Perry Pre-School: Still a Good Investment but Not as Good as Previously Reported

The last 10 years have seen enormous growth in the amount of state and federal funding being directed towards creating pre-kindergarten programs. In spite of a grim economic climate nationally, state pre-kindergarten programs were slated to receive $5.3 billion in state and federal funding next year (Pre-K Now, October 2009, 2). Why are pre-kindergarten programs becoming a major target of public spending? Many pre-kindergarten programs have been funded in the hope that they will help low income children be better prepared for kindergarten and that they will narrow the achievement gap and earnings between lower and upper income children as they grow to adulthood. So where does Perry Pre-School fit into this picture?

The Perry Pre-school Project was a two year, high quality early childhood education program offered to low income children in Ypsilanti, Michigan in the late 60’s. The notable thing about Perry Pre-School is that its original researchers created equally sized control (children who did not participate in the program) and experimental (children who did participate in the program) groups at the beginning of the project. Then they tracked each group of children for the next 40 years to measure how the control and experimental groups did on various indicators as they grew to adulthood. For instance, they tracked whether or not the children failed grades, were suspended in school, became teenage mothers, graduated from high school, went to college, went to prison, how much they earned in adulthood, how often they used welfare and food stamps, etc.

Forty plus years into the program they can now demonstrate that children who participated in Perry Pre-School at ages 3 and 4 have lead significantly more productive and stable lives. For instance, they were less likely to fail grades in school, less likely to be suspended, less likely to go to jail, less likely to be teen parents, more likely to go to college, more likely to be employed, etc. All of these findings on the experimental group were then compared with the results of the control group in order to calculate the long range cost savings associated with having participated in the program. Researchers then compared the cost savings generated by program participants to the initial cost of providing them with high quality pre-kindergarten. For many years, this return on investment (ROI) was calculated for Perry Pre-School as being either 16 or 17 to 1. In other words, for every dollar invested in the program, the program participants cost society $16 or $17 less than they would have if they had not gone through the program (Rolnick & Grunewald 2003, Belfield et al., 2006).

This fall, Nobel prize winning economist James Heckman revisited the earlier work of the return on investment from Perry Pre-School to determine the accuracy of the estimated ROI. They found that due to errors in earlier estimation analysis, the ROI for Perry Pre-school has been overstated. They describe an estimated ROI of between $7 and $10 for every dollar invested in Perry. While this is much smaller than the earlier estimates, it still represents a substantial return (Heckman et al., November 2009).

Given the reality that much of the enthusiasm for investing in state pre-kindergarten programs has been fueled by the promise of generating large ROI’s for the next generation, it remains to be seen whether or not a $7 to $10 ROI is large enough to inspire lawmakers nationwide to continue to invest in these programs. It should also be noted that Perry Pre-School was only able to demonstrate a $7 to $10 ROI after 40+ years of tracking its participants. None of our current state pre-kindergarten programs has existed long enough for us to know whether or not they will prove as cost-effective as Perry Pre-School.

Sources

Belfield, C.R., Nores, M., Barnett, W.S., Schweinhart, L., (2006). The High/Scope Perry Preschool program: Cost-benefit analysis using data from the age-40 followup. Journal of Human Resources, 41, 1, pg. 162-190.

Heckman, J.J., Moon, S.H., Pinto, R., Savelyev, P.A., Yavitz, A. (November 2009). The Rate of Return to the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program. NBER Working Paper No. 15471. [Accessed November 11, 2009] http://www.nber.org/papers/w15471.pdf

Pre-K Now. (October 2009). Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K Fiscal year 2010. Washington D.C.: Pew Center on the States. [Accessed November 10, 2009]

Rolnick, A., Grunewald, R. (2003). Early childhood development: Economic development with a high public return. Tech.rep., Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN.

Television Viewing Associated With Increased Combative Behavior In Young Children

Recent research suggests that television watching is related to hostile behavior in children under the age of three. While investigators in the current study (published in the November issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine) found that young children who received corporal punishment, resided in a dangerous community, or had a mother who was distressed or under mental pressure were more likely to display aggressive behaviors, they also found that television viewing (both direct and indirect) had a statistically meaningful effect on children’s aggression.

