High-Quality Early Care Yields Gains When Kids Are Teenagers
The latest report from the NICHD child care study that has tracked more than 1,000 kids from birth to age 15 finds benefits of high-quality child care last into the teenage years. "The effects (from high-quality programs) didn't fade away," said NIEER Scientific Advisory Board member Deborah Lowe Vandell, the report's lead author and chair of the Department of Education at the University of California, Irvine. Although the effects were small, teenagers who had the higher quality care did better academically than those given low-quality care or no care outside the home.
The study, which appears in Child Development, also found that the more time children spent in child care outside the home, the more they were likely to engage in risky or impulsive behaviors at age 15 regardless of the quality of early care they had received. Those effects were also relatively small, and benefits did not differ between advantaged and disadvantaged children. The study's finding of persistent effects is consistent with the results of NIEER's meta-analysis of the entire literature, but also reinforces the notion that intensive educational programs are required if preschool is to make a substantive difference in the poor achievement of disadvantaged children.
The latest report from the NICHD child care study that has tracked more than 1,000 kids from birth to age 15 finds benefits of high-quality child care last into the teenage years. "The effects (from high-quality programs) didn't fade away," said NIEER Scientific Advisory Board member Deborah Lowe Vandell, the report's lead author and chair of the Department of Education at the University of California, Irvine. Although the effects were small, teenagers who had the higher quality care did better academically than those given low-quality care or no care outside the home.
The study, which appears in Child Development, also found that the more time children spent in child care outside the home, the more they were likely to engage in risky or impulsive behaviors at age 15 regardless of the quality of early care they had received. Those effects were also relatively small, and benefits did not differ between advantaged and disadvantaged children. The study's finding of persistent effects is consistent with the results of NIEER's meta-analysis of the entire literature, but also reinforces the notion that intensive educational programs are required if preschool is to make a substantive difference in the poor achievement of disadvantaged children.
Full Day of Head Start Pre-K Translated to Better Readers
Children were more likely to become better readers and need less in the way of special education if they attended a full day of Head Start pre-K in the Montgomery County, Maryland public schools, according to a research report issued by the district's Office of Shared Accountability. Pupils in the full-day program were 44 percent more likely to meet the district's reading benchmark Level 4 by the end of kindergarten than those in the half-day Head Start program. The full-day program favored African-American and male kids on meeting the reading benchmark.
Children were more likely to become better readers and need less in the way of special education if they attended a full day of Head Start pre-K in the Montgomery County, Maryland public schools, according to a research report issued by the district's Office of Shared Accountability. Pupils in the full-day program were 44 percent more likely to meet the district's reading benchmark Level 4 by the end of kindergarten than those in the half-day Head Start program. The full-day program favored African-American and male kids on meeting the reading benchmark.
Study: Latino Children's Social Skills Strong at Kindergarten Entry
A study in the May issue of Developmental Psychology reports that Latino children entering kindergarten have similar or only slightly lower levels of various social skills compared to white non-Latino children. The researchers also reported an association between Latino children's approaches to learning and their gains in math skills during the kindergarten year.
A study in the May issue of Developmental Psychology reports that Latino children entering kindergarten have similar or only slightly lower levels of various social skills compared to white non-Latino children. The researchers also reported an association between Latino children's approaches to learning and their gains in math skills during the kindergarten year.
Vigorous Exercise Strengthens Hip Bones in Young Children
Researchers from the UK say they used advanced scanning technology to study more than 200 6-year-olds and found that there was a relationship between the amount time the kids spent in vigorous activity and the strength of their hip and thigh bones. The increased bone density resulting from the increased exercise was independent of factors such as diet, lifestyle, and physical size. They said the findings could inform public health strategies aimed at preventing osteoporosis later in life.
Researchers from the UK say they used advanced scanning technology to study more than 200 6-year-olds and found that there was a relationship between the amount time the kids spent in vigorous activity and the strength of their hip and thigh bones. The increased bone density resulting from the increased exercise was independent of factors such as diet, lifestyle, and physical size. They said the findings could inform public health strategies aimed at preventing osteoporosis later in life.
Universal Pre-K Part of Michigan State Board of Education Recommendations
The Detroit Free Press reports that the Michigan state Board of Education has unanimously approved a long-range plan for education that includes provision of pre-K for all 4-year-olds and mandated kindergarten for all children. The product of months of testimony and debate, the board's report says increasing the number of college graduates and reducing drop-outs are essential to reviving the state's economy. While the recommendations, which include tax increases, received bipartisan support on the board, they are expected to receive a mixed reception in the legislature.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the Michigan state Board of Education has unanimously approved a long-range plan for education that includes provision of pre-K for all 4-year-olds and mandated kindergarten for all children. The product of months of testimony and debate, the board's report says increasing the number of college graduates and reducing drop-outs are essential to reviving the state's economy. While the recommendations, which include tax increases, received bipartisan support on the board, they are expected to receive a mixed reception in the legislature.
The Hechinger Report Takes Media Outreach a Step Further
The Hechinger Report, a web publication recently launched by the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media, brings a new dimension to the organization's media-centric mission by providing articles written in collaboration with leading titles like Education Week, U.S. News & World Report, and The Washington Post. Richard Lee Colvin, Hechinger's director, says The Hechinger Report represents a change of focus that reaches beyond the organization's traditional mission of outreach journalists to "informing the public about education through quality journalism."
Among articles in the current issue are a piece about the declining fortunes of state pre-K by Liz Willen and another addressing whether President Obama's commitment to early education has waned by Linda Jacobson.
The Hechinger Report, a web publication recently launched by the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media, brings a new dimension to the organization's media-centric mission by providing articles written in collaboration with leading titles like Education Week, U.S. News & World Report, and The Washington Post. Richard Lee Colvin, Hechinger's director, says The Hechinger Report represents a change of focus that reaches beyond the organization's traditional mission of outreach journalists to "informing the public about education through quality journalism."
Among articles in the current issue are a piece about the declining fortunes of state pre-K by Liz Willen and another addressing whether President Obama's commitment to early education has waned by Linda Jacobson.
New on Preschool Matters...Today!
NIEER Researchers Offer Insights
NIEER Research Project Coordinator Alex Figueras-Daniel reflects on a recent lecture by Linda Darling-Hammond on the NJ Abbott preschool program while NIEER Assistant Research Professor Dale Epstein tells us there's more than meets the eye in her post about the print and online editions of The State of Preschool 2009.
NIEER Research Project Coordinator Alex Figueras-Daniel reflects on a recent lecture by Linda Darling-Hammond on the NJ Abbott preschool program while NIEER Assistant Research Professor Dale Epstein tells us there's more than meets the eye in her post about the print and online editions of The State of Preschool 2009.
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