[Tricountydirectorsgroup] FW: NAEYC Children's Champions Update: Teacher Quality Partnership Grants Application Available

[Lorraine Kinney-Kitchen]

FYI

Lorraine

  

NAEYC Children's Champions Update
May 27, 2009
 
TEACHER QUALITY PARTNERSHIP GRANTS (HIGHER EDUCATION ACT) APPLICATION NOW
AVAILABLE - Deadline for Submitting Intent to Apply is June 26, 2009

Today, the U.S. Department of Education released the notice to apply for the
Teacher Quality Partnership Grants, created under Title II Part A of the
Higher Education Opportunity Act.  The deadline for submitting an Intent to
Apply is June 26. The deadline for submitting the application is July 23.
The Department will conclude application reviews by September 21.
 
The Teacher Quality Partnership Grants are a new opportunity for federal
funding to improve early childhood educator preparation, including
compensation, mentoring and coaching.  Applicant partnerships must include
an institution of higher education that prepares teachers and a high-need
school district.  A partnership may include a high-need early childhood
program, defined as a licensed or regulated child care, Head Start, or state
prekindergarten program located within a high-need school district.  If the
partnership includes one or more early childhood education programs, it must
use the grant funds for mentoring and coaching educators and for
compensation initiatives rewarding educators who obtain an Associate or
Baccalaureate degree. 

To read more about the grant program and how to apply, go to
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-12180.htm
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/DHOTKOJPCZ/3398018316>
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/DHOTKOJPCZ/3398018316> 
 
NEW REPORTS ON STATE EARLY LEARNING ADVISORY COUNCILS, CHILD WELL-BEING
INDEX, AND EXAMINING QUALITY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SETTINGS
 
STATE EARLY LEARNING ADVISORY COUNCILS
The Head Start Act of 2007 includes a provision that requires governors to
designate or establish a State Advisory Council on Early Childhood Education
and Care that will help plan and coordinate birth-to-five early childhood
education statewide.  In particular, these councils - which can be existing
councils or similar state entities - must do a state needs/gaps assessment,
develop a unified data collection system, and develop a statewide
professional development system. 
 
The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (stimulus) provided an additional
$1 billion for Head Start over the next two years.  From that amount, $100
million is set aside for states to apply for funds for their early childhood
advisory councils. In May 2009 the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services released letters to the nation's governors detailing the process
for states to apply for federal grant funding to support the work of the
councils.
 
The National Governors' Association Center on Best Practices released a set
of FAQs that answers common questions about creating a new council or
designating an existing entity, the scope of council activities, and other
topics. The brief is available at www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0905ECACFAQ.PDF
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/FONGKOJPDA/3398018316>
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/FONGKOJPDA/3398018316> 
 
To learn more about the ARRA funds for early childhood education, go to
NAEYC's special page on this topic at www.naeyc.org/policy/arra
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/FEWXKOJPDB/3398018316>
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/FEWXKOJPDB/3398018316> 
 
CHILD WELL-BEING INDEX
The Foundation for Child Development has released its annual Child
Well-Being Index (CWI), along with a Special Focus Report on Anticipating
the Impacts of a 2008-2010 Recession.  The Index tracks child and family
well-being across a range of indicators, including preschool enrollment,
health, and family income.  This year's Index shows that progress in child
well-being has been in fluctuation since 2002, and began to decline in 2008.
While preschool enrollment increased overall between 2000 and 2006, it is
expected to decline through 2010, along with family income, children's
health, and other indicators.  The Foundation predicts that through the
recession, "virtually all the progress made in family economic well-being
since 1975 will be wiped out." In response, the report calls for action to
prevent well-being from decreasing further through the recession.
 
Along with the index, the Foundation also released an issue statement on
investing in PreK-3rd education, "Declining Investments in Education Put
America's Children at Risk."  The statement calls for policy makers to use
the CWI predictions of decreased PreK participation and resulting declines
in performance in later grades as a warning, and to reverse the trend by
continuing investment in early education through the current recession.
 
The Index and Special Focus Report are available at
www.fcd-us.org/usr_doc/Final-2009CWIReport.pdf
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/BXCOKOJPDC/3398018316>
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/BXCOKOJPDC/3398018316> 
 
"Declining Investments in Education Put America's Children at Risk" is
available at www.fcd-us.org/usr_doc/CWIFlyerDecliningInvestments.pdf
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/GAXFKOJPDD/3398018316>
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/GAXFKOJPDD/3398018316> 
 
EXAMINING AND MEASURING THE QUALITY OF PROGRAMS
Child Trends, a nonprofit and nonpartisan research center studying
development from early childhood through youth, has issued a series of
briefs that examines quality in early childhood education settings.  The
briefs, prepared for the Office of Planning and Evaluation in the federal
Administration for Children and Families, look at quality rating and
improvement systems (QRIS), areas for developing and refining program
quality measures, the implications of collecting and disseminating data on
quality, and measuring quality in school-age settings. You can read and
download these briefs at www.childtrends.org
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/GLPJKOJPDE/3398018316>
<http://capwiz.com/naeyc/utr/1/AJWAKOJOTB/GLPJKOJPDE/3398018316> 



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