The study, conducted by Dr. Jennifer Manganello- an assistant professor of health communication at the University of Albany School of Public Health- provides results from an analysis of national data collected for over 3,000 children born between 1998 and 2000. Because so many variables can impact a child’s actions, the investigators attempted to control for as many variables as possible, including maternal parenting beliefs, maternal experience with violence, the security of family surroundings and demographic characteristics. Even after weighting for these variables, television was more likely than many other factors to elevate aggressive behaviors.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is disturbed enough about the media’s impact on the behavior of young children that they recently refreshed their protocol on media brutality:

“Exposure to violence in media, including television, movies, music and video games, represents a significant risk to the health of children and adolescents. Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares and fear of being harmed,” wrote the AAP Council on Communications and Media.

According to Richard Gallagher, director of the Parenting Institute at the New York University Child Study Center in New York City, television is not a harmless instrument- it does have an impact on children and families. While media subject matter may influence actions, Gallagher suggests that children’s behaviors may also be influenced by “opportunities lost.”

In other words, when an infant or toddler is viewing a television show, which is an inactive behavior, the child does not have the occasion to engage with other family members and may have decreased interaction with his or her companions. “The AAP guidelines that children under 2 shouldn’t watch any television may be fairly strict and hard to carry out, but parents should be judicious about how much TV young children are watching, and be aware that it’s not likely to be appropriately stimulating,” stated Gallagher.

Parents should operate as a television “purifier” for their young children. For instance, moms and dads should indicate when something is nonsensical on television and that it is not a real-world situation. Also, if they happen to see something disturbing or violent- even in a television show designed for children- parents need to translate that situation for children, and inform them of what would happen if that were a real scenario.

For more resources on parenting and early child development, please visit The Urban Child Institute’s Parenting Resources webpage at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Parenting.

References

Gordon, S. (2009, November 2). TV may increase aggression in toddlers: The more watched, the more aggressive the behavior, study finds. HealthDay Reporter.
http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=632720

New Research Links Tobacco Exposure During Pregnancy to Various Neuro-developmental Problems in Early Childhood

According to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting, tobacco exposure during pregnancy has been found to be associated with disagreeableness in very young infants, inadequate concentration and information synthesizing during the first year of life, as well as impulsivity during the preschool years.

“We found that even in the first year of life, we can see differences in attention and irritability and in the regulation of emotions…Then at age 3, we saw that kids with prenatal tobacco exposure seem to have trouble waiting for an award, which ties in with findings that smoking during pregnancy can have a specific impact on the parts of the brain that are involved in regulating behavior, ''stated Dr. Sandra A. Wiebe, lead investigator and professor at the University of Alberta, Canada.

An estimated 10% to 30% of females in the United States use tobacco during pregnancy (Brauser, 2009). Last year in Tennessee, over 16,000 (18.8%) of mother’s giving birth in our state reported cigarette smoking during pregnancy . Over 1,100 (6.9%) of the birth mother’s reporting cigarette smoking during pregnancy gave birth in Shelby County (TN DOH, 2009).

Dr. Wiebe acknowledges that it can be difficult for mothers to quit smoking; however, she believes that information and education on the effects of prenatal tobacco exposure can help encourage moms to abstain. “We need to explain that it can affect how well a baby learns about the world, as well as how well they’re able to behave adaptively in various situations once they start preschool or kindergarten,” she suggested.

Local Resources

The Church Health Center's Hope and Healing Center offers health and wellness programs including weight loss classes and smoking cessation counseling. Their Freedom From Smoking program is eight weeks of group counseling designed to help participants kick the smoking habit. They offer sliding scale membership fees based on income and family size. For more information, please call 901-259-4673.

For more information on the well-being of young children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute website at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home/.

References

Brauser, D. (2009, November 9). Prenatal tobacco exposure linked to multiple problems. Medscape Medical News.

Tennessee Department of Health, Division of Health Statistics. Personal Communication, November 12, 2009.

Following AAP, the American Dietetic Association Supports Exclusive Breastfeeding For 6 Months

According to a recent policy report released by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), breastfeeding provides health advantages to both mothers and babies; thus, the use of human milk for infant feeding should be advanced and applauded.

