Head Start Pleased With Stimulus Provision

The National Head Start Association (NHSA) Board Chairperson Ron Herndon issued the following statement on February 17:

“Tens of thousands of new jobs will be created – and more than 200,000 existing jobs will be supported – now that President Barack Obama has signed into law the economic recovery package containing $2.1 billion for Head Start.

“We want to express our strong support for this action by President Obama and also to those many responsible members of Congress who recognized that targeted stimulus funds for Head Start will be going directly to the hardest-hit communities where they are needed most.

“These funds will be used immediately to hire more teachers, more aides, and other staff, as well as the construction workers needed to fix or replace Head Start’s deteriorating facilities and other infrastructure.

“Just as important, more Head Start slots and more full-time Head Start programs mean that more low-income parents with children can get jobs and go to work, helping the economy to recover that much faster. These parents entering the workforce or undergoing job training now will have safe, high-quality programs for their children.”

Herndon adds that NHSA looks forward to working more with President Obama and Congress so that Head Start can fully meet its mission.

Growing Head Start is just one of the bulleted items on President Obama’s education agenda. In addition to plans to “quadruple Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding, and improve quality for both,” the President places “key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten.” To promote their “Zero to Five” early childhood education plan by state, Obama and Biden will create Early Learning Challenge Grants, and help states move toward voluntary, universal preschool.

Also listed on the agenda are plans to recruit, prepare, retain and reward teachers of grades K through 12.

To read the President’s education agenda, visit www.whitehouse.gov. As part of the Obama administration’s efforts toward transparency and accountability, the entire 407-page American Recovery and Reinstatement Act (ARRA) is available to read online at www.recovery.com.

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NAEYC “Blueprint” Addresses Needs of Early Childhood Workforce

by Tina Manzer

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recently developed “Workforce Designs: A Policy Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional Development Systems,” along with a one-of-a-kind database of related state policies. Both are part of NAEYC’s Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative, and are supported by the Birth to Five Policy Alliance and Cornerstones for Kids.

The initiative addresses the significant need in every state for real systems for professional development for teachers and staff serving young children from birth through age 5. It is designed to help states create and maintain educated, effective, diverse, stable, and adequately compensated early childhood professionals

The blueprint was developed with the input of hundreds of experts, practitioners and policymakers. Six essential policy areas (professional standards, career pathways, articulation, advisory structure, data and financing) combine with four policymaking principles (integration; quality assurance; diversity, inclusion and access; and compensation parity) to help states build or sustain an integrated system of professional development, and to ensure quality in all settings in which early childhood professionals work.

Policymakers should use the blueprint in conjunction with the unique, NAEYC-developed database of current state policies, to evaluate, fill in gaps and address disconnected parts of their systems. NAEYC will regularly update the database with changes and additions to enacted state legislation, regulations and executive orders along the blueprint’s essential policy areas.

“The Early Childhood Workforce Initiative comes at a critical time as policymakers place increasing attention on – and accountability for – children’s readiness for school,” says the blueprint. “Publicly funded preschool is expanding across the nation. Millions of children, some as young as six weeks, need childcare for all or part of a day, week and year.

“The benefits of all children having access to good early development and learning experiences go beyond the individual child to the society as a whole,” it continues. “Research also tells us that qualified and well-compensated professionals are essential to ensuring high quality early childhood education programs. However, the lack of cross-sector systems of professional development for early childhood educators in classrooms and homes, program administration and other parts of the field creates a serious barrier to providing high-quality education for all young children.”

NAEYC, founded in 1926, is the largest and most influential voice for early childhood education professionals and the field of early childhood education in the United States. For more information on its Early Childhood Workforce Systems Initiative, visit www.naeyc.org. and click on “Public Policy.”

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For Children With Disabilities
A New Twist on Tried-and-True Toys

by Ellen Metrick, National Lekotek Center

The toys you choose for your classroom can encourage fundamental learning and cognitive growth and promote physical development. The skills children are working on in physical, occupational and speech therapy can be encouraged and practiced through play. When children use toys for therapeutic reasons, they often play and have fun without realizing that they are also developing and learning important skills.

There are many toys available today that, while inspired by play products that have passed the test of time, have a new, modern feel to them. Good examples are hula-hoops, trampolines with bars to hold onto, and cool, contemporary looking rocking toys beyond the traditional horse. We especially like products that encourage movement and exercise since this is a high-risk factor for children with disabilities.

