February 5, 2010

Current News ≈ My Botox Baby - I watched through spread fingers as one doctor, one nurse and both my parents held down my two-year-old son on an examining table. Clad in just a diaper, Jack was on his back with his legs spread. The doctor was tapping the syringe in her palm while the nurse ran an electronic stylus up and down his left thigh. She was looking for veins that the doctor needed to avoid when injecting the Botox.

March 23, 2009

Current News ≈ MI Expert: Pre-K Spending Pays Dividends - Given Michigan's economic problems, the state can't afford to keep stiffing early childhood education, an expert told the Senate Education Committee on Thursday.

February 11, 2009

Current News ≈ Free Reproducible Language and Early Literacy Activities; Somali Versions Now Available - To download materials go to www.walearning.com and click on the purple button that says "Free Parent Education Handouts" on the home page. Look for the "On the Go" file to download the materials in PDF format. The new materials are designed to encourage parents to interact with their children while they are "On the Go" to facilitate language, early literacy, and positive parent-child interactions. The materials include 14 activities as well as accompanying hints for each of the activities about how to modify the activities to meet the specific developmental needs of the child.

December 17, 2008

Current News ≈ Obama’s $10 Billion Promise Stirs Hope in Early Education - It was the morning after the presidential election, and Matthew Melmed, executive director of Zero to Three, a national organization devoted to early childhood education, could barely contain his exultation.

November 22, 2008

Current News ≈ Fan in Baby’s Room Lowers SIDS Risk - Babies who sleep in rooms with a fan have a dramatically lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome, a new study shows. The finding is the latest evidence to suggest that a baby’s sleep environment is a critical factor in the risk for SIDS, which is diagnosed when the sudden death of an infant can’t be explained by other health concerns.

Current News ≈ MI Michigan Child Care Task Force Reports (November 2008)

October 14, 2008

Current News ≈ Program Gives Preschoolers with Dyslexia a Bright Start - If you have dyslexia, it's hard to read, and it's nearly impossible to keep up in school. That's why Nemours Children's Clinic Orlando is unveiling a pilot program aimed at helping preschoolers in Orlando with dyslexia and other reading disabilities -- before they head to elementary school. In Jacksonville, the same approach has yielded impressive results. "As a research scientist, I can tell you the results are remarkable," said Laura Bailet, executive director of the Nemours BrightStart Initiative.

October 3, 2008

Current News ≈ MI Parents: Free Services Help Children Succeed in Childcare - Are you a parent or child care provider looking for help with a difficult child between the ages of 0 to 5 or in need of resources to best handle tantrums, aggression, biting, or possible developmental delays?  The Care Connections program offers free services designed to help young children succeed in any child care setting.  To find out more please call Ms. Lynnell Morrison at (313) 531-2500 ext. 2125. 

September 12, 2008

Current News ≈ MI Half-day Kindergartens to Cost Districts - Hundreds of school districts across the state are wrestling with options for kindergarten following a recent change in the way the state funds those programs.

August 24, 2008

Current News ≈ Free Reproducible Language and Early Literacy Activities; Spanish Versions Now Available - To download materials go to www.walearning.com and click on the purple button that says "Free Parent Education Handouts" on the home page. Look for the "On the Go" file to download the materials in PDF format. The new materials are designed to encourage parents to interact with their children while they are "On the Go" to facilitate language, early literacy, and positive parent-child interactions. The materials include 14 activities as well as accompanying hints for each of the activities about how to modify the activities to meet the specific developmental needs of the child.

August 8, 2008

Current News ≈ MA Massachusetts Governor Signs Bill to Expand Pre-kindergarten - Gov. Deval Patrick has signed a bill designed to expand education programs for the youngest Massachusetts residents. The bill establishes a Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program to help provide voluntary, universally accessible early education and care for preschool-aged children. Patrick said the new law will help Massachusetts better prepare young children with a solid educational foundation before entering school. The bill also includes a comprehensive overhaul of regulations setting health, safety and quality standards for all licensed pre-kindergarten programs. An earlier version of the bill was passed by lawmakers in 2006 but vetoed by former Gov. Mitt Romney. [Source: Boston.com, July 31, 2008]

July 16, 2008

Current News ≈ Does Your Baby Have Autism? UF Researchers' Book Helps Provide Answers - For years, the parents of some autistic children have said they knew from shortly after their babies were born that there was something different about them. Now two researchers at the University of Florida, who have spent more than a decade studying the movements of autistic babies, say they often learn to crawl and walk differently than other babies.

June 29, 2008

Current News ≈ Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders - A list of early signs of autism spectrum disorders from The Help Group - a non-profit organization that runs a series of specialized schools in California for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Current News ≈ Long-Term Payoff Seen From Early-Childhood Education - The latest analysis of a long-running early-childhood-education program for children of low-income families in Chicago suggests economic payoffs from such services that continue well into adulthood.