“It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that exclusive breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition and health protection for the first 6 months of life, and breastfeeding with complementary foods from 6 months until at least 12 months of age is the ideal feeding pattern for infants. Breastfeeding is an important public health strategy for improving infant and child morbidity and mortality and improving maternal morbidity and helping to control health care costs,” the ADA stated in a press release.

The recommendations of the ADA mimic the breastfeeding policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months after birth, continuous breastfeeding for at least 12 months after birth, and thereafter as long as mutually desired (AAP, 2005).

The authors of the policy report developed a science-based examination on the framework of breastfeeding customs and health advantages in the United States and in other nations. They determined that human milk supplies superlative nutrient content for very young children and weakens the possibility of developing multiple serious and enduring conditions.

The health advantages for babies include:

- A sound immune system

- Reduced possibility of developing asthma, lower respiratory tract complications and gastroenteritis

- Elevated defense against allergies and sensitivities

- Appropriate growth of teeth and jaw

- Correlation with increased IQ and improved educational achievement

- Decreased risk for SIDS, as well as recurrent illnesses, including weight issues, diabetes, heart problems, elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol and childhood cancer

The ADA suggests that dietetic specialists and registered dietitians maintain a critical role in endorsing and fostering breastfeeding for its health advantages for children and families. Additionally, dietary professionals also have a crucial position in administering pragmatic research on breastfeeding-related matters. The authors suggest that more research on breastfeeding promotion campaigns is of particularly high priority.

For more information on the current Shelby County breastfeeding campaign, please contact Dr. Julie Ware (President of the Shelby County Breastfeeding Coalition) at julieware2@bellsouth.net. The Shelby County Breastfeeding Coalition is a county-wide collaboration that aims to implement national breastfeeding policy recommendations. The collaborative consists of nine organizations and represents a partnership between the public and private sectors, as well as uniting the community with medical, academic, public health, research, and business groups.

For more information on the well-being of young children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home.

References
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2005). Policy statement: Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics, 115 (2).

Breastfeeding benefits moms and babies: Report. (2009, November 6). Healthday: Yahoo!News.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091107/hl_hsn/breastfeedingbenefitsmomsandbabiesreport

Flu Vaccination During Pregnancy: An Effective Way to Help Improve the Health of Memphis Babies

With the very real concerns surrounding the flu this winter, many of us are wondering if it is safe for pregnant women to get the flu shot.

Research that was recently presented at the Infectious Diseases Society of America meeting found that getting a flu vaccine during pregnancy greatly improves a child’s chances of having healthy birth outcomes. The researchers examined the effect of having a regular flu vaccination and not the H1N1 vaccination. However, the CDC does recommend that all pregnant women receive the swine flu vaccine as well (CDC, 2009, November).

Why does vaccination help? Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases like the flu because their immune systems are depressed in order to protect their developing babies. Additionally, infants cannot be vaccinated against the flu for the first 6 months of life, so they are vulnerable unless they have received the vaccination second hand while they are in utero (Fox, 2009, October 29).

Specifically, the studies have revealed that flu vaccination during pregnancy at the height of the flu season can reduce an infant’s chances of being hospitalized in the first 6 months of life by up to 85%. Pregnant women who were vaccinated against the flu were also 80% less likely to have a premature birth and 70% less likely to have a baby that was small for gestational age. Their babies, on average, were a half pound heavier than those of unvaccinated women (Fox, 2009, October 29).

Sources

Fox, M. (October 29, 2009). When Moms Get Flu Shot, Babies Benefit Too: Study, ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=8951864

Centers for Disease Control. 2009 H1N1 Influenza Shots and Pregnant Women: Questions and Answers for Patients. http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/pregnant_qa.htm

New Study Estimates That 50% Of Our Nation’s Children Will Receive Food Stamps Before Their Eighteen Birthday

Recent estimates from researchers at Washington University in Saint Louis suggest that almost half of our country’s children (and a staggering 9 out of 10 African American children) will receive food-related governmental assistance at some point during the first eighteen years of life. The study, released earlier this week in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, states that repercussions from the recent economic crisis could heighten these numbers dramatically.

Lead investigator and sociologist Mark Rank cautions that this increase is a health issue that the medical community needs to be mindful of given that children on food assistance are at risk for dietary deficiency and other afflictions related to economic deprivation, including insufficient cognitive, social and emotional development. “This is a real danger sign that we as a society need to do a lot more to protect children, “ Rank advised (Tanner, 2009, p. 1).

