RSG | Reports & Resources On Early Care and Education

• Key Issues in Connecticut
• Connecticut Reports
• Connecticut Community Reports and Online Resources
• Connecticut Online Resources
• National Reports and Online Resources

Key Issues in Connecticut

Despite its current budget challenges and its lack of investment during the state’s boom years, Connecticut is well-positioned to address the critical early care and early education needs of its young children.

Workforce Demands. With 62% of children in full-time working families, there is considerable pressure to address the child care issues of Connecticut’s parents. Similarly, there is considerable need to address workforce needs of the child care and early education "industry" itself. Despite increased demand, state funding for low-income family child care supports has been slashed from actual 2002 expenditure levels by 30% over 2003-04 and 2004-05.

Education Pressures. Federal No Child Left Behind accountability requirements coupled with Connecticut’s nagging achievement gap among its low-income children create substantial pressure for a plan to address the state’s "preparation gap" in which too many children arrive at kindergarten "unready" for school success.

Early Education Expansion. The Connecticut State Board of Education has endorsed a policy calling for universal access to quality half-day preschool programs, by the end of this decade, for all of the state’s three- and four-year olds whose families request it. At the same time, some 15,000 three- and four-year olds in our most economically-challenged communities await access to full-day, full-year school readiness programs.

Economic Implications. Evaluation results on CT’s quality school readiness programs reveal a strong and immediate return on investment, and new analyses of the contribution of the early care and education "industry" to the state’s economy will provide an impetus for Connecticut to examine early childhood investment as a part of its economic development strategies.

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Connecticut Reports

[1] "All Children Ready for School: The Case for Early Care and Education." Published by CT Voices for Children. February 2003. (29 pp).

This report summarizes national and state information on child care and early education, provides a 10-item "fact sheet" and recommends a set of goals and objectives for the next several years in Connecticut.

Online at: [2] http://www.ctkidslink.org (click on "CT Voices Publications" and then on "Early Care and Education). Or go directly to: [3] http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/CTvoices/kidslink/kidslink2/reports/PDFs/ResourceChallengesFINAL02.12.PDF

[4] "An Overview of School Readiness." Published online by the CT State Department of Education. Undated. (3 pp).

This short report provides a good description of Connecticut’s formal "School Readiness" program.

Online at: [5] http://www.state.ct.us/sde/deps/readiness/SROverview.pdf

[6] "A Research Perspective on the Child Care Workforce in Connecticut." Published by the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut. June 2003. (24 pp).

The report is divided into three sections. The first section sets the context for the workforce issues and highlights overarching recommendations for further research. Section 2 takes each workforce issue and catalogues the available data by topic (salaries, benefits, etc.). It also points out gaps in the Connecticut data. Section 3 is a compendium of that data, organized by source.

Two additional workforce reports by CHDI are accessible from the URL that follows: [7] http://www.chdi.org/files/report_workforce.pdf

[8] "Business and Early Care and Education." Published by CT Voices for Children. June 2003. (15 pp).

This report summarizes the national work-family literature on business engagement and provides case examples for six strategies business has used to engage at the national, state and community level on child care and school readiness issues.

Online at: [9] http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/CTvoices/kidslink/kidslink2/reports/PDFs/ECEBusiness06.03.PDF

[10] "Closing the Achievement Gaps: Removing the Barriers to Preschool in Connecticut. A Report of the State Board of Education." Published by the CT State Department of Education, November 2003. (32 pp). "The Connecticut State Board of Education believes that all children should have the experiences and opportunities that are necessary for them to achieve in school, and therefore supports the goal of providing all of Connecticut’s children with a preschool experience." This report provides the rationale and guidance for improving and expanding Connecticut’s preschool service system.

Online at: [11] http://www.state.ct.us/sde/deps/Early/PreschoolReport.pdf

[12] "Early Childhood Matters." A periodic newsletter produced by CT Voices for Children in print and online versions. The first issue, "All Children Ready for School Success: Closing the Preparation Gap," was published in July 2003. (4 pp).

Online at: [13] http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/CTvoices/kidslink/kidslink2/reports/PDFs/EarlyChildhoodMatters1.PDF

[14] "Early Care and Education Legislative Collaborative Position Papers." In 2003, the ECE Legislative Collaborative produced four position papers: on licensing, infant and toddler care, school-age care, and school readiness. Members of the Collaborative are also listed.