It is exciting to see examples of bikes that bust the pedal paradigm and instead focus on one of the most important skills to learn – balance. Children with special needs may require extra time to develop their balance, but fortunately there are some great toys out there to help. The new pedal-less beginner bikes are a segue to a real bike. They allow the child to solely focus on developing balance before adding the challenges of impulsion and speed. I have to give toy manufacturers credit for creating this new category based on the standard bicycle idea.

Another new approach to an old idea is the creation of crayons in different, new shapes. Developing grasping skills and learning small motor skills may be areas in which some kids need to work hard to gain confidence. Kudos to manufacturers who decided to think out-of-the-box and create crayons in pyramid, round or square shapes to help children deal with holding, grasping and taking those first important steps into the world of writing.

For more insight on selecting toys for children with disabilities, visit www.ableplay.org or lekotek.org.

“Lekotek” (or “play library” from the Swedish work “lek” meaning play, and the Greek suffix “tek” meaning library) makes the world of play accessible to children with all types of disabilities. There are 32 special Lekotek play and learning centers nationwide where they can have fun with traditional toys, adapted toys, books and computers, while they learn new skills that build the base for literacy, mathematical reasoning and computer use. The National Lekotek Center is located at 2001 N. Clybourn in Chicago, 60614. Call 773-528-5766 or their Toy Resource Helpline at 800-366-PLAY. Visit www.lekotek.org for more information.

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All About Safety
Tips for Choosing and Using a Full-Size Crib

from “Safe & Sound for Baby, a guide to baby product safety, use and selection” by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA)

According to the ninth edition of JPMA’s “Safe & Sound” brochure for consumers, approximately 50 babies each year suffocate or strangle when they become trapped between broken crib parts or in cribs with older, unsafe designs. JPMA advises that when you purchase a crib, make sure it has no pillow-like bumpers, and that the crib mattress fits snugly, with no more than two fingers’ width or 1 inch between the edge of the mattress and the crib side. Otherwise, the baby can get trapped between the mattress and the side of the crib. The crib must meet current federal and ASTM safety standards. Also, look for the JPMA Certification Seal for added assurance that the product was built with safety in mind.

Since safety standards for children’s products have recently changed as the result of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), make sure you’re purchasing a crib that meets current federal and ASTM standards. For specifics, visit the website of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.cpsc.gov) and ASTM International www.astm.org. For more information about the JPMA Certification Program, which is based on ASTM standards, visit www.jpma.org.

JPMA’s Tips for Safe Crib Usage

• Remember to always keep the drop side up when the baby is in the crib.

• Never place the crib near windows, draperies, blinds or wall-mounted decorative accessories with long cords.

• Make sure there are no missing, loose, broken or improperly installed screws, brackets or other hardware on the crib or the mattress support.

• Crib slats or spindles should be spaced no more that 2-3/8 inches apart, and none should be loose or missing.

• Never use a crib with corner posts over 1/16th of an inch above the end panels, unless they’re over 16 inches high for a canopy. Babies can strangle if their clothes become caught on corner posts. These should be unscrewed or sawed off, and the remaining end panel should be sanded smooth.

• There should be no cutout areas on the headboard or footboard so baby’s head cannot get trapped.

• Always use a crib sheet that fits securely on the mattress, wraps around the mattress corners and stays securely on the mattress corners.

• Paint should not be cracked or peeling, and their should be no splinters or rough edges.

• Use bumper pads only until the child can pull up to a standing position, then remove them so baby cannot use the pads to climb out of the crib.

• Mobiles should also be removed when baby can pull himself up.

• Never place infants to sleep on pillows, sofa cushions, adult beds, waterbeds or beanbags. Infants should always sleep in a crib that meets current federal and ASTM standards.

The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association represents 250 companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico who manufacture, import and/or distribute infant products such as cribs, car seats, strollers, bedding and a wide range of accessories and decorative items. JPMA has been recognized as an organization dedicated to enhancing children’s product safety. For free copy of “Safe & Sound for Baby,” available in English and Spanish, send a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope to JPMA Public Information, 15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054, or visit www.jpma.org for a downloadable version.

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