According to a federal brief released last month from the United States Department of Agriculture, almost 29 million citizens received food stamps in a typical month last year, and about 50% of these recipients were children. Food stamps are a government-run program for low-income families, covering many food items (with the exclusion of prepared hot items and alcohol).

In Shelby County, over 233,000 individuals (26% of the county’s population) were receiving food stamps as of June of this year (TN Department of Human Services, 2009). Approximately 63,000 (27%) of these recipients are under 18 years of age. In other words, about one in four Shelby County children are currently obtaining food-related assistance (CUCP estimate, see footnote). Furthermore, according to recent information released by the Tennessee Department of Education, approximately 86% of students currently enrolled in the Memphis City school system are from families who meet certain income criteria making them eligible to receive free or reduced price lunch (TDOE, 2009).

This research is consistent with other current studies that estimate that upwards of 40 percent of our nation’s children will reside in impoverished or low-income families by their late teenage years, and that one in two will at some point live in a household that is headed by a single parent (Tanner, 2009).

“The current recession is likely to generate for children in the United States the greatest level of material deprivation that we will see in our professional lifetimes,” stated Stanford pediatrician Dr. Paul Wise. “I find it terribly sad, but not surprising.”

In the midst of our current dire economic climate, what can the Memphis community do to support the healthy development of our youngest citizens? We welcome your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute website at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org.

References
Tanner, L. (2009, November 3). Half of U.S. kids will get food stamps, study says. The Associated Press.

Tennessee Department of Education, 2009,
http://edu.reportcard.state.tn.us/pls/apex/f?p=200:1:829762500068372

Tennessee Department of Human Services. (2009, September). Tennessee Monthly Food Stamp
Participation. Nashville, TN: Author.

CUCP estimate: Please contact us at cucp@theurbanchildinstitute.org for more information.

Premature Births Lift U.S. Infant Mortality Rate

The Wall Street Journal reported this week on a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that examines the link between prematurity and infant mortality around the world. (The U.S. ranks 30th in the world in terms of infant mortality rates).

The study concludes that premature births, which are often due to poor prenatal care of low-income pregnant women, are the main reason the U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than in most European countries.

About 1 in 8 U.S. births are premature. Early births are much less common across most of Europe; for example, only 1 in 18 babies are premature in Ireland and Finland.

Poor access to prenatal care, maternal obesity and smoking, too-early cesarean sections and induced labor and fertility treatments are among the reasons for preterm births, experts said.

Premature babies born before 37 weeks tend to be more fragile and have under-developed lungs, said the lead author of the new report, Marian MacDorman of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Premature births are the chief reason the U.S. has an infant mortality rate more than twice as high as infant mortality rates in Sweden, Japan, Finland, Norway and the Czech Republic.

If U.S. infants were as mature as Sweden's are at birth, nearly 8,000 infant deaths could be avoided and the U.S. infant mortality rate would be about one-third lower than it is, according to a calculation by Ms. MacDorman and others at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

Why so many more premature infants here? Experts offered several possible explanations:

■Fertility treatments and other forms of assisted reproduction probably play a role because they often lead to twins, triplets or other multiple births. Those children tend to be delivered early.
■The U.S. health care system doesn't guarantees prenatal care to pregnant women, particularly the uninsured, said Alan R. Fleischman, medical director for the March of Dimes.
■Maternal obesity and smoking have been linked to premature births and may also be a factor.
■Health officials are also concerned that doctors increasingly are inducing labor or performing C-sections before the 37th week. However, Fleischman said most infant deaths do not occur in babies just shy of 37 weeks gestation, but rather in those much younger,
Labor was induced in nearly 16% of premature births in 2006, up from about 8% in 1991. Cesarean sections were done in 36% of preterm births, up from 25% in 1991, Ms. MacDorman said.


The report also found that while the U.S. more commonly saw premature births, survival rates for infants at that gestational age were as good or better than most European countries.

"So, once the baby is born too early, we do a good job of saving it. What we have trouble with is preventing the preterm birth in the first place," Ms. MacDorman said.

