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Early childhood advocates cheered by $55M in restored funding
Child care and early education advocates were pleased to see $55 million restored for state preschool and child care programs in the budget compromise working its way to the governor’s desk. “It’s a start,” said Assemblymember Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, who has pushed for several measures aimed at expanding and improving early childhood programs in the state. “We’re … Read entire article »
Filed under: Child Care, Early Childhood, Featured, Kindergarten and Preschool, Reporting & Analysis
Q&A: Lessons for California from New Jersey’s ‘Improbable Scholars’
Students in Union City, N.J., get twice the funding of students in California. They attend two years of full-day kindergarten. Recent immigrants to this country are taught initially in their native language. For all their differences, though, there are also some core similarities with California districts like Sanger, Garden Grove and Long Beach, which author David Kirp identifies in his latest book, among the beat-the-odds districts. Chief among them: a focus on the long view, with … Read entire article »
Filed under: Achievement Gap, English learners, Equity issues, Featured, High School Completion, Kindergarten and Preschool, Poverty, Reporting & Analysis, Systemic Change, Teacher Collaboration
Early education advocates disappointed with governor’s revised budget
Early education advocates in California were hoping for increases in preschool and child care funding in the governor’s revised budget, released Tuesday. No such luck. “The governor talks a lot about educational equity and equality of opportunity,” said Scott Moore, policy analyst for the early education advocacy group Early Edge California. “He is really missing the boat … Read entire article »
Filed under: Child Care, Early Childhood, Featured, Kindergarten and Preschool, Reporting & Analysis
Pasadena center at forefront of early math programs for young children
PASADENA — While many preschools struggle to integrate math into their programs, an early education center housed at the California Institute of Technology has long made math a central pillar in a program that uses the scientific method to engage children as young as 6 months old. The Children’s Center at Caltech, which places … Read entire article »
Filed under: Early Childhood, Featured, Kindergarten and Preschool, Reporting & Analysis, STEM
California earns mediocre marks on national study of early childhood education
California earned a lackluster rating on state spending, preschool access and program quality for early childhood education for the 2011-12 school year, according to the annual State of Preschool Report released Monday by the National Institute for Early Education Research. Since early childhood education is not part of the K-12 system in most states, funding for and provision of the service varies widely. The annual report by the Rutgers University-based research organization is the only national … Read entire article »
Filed under: Early Childhood, Featured, Kindergarten and Preschool, Reporting & Analysis
Family fee for half-day state preschool likely to be rescinded
A much-disputed daily fee for families with children in state-funded preschool programs will likely be removed from next year’s state budget. Assemblymember Susan Bonilla, D-Concord, who chairs the budget subcommittee on education finance, said the fee, which was added to the budget for the first time last year to offset state costs, was a mistake. “We did it for a year and it didn’t work,” she said. “We have the opportunity to evaluate it and say … Read entire article »
Filed under: Early Childhood, Featured, Kindergarten and Preschool, Reporting & Analysis
Advocates launch state push for Obama’s early education plan
A campaign to support President Barack Obama’s universal preschool initiative was launched in Sacramento on Tuesday by early childhood education advocates, a coalition of superintendents from around the state and Assemblymember Susan Bonilla, D-Concord. At H. W. Harkness Elementary School in Sacramento, campaign leaders unveiled an open letter to the president, signed by 39 superintendents and 16 transitional kindergarteners, urging him to “craft a robust budget proposal to put our earliest learners first.” “It’s really saying (to Obama), ‘We are going to be there for you, so carry forth,’” said Catherine Atkin, executive director of Early Edge California, formerly Preschool California, which advocates for more money and higher quality in early education. The campaign has two aims: to help push Obama’s proposal to expand preschool through Congress and to put California on track … Read entire article »
Filed under: Child Care, Early Childhood, Kindergarten and Preschool, Obama Preschool, Quick Hits
Migrant program offers lessons for reaching Latino preschoolers
HUGHSON – Long before President Obama triggered a new national interest in universal preschool earlier this year, a Central Valley-based Head Start program for children of migrant workers has been breaking down barriers that have kept Latino families out of early learning programs. Data suggests that Latino children, who now make up more than half of children under 5 years old in California, have historically enrolled in early education programs at lower rates than their peers … Read entire article »
Filed under: Achievement Gap, Early Childhood, Featured, Head Start, Kindergarten and Preschool, Poverty, Race, Ethnicity, Reporting & Analysis
Passage of Prop. 30 opens preschool doors to hundreds in Fresno
Thanks to Proposition 30, getting a spot in free public preschool in Fresno just got a lot easier. A district-wide preschool expansion, aimed at enrolling low-income 4-year-olds, was made possible when the Fresno Unified School District adopted a budget for 2012-13 that assumed Prop. 30 wouldn’t pass. When voters approved the initiative in November, Fresno was able to invest an additional $17.5 million in programs this school year. The largest portion of the money will be used … Read entire article »
Filed under: Early Childhood, Featured, Kindergarten and Preschool, Reporting & Analysis
Scott Moore: Not investing in preschool is ‘mortgaging our future’
Scott Moore has been an advocate of early childhood education for California’s youngest children for years. He served as the executive director of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Early Learning Advisory Council from 2010 to 2011. As the senior policy adviser at Preschool California, an advocacy organization, Moore has pushed for the creation of transitional kindergarten and the consolidation of the state’s various early education initiatives to create its current state preschool program. As part of an occasional … Read entire article »
Filed under: Early Childhood, Featured, Kindergarten and Preschool, Presentations/Interviews, Q&A, Reporting & Analysis
Video Highlights from
2013 EdSource Symposium
Transforming Public Education: What's Next For
Students, Teachers and Schools
- In Partnership with the California State PTA -
May 4th symposium in San Jose featured a number of prominent speakers on key challenges in education today, including Linda Darling-Hammond, Martha Kanter, and Pedro Noguera.
You can find video of those speakers and more at our new YouTube channel by clicking below.
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