improve the lives of New York City’s children. With the release of the 9th edition of Keeping Track, CCC continues to update the Keeping Track database and expand the types of data collected.

Order the entire report at Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York City website.

The Impact of High Quality Early Childhood Programs on Improving the Educational Achievement of At-Risk Children

Voices_staff — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:53:41 +0000

Economic research shows that investments in children-age 5 and younger-improve school readiness and decrease crime, teen pregnancy, delinquency, substance abuse, and welfare dependency. The science of early brain development demonstrates how child development, before the age of 5, is the foundation for a prosperous society. Brain architecture is constructed through an ongoing process that begins before birth. Early experiences affect the quality of that architecture by establishing either a sturdy or fragile foundation for learning, health, and behavior in later years.

America’s Children and Families in Crisis: An Analysis of the President’s FY2011 Budget

Joanna Shoffner Scott — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:12:41 +0000

This budget comes at a particularly critical moment for the nation. Unemployment is close to 10 percent nationally, and in many states the jobless rates are significantly higher. The conditions families face have worsened alongside the economic outlook since the recession, which began nationally in September of 2008 but was felt in many places much earlier.

Read Voices’ FY2011 Budget Analysis.

The Right Choices for Our Children: Major findings from the Northern Hills Child Care Survey

Bill Bentley — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 04:16:21 +0000

The realization that quality child care and early education are core components of a strong and economically vibrant community prompted formation in 2006 of the Northern Hills Business-Civic Leadership(BCL) Group on Early Care and Education. Its focus was development of a community response to improve quality care and early learning for children.

Increasing State Investments in Early Care and Education

Bill Bentley — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:15:15 +0000

Showcasing the advocacy efforts of 11 VOICES’ member organizations in 10 states that recently passed an early care and education (ECE) legislative initiative. The aim of the report is to provide advocates with proven strategies for advancing progress in securing access to ECE and expanding the opportunity for all children to start school prepared for success.

Infant and Toddler Language Development

Bill Bentley — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:12:27 +0000

This issue brief provides a detailed look at the latest findings about how children learn from their first years. It emphasizes that reading to kids is not just a traditional form of care giving, but vital to children’s development in school and later life. It outlines best practices for promoting literacy, including encouraging children to explore books, particularly those that have bright colors, and making reading part of a child’s routine.

2008 West Virginia KIDS COUNT Data Book: Aiming for the Stars

Bill Bentley — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 04:14:13 +0000

The 2008 KIDS COUNT Data Book takes an in-depth look at the rationale for these childcare quality rating systems; the successful experiences of other states that have implemented them; and KIDS COUNT’s grassroots effort to build broad public support for a childcare quality rating and improvement system in West Virginia.