Improving Infant and Toddler Care: Considerations from the National Center for Children In Poverty

Careful research shows that better prepared family care providers offer our youngest children higher-quality care. In order to improve the cognitive, social and emotional development of infants and toddlers, policy leaders have instituted training and education qualifications for licensed providers and designed multiple initiatives to prepare and inform early care staff.

So what works? What types of education are most effective in advancing the quality of family child care homes and centers? Researchers from the National Center for Children in Poverty (2005) reviewed a wide body of literature on training methods for early care providers and provide the following summaries for professionals and policy-makers:

- Coursework that provides higher education credits and is supplemented with technical support seems to enhance quality in the early care setting, particularly for family care providers. Caregivers receiving technical assistance demonstrated higher quality scores in language/reasoning and basic/personal care.

- Noncredit training has a greater impact on caregivers who have no affiliation with a professional organization (such as the National Association for the Education for Young Children) than on affiliated providers. Prior to training, affiliated providers typically have higher observed levels of quality than unaffiliated providers.

- Scholarships providing enrollment in community college-level coursework in child development appear to increase overall quality ratings in center-based providers.

- Long-term, personalized coaching for caregivers can improve early care quality. Infant caregivers involved in mentoring programs have demonstrated improved quality in discipline techniques, sensitivity and learning activities.

More research needs to be done on infant and toddler caregiver training and education. What we do know is that training methods need to match the particular types of providers, and trainers need to be ready to make adjustments as the research advances.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org.

References

Kreader, J., Ferguson, D., & Lawrence, S. (2005, August). Impact of training and education for caregivers of infants and toddlers (Research-To-Policy No. 3). National Center for Children In Poverty.

Revised WIC Guidelines Provide Incentives To Breastfeeding Families

As of October 1, the federally-funded Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) has altered subsidy provisions in order to provide improved nutritional support to low-income families. In addition to including more food items that will reduce the amount of saturated fats and increase healthy fiber in the intake of WIC participants, the revised food packages better encourage and endorse sustained breastfeeding and reinforce WIC’s breastfeeding promotion endeavors.

The adjusted nutritional package provides mothers who solely breastfeed with the opportunity to receive more choices and increased quantities of approved foods, including a monthly $10.00 voucher which can be redeemed for fresh fruits and vegetables. Babies who are solely breastfeed receive increased quantities and a more mixed selection of baby food at 6 months of age. Breastfeeding mothers can also receive breast pumps and other breastfeeding aids to help support the initiation and continuation of breastfeeding.

Although WIC promotes breastfeeding as the preferred method for feeding infants, WIC has historically faced numerous challenges in increasing the prevalence of breastfeeding among participants. Through nutrition knowledge and breastfeeding promotion efforts, WIC employees encourage and support mothers in the breastfeeding process; however, the time that staff has to counsel and educate pregnant women on breastfeeding is restricted. Furthermore, a mother’s choice to breastfeed may be determined by other variables beyond the WIC staff’s control, such as opinions of partners and friends, her doctor, and community acceptance.

Although more research is needed to determine the most effective breastfeeding promotion and support measures needed to increase breastfeeding among WIC participants, we applaud the efforts of the WIC system in altering food packages in order to provide incentives to breastfeeding mothers. By recognizing and supporting the breastfeeding guidelines suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics[1] (AAP), the WIC program is making positive progress in achieving optimal infant and child health, growth and development in vulnerable, low-income families.

WIC is a federal program designed to provide supplemental food to low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children until the age of five. For more information on the Tennessee WIC program, please call the Shelby County Health Department at 901.544.7583.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/.

References

Oliveira, V. (2003, July). WIC and breastfeeding rates: Food assistance research brief. United States Department of Agriculture (Report Number 34-2).

Tennessee WIC brings more to the table. (2009, October 19). Tennessee Department of Health. The Daily Times.


[1] The AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for approximately the first 6 months after birth, continuous breastfeeding for 12 months after birth, and thereafter as long as mutually desired.

Recession’s Toll On Very Young Children: How Can Parents Promote Optimal Development During Times of Financial Strain?

Counselors, educational analysts and school therapists report seeing an increasing number of children dealing with strain and pressure as a result of their parents’ recession-related monetary issues. A perception of disaster can create profound unhappiness or worry, particularly if families unleash their distress or exasperation, argue about finances, or change housing arrangements and/or school districts (Brody, 2009).