Online at: [15] http://wwwcahs.org/childcare/collaborative.html

[16] "School Readiness Newsletters." The Connecticut Commission on Children publishes periodic updates on Connecticut’s School Readiness program implementation. These useful newsletters are available online at [17] http://www.cga.state.ct.us/coc/UPDATE.htm

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Connecticut Community Reports and Online Resources

Bridgeport

[18] "Choosing Child Care: A Report on Parent Preferences for Child Care in Bridgeport." In this report by the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition, 70% of parents surveyed indicated their preference for center-based early care. However, of those parents who looked for a licensed child care center for their child in the past year, nearly 80% reported that there were no openings or it cost too much.

Online at: [19] http://www.bcacct.org/pub/bcac-child%20care-1-03.pdf

"The State of the Child in Bridgeport 2003." This report by the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition reports that 67% of the city’s four-year olds entered kindergarten with preschool experience. Children who attended the Bridgeport Public Schools Early Childhood Program were much less likely to repeat kindergarten and first grade and had fewer school absences than those who had not attended quality preschool.

This report is not online. Contact BCAC for a copy. Online at: [20] http://wwwbcacct.org

Hartford

[21] "First-Ever Study Examines School Readiness of Hartford Children, May 2003." A description of this study sponsored by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is online at: [22] http://www.hfpg.org/matriarch/DisplayLinksPage.asp?From=Search&PageID=97&PageName=NewsPubsPressReleases&LinksPageID=121

Middletown

[23] Middletown Public Schools School Readiness Program. This site provides important program, contact information and links to school readiness in Middletown.

Online at: [24] http://www.middletownschools.org/district_programs/school_readiness/index2.html

[25] "In Middletown, School Readiness Bridges the Achievement Gap." From the Commission on Children’s School Readiness Update, April 2002.

"Low-income African-American children who attended a school readiness program attained an average school readiness score (55.63) that was comparable to white children in general (57.59) and surpassed both white low-income children (51.16) and those low-income African- American children who did not attend a school readiness program (48.37)."

Online at: [26] http://www.cga.state.ct.us/coc/PDFs/update4.pdf

Naugatuck

[27] Naugatuck Community Connections. This great site profiles the people, events, studies and results of the Naugatuck community’s work to improve the well-being of their youngest children, as one of the Graustein Memorial Fund Discovery Communities.

Online at: [28] http://www.naugatuckcommunityconnections.org/

Stamford

[29] "Stamford Achieves: Stamford Commission on Education Achievement." This website outlines the recent community-wide planning effort focused on identifying strategies for eliminating Stamford’s achievement gap, including ensuring the school readiness of all Stamford children.. A report was published but is not online yet.

Online at: [30] http://www.stamfordachieves.org/default.asp

West Hartford

[31] West Hartford Early Childhood Planning Initiative. As a Discovery Community, West Hartford citizens, in partnership with the public schools, propose to provide preschool for all of the town’s four-year olds. The website provides information on this specific goal as well as on the Discovery mission, goals, activities and participants.

Online at: [32] http://www.whps.org/curriculum/community_school_projects.htm

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Connecticut Online Resources

[33] 2-1-1 Child Care INFOLINE. 2-1-1 Child Care INFOLINE is a confidential and free child care referral telephone service; just dial 211. Counselors are available to assist parents and child care providers in locating appropriate resources and referrals. Counselors have a background in child development and participate in ongoing trainings. Multi-lingual counselors are available. The Child Care INFOLINE website provides additional information on accessing child care resources in Connecticut.

Online at: [34] http://www.childcareinfoline.org/

[35] Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition. BCAC, founded in 1985, is a coalition of over 81 member organizations that are committed to improving the well being of Bridgeport children through a research, community planning, advocacy, community education and mobilization. Their website is a wonderful resource for facts and action.

Online at: [36] http://www.bcacct.org

[37] Care 4 Kids. The CT Department of Social Services manages the state’s child care subsidy program for low- and moderate-income families with young children. The website contains family eligibility and provider information and forms. The site also provides links to the CT Department of Public Health’s Division of Child Care Licensing, Child Care INOFILE, and the DSS Bureau of Child Support Enforcement. The website does not provide information on available funding levels for Care 4 Kids.

Online at: [38] http://www.ctcare4kids.com/

[39] Child Development Infoline. The Child Development Infoline (CDI) unit serves as the access point for the Connecticut Birth to Three System, the Help Me Grow Program and Preschool Special Education Services. Care Coordinators provide information about general development, coping with challenging behaviors, disability and health related issues.

