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NEWS & RESEARCH

Early Childhood as a Worthy Investment 

NPR and the University of Chicago

 

A paper published recently titled "The Lifecycle Benefits of an Influential Early Childhood Program" explains the 13% return on investment when it comes to children. The findings include the positive impact of quality early care and education being associated with higher income, health, IQ and crime reduction across the child's lifespan. In addition, a direct link was found to the benefit on the parents of the children and the importance of family engagement was highlighted  NPR posted an excellent review of the article and called their piece, "How Investing in Preschool Beats the Stock Market, Hands Down". 

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View the NPR article HERE

View the detailed report HERE

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Parents' Perception of Child Care Quality

NPR

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A fascinating NPR poll discovered that 88% of parents rated their child's care as "very good" or "excellent" quality. This was a stark contrast between the 15-year study by the National Institutes of Health that determined less than 10% of programs were high quality based upon a wide range of quality measures. 

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View the NPR article HERE 

Examining Ratings and Dimensions of Quality

Institute of Education Sciences

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This study examined how alternative approaches to calculating Quality Counts North State ratings impacted the determined quality level. Specifically, the correlation between self-assessments and external ratings is reviewed. The study found a program was more likely to self-assess themselves at tier 1 or 5 than they were tiers 2, 3 and 4. The research also simulated a change in rating processes using both a relaxed domain approach as well as a total score approach, which were both found to increase quality ratings in comparison to the original QRIS. 

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View the Stated Briefly report HERE

View the detailed report HERE

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The Need for a Rating System

NPR

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Earlier this year NPR released a piece titled "Lack of Childcare Rating Systems Leave Parents in a Bind". The title really says it all, but to summarize the rest of the article, parents need a clear rating system to understand the level of quality of an early education program so they can make informed decisions regarding their child's care.

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View the NPR article HERE 

Early Education Experiences and Child Outcomes

National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

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The NICHD conducted an 18-year longitudinal study across the United States that set out to measure the link between a child's experience in early care and education, the characteristics of the program and the correlation with the child's developmental outcomes.

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View the article HERE

Building an Early Learning System that Works: Next Steps for California

Learning Policy Institute.

 

The report examines the ECE practices in 10 counties that vary by region, population density, and child care affordability, and features examples of promising practices. It describes the landscape of ECE at the local level as it is shaped by federal and state policies. Recommendations in the report address four key areas:

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  • Building a coherent ECE administration system

  • Making ECE affordable for all children up to age 5

  • Building a well-qualified ECE workforce

  • Improving the quality of all ECE programs

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View the article HERE

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