Three out of four parents state that the economic downturn has increased tension in their household, and a third report that their children have demonstrated apprehension or agitation about the economy, according to a current U.S. study by Wakefield Research. Approximately twenty percent of children will develop a mental health issue at some point during the lifespan, and financial hardship could provoke a concealed anxiety issue.

“We’re living in very difficult times,” said Rosalind Dorlen, the American Psychological Association’s New Jersey public education coordinator. “It would be naïve to assume kids going through this would be unaffected. Is this going to be the ‘Worried Generation’?”

Experts at the Carsey Institute suggest that children of all ages experience the ramifications of financial distress, but our youngest citizens are particularly susceptible. For children less than age six, the demands of economic deficiency include insufficient health, decreased access to high-quality educational programs, inferior cognitive and social and emotional development, and heightened parental pressure. Evidence also suggests that financial hardship is linked with a lower quality home setting and inadequate parenting methods (Poiter, 2009).

How can parents assist and help prevent the development of unneeded stress and anxiety in their youngest family members? According to Jane Burdsall of the New Jersey Association of School Psychologists, a primary step is to remember to speak calmly and without frustration to all members of the household. Young children need to feel secure, and it is crucial that parents’ remember children’s ages and developmental stages when sharing and discussing economic information. Although young children are resilient, it is important for parents to reassure infants and toddlers in order decrease tension levels and promote a secure environment.

What else can parents to do encourage optimal cognitive, social and emotional development in our youngest children during this tough economic time? We welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, please visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/Home.

References

Brody, L. (2009, October 13). Recession’s toll on children: Parents aren’t the only only ones who
suffer when jobs are lost and money is tight. McClatchy/Tribune News.

Poiter, B. (2009, September 30). Recession’s impact on young child poverty uneven throughout
nation. UNH Campus Journal.

Increasing Political Will for Investment in Early Childhood Development Programs

Nationwide public opinion polling conducted in the last year and a half on behalf of the Partnership for America’s Economic Success, and in conjunction with Professor James Heckman, offers important findings about what the public, policy influentials, and policymakers understand about the importance of investing in early childhood interventions in order to support the optimal cognitive, social, emotional and physical development of children (ROI Ventures and Neimand Collaborative, 2009, October).

Here are some of their findings:

- On a scale of 1 to 100, policymakers are 75% of the way towards being ready to make large investments in early childhood education and services.

- Policymakers understand the long range benefits that will accrue for children and society if we make strategic investments in early childhood, but they are hesitant to make large new investments in services without a clear mandate from policy influentials and the public.

- On the other hand, early childhood investment has a relatively low amount of salience for the general public as a political issue. The public is significantly more interested in seeing public investment to solve problems with the economy, health care and crime.

- The public and influentials are about 25% of the way towards being willing to support large public investments in early childhood services.

- There is wide-ranging support for the notion that children need access to high quality early care, education and support services; however, there is widespread disagreement about who should pay for those services.

- Roughly 50% of the public is willing to pay higher taxes in order to provide expanded services to children between birth and five; the other half is unwilling to do so.

Many of the strategies that have been pursued by advocates of early childhood investment have failed to convince the public of the value of investing in early childhood. Frequently, advocates have suggested that the non-poor should invest in high quality early services for the poor in order to close the academic achievement gap or create more equal outcomes between non-poor and poor children. However, since many members of the public are currently struggling to provide services for their own children, they are not persuaded that they should pay to provide services for poor children as well.

Many advocates have also spent a lot of time focusing on the negative outcomes associated with not establishing healthy foundational social and emotional skills instead of emphasizing that the time from birth to five is a window of opportunity to maximize development. Messages about “use it or lose it” brain development, which suggest that children who do not experience optimal development are doomed to lives of failure are not convincing to the public since they are skeptical that a child’s life outcomes could be “determined” before they are even in kindergarten.

Research on effective framing demonstrates that the public will support investments in early brain development only if they understand that providing services to support early brain development will help fix societal problems such as the current economic crisis, crime and health problems. In other words, we can fundamentally shift public will towards investment in birth to five services if we can help people understand how they and society at large will benefit in the long run from those investments.