Online at: [40] http://www.infoline.org/programs/bt3.asp

[41] Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut. CHDI sponsors several important initiatives designed to improve the quality of health, child care and early learning services for Connecticut’s young children. Three relate specifically to early learning: the Training Resource Academy, Early Childhood DataCONNections, and Early Childhood Data Resource Guide.

Online at: [42] http://www.chdi.org

[43] CT Association for Human Services. CAHS focuses on issues that challenge Connecticut’s families: health, hunger, poverty and child care. CAHS is also the Annie E. Casey instate KidsCount organization and published the annual Connecticut KidsCount report. CAHS provides staffing support for the CT Early Care and Education Legislative Collaborative.

Online at: [44] http://www.cahs.org

[45] CT Charts-A-Course. Connecticut Charts-A-Course is the statewide professional development system for early education and school-age care. Charts-A-Course supports career development and program improvement by promoting the achievement of national and state professional standards. The website provides links to the CT Accreditation Facilitation Project, the Early Childhood Pathways Test, and other professional development resources.

Online at: [46] http://www.ctcharts-a-course.org

[47] CT Commission on Children. The Commission on Children was created in 1985 by a joint act of the CT legislature. It provides policy analyses, issue coordination, public education, and cross-branch public policy deliberation. The Commission was a major contributor to the passage of CT landmark school readiness legislation in 1997-98 and has been a key advocate for its expansion. The "education" section of the website offers a rich selection of school readiness materials, updates and links.

Online at: [48] http://www.cga.state.ct.us/coc

[49] CT Conference of Municipalities "Towns Help Kids Succeed." This site is the home of the new and exciting CT Conference of Municipalities and Commission on Children initiative to support municipal mayors in their efforts to expand opportunities for early childhood development and school readiness, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Online at: [50] http://www.ccm-ct.org/news/kidsuccess/

[51] CT Head Start State Collaboration Office. The mission of this office is to integrate the lessons learned from Head Start and the services of local Head Start programs with state efforts in early care and education. A project of the Office is Healthy Child Care Connecticut, which brings together more than 50 representatives of organizations that play a key role in the planning and delivery of child care and health care for children and families.

Online at: [52] http://www.gcfyc.state.ct.us/index.html

[53] CT Health and Education Facilities Authority. CHEFA helps Connecticut's eligible health, educational and cultural nonprofits gain access to low-cost, tax-exempt debt financing so they can continue to meet the needs of their clients. More than $47 million in bonds have been issued to assist 21 child care facilities with construction and renovation since 1998.

Online at: [54] http://www.chefa.com

[55] CT Voices for Children. CT Voices for Children is the managing partner of the Ready, Set, Grow…CT Kids! campaign. On the Voices’ website is a rich collection of research and policy analyses on early care and education, tax and budget, family economic security, children’s mental health and juvenile justice, and youth issues.

Online at: [56] http://www.ctkidslink.orghttp

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National Reports and Online Resources

[57] "A Stitch in Time: Calculating the Costs of School Unreadiness." The Finance Project, Washington, DC. 2002. (56 p.)

This monograph synthesizes the literature and evidence on early childhood development and school readiness and its relationship to future social problems and costs, and presents several alternative approaches that can be used to estimate the cost of school unreadiness.

Online at: [58] http://www.financeproject.org/stitchintime.pdf

[59] BUILD Initiative. BUILD is a multi-state partnership designed to assist each state build a coordinated system of programs, policies and services that responds to the needs of families, carefully uses public and private resources, and effectively prepares young children for a successful future.

Online at: [60] http://www.buildinitiative.org/

[61] "Cost Benefit Resource Inventory. A Resource List." National Child Care Information Center. A broad inventory listing studies that address the short and long term benefits of early childhood investments, particularly in early care and early education.

Online at: [62] http://www.nccic.org/faqs/costbenefit.html

[63] Early Care and Education Collaborative. The ECE Collaborative is a multi-year project of 8 state-based child advocacy organizations, including CT Voices for Children, working on early care and early education issues. The Communications Consortium Media Center (CCMC) coordinates the Collaborative. The Collaborative’s website provides access to communications research and polling, message memos and links to the 8 participating states.

Online at: [64] http://www.earlycare.org

[65] "Early Childhood = Economic Development." Written by Minneapolis Federal Reserve’s Rob Grunewald andArt Rolnick. Published in the FedGazette. March 2003.

These economists review the benefit-cost and return on investment data from quality early childhood programs and argue that such programs provide a better return than such strategies as building stadiums, and that early childhood investment should be a part of a state’s economic development toolkit.

