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Universal Preschool News

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In this section, you'll find editorials, legislation, public policy and trends on issues relating to preschool, pre-kindergarten, childcare and the push toward universal preschool education. Particularly of note are articles concerning the states claim of a compelling interest in compulsory preschool education. Visit often for the latest preschool news.

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New Research Says Pre-K Works : NPR Ed : NPR In 2001, not long after Oklahoma had adopted one of the nation's first universal pre-K programs, researchers from Georgetown University began tracking kids who came out of the program in Tulsa, documenting their academic progress over time. In a new report published in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management today, researchers were able to show that Tulsa's pre-K program has significant, positive effects on students' outcomes and well-being through middle school. by Claudio Sanchez December 12, 2017 [More Results from npr.org]
Slideshow: As California advocates look to expand pre-K, Denmark shows how universal preschool works KPCC's Early Childhood Correspondent Deepa Fernandes visited Denmark and Norway recently and talked to parents and educators about their countries' free and subsidized child care. Support for universal preschool is spreading around the country, but relatively few places have set up systems where all kids from infants to 5-year-olds can attend child care. That's not the case in Scandinavian countries like Norway and Denmark where early child care for all has been around for decades and is taken for granted by taxpayers. by Matt Rogers July 7, 2015 [More Results from scpr.org]
Maine May Be Next State To Offer Universal Preschool While President Obama's proposal to make preschool universally accessible is being pushed on the federal level, six states in the country - Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Illinois, New York, and West Virginia - are already working on such plans. The state legislature is dominated by Democrats in both houses, but the biggest hurdle will be getting Gov. Paul LePage (R) on board. Education Week pointed out that in the past he has been in favor of privatization and most interested in funding for grades 1-3. by Bryce Covert May 23, 2013 [More Results from thinkprogress.org]
Study: Diet May Help ADHD Kids More Than Drugs Audio Report: Kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can be restless, impulsive, inattentive and difficult to handle. Many are treated with drugs, but a new study suggests that food may be the key. Dr. Lidy Pelsser of the ADHD Research Centre in the Netherlands, writes in The Lancet that the disorder is triggered in many cases by external factors - and those can be treated through changes to one's environment. "ADHD, it's just a couple of symptoms - it's not a disease," the Dutch researcher tells All Things Considered weekend host Guy Raz. by NPR Staff March 15, 2011 [More Results from npr.org]
Four-year-old Graduates Celebrate at Wunsche Eighteen four-year-old students in the Early Learning Academy (ELA) at Carl Wunsche Sr. High School donned caps and gowns recently and walked into their graduation ceremony with as much pomp as a group of four-year-olds can muster. "These four-year-olds will be very well-prepared to start kindergarten next year," said Kay Hall, ELA director. It is a licensed childcare facility and an on-site laboratory school where high school students enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program at Wunsche can observe and work with young children. May 30, 2008 [More Results from Spring ISD]
Getting a head start Kerrville Independent School District has introduced Handwriting Without Tears, a program that teaches students top-down and left-to-right formations, capital letters and letter recognition with wooden pieces. Diane Flynn Keith, founder of Universal Preschool, an advocacy group designed to protect parents' rights to determine educational choices for their children, said pre-schoolers learn best when they are permitted to explore and follow their own interests. by Alison Beshur December 21, 2006 [More Results from Universal Preschool]
Parents struggle with daycare Most working parents with preschoolers at home see the morning day-care dropoff as more of a necessity than a choice. In a survey by the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network, more than 80 percent of parents said the primary reason for seeking child care is that they have to work. December 8, 2006 [More Results from Financial Express]
Preschool Pros and Cons Melanie Bailey of Bossier City, La., has a background in preschool & kindergarten education, so sending her daughters to preschool was not an automatic decision for her. She already knew they would be academically ready, so it was just the social aspect she had to consider. "Up until just recently, I was a stay-at-home mom so my kids never experienced the social factors of a daycare setting," says Bailey. "Academically I wasn't worried about them, [but] I can imagine that kindergarten would be overwhelming for a child that has never attended a preschool program. by Kelly Burgess August 29, 2006 [More Results from Preschoolers Today]
No on Proposition 82 Preschool initiative amounts to welfare for middle-class parents. Voters in the June 6 primary should vote "no" on Prop. 82 and let parents meet their own obligations without subsidies. Proponents of Proposition 82 want the state to do what parents should: care for their children. The most fiscally dangerous political initiative to emerge from Hollywood director Rob Reiner's rather generous cranium in recent years seeks to pay for the preschool education of every child â€" even those whose parents can afford it on their own. April 30, 2006 [More Results from Press-Telegram]
Ohio Infant & Toddler Guidelines Unveiled COLUMBUS -- A leadership team of private and public organizations this week unveiled developmental guidelines for Ohio's youngest children, from birth to age three. The "birth announcement" was held at COSI in Columbus and included remarks by Ohio First Lady Hope Taft. Designed to assist parents, providers and policy makers, the Guidelines include the following developmental domains and include best practices in the areas of: health, emotional, social, motor, language/communication and cognitive. by Alicia Leatherman March 12, 2006 [More Results from PR Newswire (CA)]
Taxpayer Groups Demand That Rob Reiner Stop All Taxpayer-Funded First 5 Preschool Ads SACRAMENTO -- Taxpayer groups today demanded that the taxpayer-funded First 5 ads currently airing statewide on radio, TV and in major newspapers be pulled immediately. It is illegal to use taxpayer funds to support political campaigns and ballot initiatives. The $18 million dollar ad campaign airing now and paid for with taxpayer dollars emphasizes the purported benefits of preschool. January 12, 2006 [More Results from PR Newswire (CA)]
NHSA: Funds for 35,000 Head Start At-Risk Children Slots Would Vanish Under 2% Across-the-Board Federal Spending Cut WASHINGTON -- Despite being one of the most successful programs in the federal government, Head Start, which gets America's poorest children ready to learn in kindergarten and beyond, would be decimated by funding cuts. NHSA calculates that the effects of a 2 percent cut would result in the equivalent of closing enrollment to at least 35,000 currently served children. Although House leaders did not have the votes to push through a broad-based spending cut last week, they have vowed to press ahead with the plan. October 27, 2005 [More Results from PR Newswire Association]
Action Alert - CA: AB 172 - Universal Preschool.com AB 172 Hearing - April 20, 2005. Your mission should you decide to accept it; is to call, write and/or fax the legislators listed below in opposition to AB 172. Be sure to write your own Assembly member as well. After you have contacted your legislator and the Education Committee members, please forward this alert to any family members or friends, who may have an interest in preschool legislation. by Annette M. Hall April 16, 2005 [More Results from Universal Preschool.com]

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