Sources

Barnett, W.S. (1996). Lives in the Balance: Age-27 Benefit-Cost Analysis of the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program. Monographs of the HighScope Educational Research Foundation, 11. Ypsilanti, Mich.: High/Scope Press.

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004). Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships. Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved [August 21, 2009] from www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/environment_of_relationships.pdf

ROI Ventures and Neimand Collaborative. (2009, October). The Heckman Equation: Talking Dollars and Sense about Investing in Early Childhood Development. Washington D.C.: Partnership for America’s Economic Success. [Accessed October 5, 2009] http://www.partnershipforsuccess.org/uploads/20091007_100709HeckmanPPTDRAFT.ppt

Ramey, C.T. & Ramey, S.L. (2004, October). Early Learning and School Readiness: Can Intervention Make a Difference? Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 50, 4, 471-491.

High-Quality Infant/Toddler Care: What Should Parents Look For?

The evidence keeps pouring in: the first years of life are a critical period of brain development, and a baby’s first care-givers can help to encourage – or impede – optimal social, emotional and cognitive growth.

In Shelby County and across the nation, the majority of young children will spend a significant amount of time every week-day in the care of non-family members while their parents are at work. And when it comes to their children, most parents want the same thing- They want their infant or toddler to have access to a high-quality early education setting. Parents spend a great deal of energy and time researching and trying to find an available slot in a high-quality, affordable child development center or family provider.

How can parents know when they have found the right child care setting? What are the markers of a superior infant or toddler classroom? The following list is comprised of some of the indicators that can confirm for parents that developmentally correct practices are being used in their child’s early education setting.

Continuity Of Teachers and Children In The Classroom. Known faces are critical to high-quality care for very young children. Continuity provides regularity and security- this eases children’s adaption to new environments and makes the departure and reunion process easier for both kids and parents.

Involvement Between Children and Staff Members. One of the most crucial elements of superb early education for infants and toddlers is the interactive setting- parents need to observe teachers actively engaging with children. Staff members should react swiftly to requests, comment on what children are doing and seeing, and check in often to see if assistance is needed.

Variations In Pace Throughout The Day. Because young children enrolled in early education can spend the majority of their week at the child care location, pace changes are essential, both for the children and the staff. Parents should look for evidence that infants and toddlers get opportunities to play outside and in the gym, to sing and respond to music, and to experience variations in the learning setting. Parents need to see the pace in the classroom elevate and become lively and brisk during some parts of the day, and then ease off to become cozy and softening during others.

Parents As A Fundamental Component Of The Early Education Setting. The knowledge that parents are a child’s primary and most important educators is the foundation for a positive parent-staff relationship. When families are incorporated as a principal component of a young child’s early school experience, the teachers, parents and children all prosper and flourish.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/.

References

Albrecht, K., & Miller, L. G. (2007). Quality for infants and toddlers: A view from the door. Early Childhood News- Excelligence Learning Corporation.

Just When Does the Achievement Gap Start?

Research on early brain development suggests that the human brain is partially completed in utero and continues to develop long after birth. Although infants are born with all the neurons they will ever have, the connections between neurons, or synapses, have not been established at birth. Most synapses are formed in the first 3 years of life. However, synaptic pruning continues into the teenage years. Brain synapses connect and are pruned in response to external stimuli. This means that the brain develops in response to children’s relationships and their environment. This is important because the accuracy and effectiveness of synaptic connections will determine how effectively the brain will function as children grow to adulthood (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2004).

A child’s ability to develop effective cognitive, social and emotional skills in early childhood is dependent on the accuracy and effectiveness of their synaptic formation. Early brain development is crucially linked to later development because it provides the foundation upon which all of the more complex skills and abilities will be built (Thompson, 2001, Spring/Summer; Cunha & Heckman, 2007, May).

Children growing up in diverse economic and family circumstances do not have equal access to the relationships and environments that will support their early brain and mind development. This is critical because it means that their foundational skills, which will enable them to develop more intricate traits and abilities as they grow, are fundamentally different.

Ramey & Ramey (2004) discuss differences in the early childhood experiences of different groups of children in order to determine when it is possible to see a gap opening in the cognitive abilities of disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers. Their research, conducted over the last 30 years on participants in the original Carolina Abecedarian Project and subsequent cohorts of participants, has established that poor children and their more advantaged peers have demonstrable differences in their cognitive abilities beginning at 18 months of age.