Online at: [66] http://minneapolisfed.org/pubs/fedgaz/03-03/opinion.cfm

[67] Early Education for All. The "Early Education for All Campaign" is a growing coalition of leaders from business, labor, religion, health care, education, child care, and philanthropy, working in partnership with grassroots organizations, state policymakers, and parents to make publicly-funded high-quality early childhood education available to all Massachusetts children and their families.

Online at: [68] http://www.strategiesforchildren.org/eea/campaign/eea_campaign_home.htm

[69] "Economic Impact of Child Care: A Resource List." The National Child Care Information Center has accumulated and organized over 20 studies on the economic impact of child care, conducted across the United States over the past few years.

Online at: [70] http://nccic.org/cctopics/econimpact.html

[71] Education Commission of the States Early Learning Issue Site. This site is designed to help policymakers and educators make informed choices about early childhood education and care issues relating to young children, from how to ensure quality to how to pay for programs. Access is also available to the ECS PreK and full-day Kindergarten databases.

Online at: [72] http://www.ecs.org/ecsmain.asp?page=/html/IssuesEL.asp

[73] "Financing the Child Care System: A Resource Listing." The National Child Care Information Center has compiled a broad listing of reports and studies that illustrate varied strategies and issues in developing a financing system for early care and education.

Online at: [74] http://nccic.org/cctopics/funding.html

[75] National Center for Early Development and Learning. NCEDL is a national early childhood research project supported by the US Department of Education's Institute for Educational Sciences (IES), formerly the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). Administratively based at the FPG Child Development Institute, NCEDL is a collaboration with the University of Virginia & UCLA.

Online at: [76] http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~NCEDL/

[77] National Child Care Information Center. NCCIC, a project of the Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is a national resource that links information and people to complement, enhance, and promote the child care delivery system, working to ensure that all children and families have access to high-quality comprehensive services. Terrific resource on research and publications, as well as a great gateway site.

Online at: [78] http://www.nccic.org

[79] "National Conference of State Legislatures Child Care Newsletter." Latest issue on line, May 2003. (12 pages)

This periodic print and online resource covers a range of financing, coordination and state legislative policy issues related to improving access to quality child care at the national and state levels.

This and other NCSL reports on child care and early learning issues are accessible at: [80] http://www.ncsl.org/programs/cyf/cc.htm

[81] National Governor’s Association. The NGA Center for Best Practices provides substantive information on early childhood learning, including the NGA Task Force on School Readiness, the Governors’ 2003 Forum on Quality Preschool (December 2003), and "The First Three Years: A Governor’s Guide to Early Childhood."

Online at: [82] http://www.nga.org/center/topics/1,1188,D_1480,00.html

[83] National Institute for Early Education Research. NIEER was established to produce and communicate the knowledge base required to ensure that every American child can receive a good education at ages three and four. The Institute offers independent research-based advice and technical assistance to four primary groups: policy makers, journalists, researchers, and educators.

Online at: [84] http://wwwnieer.org

[85] "Quality Counts 2002: Building Blocks for Success. School Readiness and Assessment." Published by EdWeek.

This important report summarizes state by state policies and programs that provide school readiness services. To access this publication, you must register to become a free member of Ed Week.

Online at: [86] http://www.edweek.org/sreports/qc02/templates/article.cfm?slug=17early.h21

[87] "School Readiness: Helping Communities Get Children Ready for School and Schools Ready for Children. A Child Trends Research Brief." Published by Child Trends. October 2001. (8 pp).

This research brief is a highly useful document for all audiences. It defines "school readiness," discusses how it should be measured, summarizes information on a series of factors which influence school readiness (i.e., child health, family factors, school transitional practices, emergent literacy, community factors, effects of media on child learning), and present implications for community action.

Online at: [88] http://www.childtrends.org/PDF/schoolreadiness.pdf

[89] "Strengthening Families in America’s Cities: Early Childhood Development." Published by the National League of Cities. 2003. (19 pages).

This research brief reports on a mail survey of municipal elected officials in U.S. Cities. The Strengthening Families in America’s Cities survey was conducted by the National League of Cities over the period November 2002 to March 2003. Responses received from local elected officials representing 501 cities nationwide convey substantial support for municipal involvement in child care and early learning programs.

Online at: [90] http://www.nlc.org/nlc_org/site/files/pdf/echildhood.pdf

[91] "Universal PreK Can Learn Lessons from Special Ed. Facts in Action." Published by Associated Early Care and Education. June 2002.

Online at: [92] http://www.factsinaction.org/brief/brfeb032.htm