At 18 months, disadvantaged children scored an average of 18 points lower than their more advantaged peers on the Mental Development Index of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Disturbingly, without intervention, this gap persisted and grew as the children in the study progressed to kindergarten. By the time they reached the kindergarten classroom, more advantaged children were an average of 2.5 years ahead of their disadvantaged peers developmentally (Ramey & Ramey, 2004, October). Multiple other studies that have tracked cohorts of young children have demonstrated the same early achievement gaps between poor and non-poor children and their persistence as children grow up (National Center for Education Statistics, 2007, Table 110; National Center for Education Statistics, 2007, Table 111; Barnett, 1996)

However, there is good news. Children who get access to high quality early childhood programs, like the Abecedarian Project, end up doing about as well as their more advantaged peers in early childhood. The Abecedarian Program provided disadvantaged children with high quality, full time child care from 6 weeks to 3 years of age, regular home visiting to help provide support and information for parents, access to economic supports like free diapers, free food and free transportation, full year pre-kindergarten from 3 years old till school entry. The gains that children in the program made, versus their peers who were not enrolled, persisted as the children grew into adulthood.

Sources

Barnett, W.S. (1996). Lives in the Balance: Age-27 Benefit-Cost Analysis of the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program. Monographs of the HighScope Educational Research Foundation, 11. Ypsilanti, Mich.: High/Scope Press.

Cunha, F. & Heckman, J.J. (2007, May). The Technology of Skill Formation. American Economic Review, 97, 2, 31-47.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Table 110. Mean reading scale scores and specific reading skills for fall 1998 first time kindergarteners, by time of assessment and selected characteristics: Selected years, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Digest of Education Statistics. [Accessed September 2009] http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_110.asp

National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Table 111. Mean mathematics and science scale scores and specific mathematics skills of fall 1998 first-time kindergartners, by time of assessment and selected characteristics: Selected years, fall 1998 through spring 2004. Digest of Education Statistics. [Accessed September 2009] http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d07/tables/dt07_111.asp

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2004). Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships. Working Paper No. 1. Retrieved [August 21, 2009] from www.developingchild.net/pubs/wp/environment_of_relationships.pdf

Ramey, C.T. & Ramey, S.L. (2004, October). Early Learning and School Readiness: Can Intervention Make a Difference? Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 50, 4, 471-491.

Thompson, R. A. (2001, Spring/Summer). The Growth of the Brain. The Future of Children: Caring for Infants and Toddlers 11, 1. [Accessed September 2009]. http://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=44&articleid=186&sectionid=1212

Supporting the Cognitive, Social and Emotional Growth of Young Children By Inviting Parents Into The Classroom

While the central practice of an early education teacher fittingly targets the security and guidance of young children, often too little consideration is paid to the role of family members- both as engaged partners and as part of the regular curriculum- in the early education environment.

Recent research suggests that quality child care doesn’t just benefit kids- it also supports families (See “Child Care Programs Assist Parents In Building Social Capital: Suggestions For Administrators and Faculty”).The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the accreditation body that is recognized as the gold standard in the field of early childhood education, understands the importance of family involvement in the development of young children, and mandates that centers follow explicit family engagement standards in order to maintain their accreditation status. There are many simple ideas that early educators can integrate into their program in order to promote family involvement in the educational setting- both directly and through projects that permit children to think about and discuss their families regularly throughout the school day (Francis, n.d.).

- Ask parents into the facility to display and share hobbies and pastimes, cultural rituals, unique foods, etc. This is not only an great time for a young child to observe and enjoy her own family- it also lets parents know that their exceptional stories are acknowledged and welcomed in the classroom.

- Construct a welcoming, family-focused environment and let parents know that their participation is desirable. Make sure family members know where art supplies, toys and books are kept so that they can engage without restriction.

- Assist children in making a family tree. For infants and toddlers, this may simply be naming people in their households and those special to them. Keep the tree uncomplicated and straightforward and mention it often as a source of communication.

- Choose quality reading materials- there are hundreds of fantastic children’s books that recognize the diversity of modern families. Be perceptive to family variance with any activity you do, but recognize that books provide you with a unique opportunity to mention and encourage all families.

For more information on the well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, visit The Urban Child Institute at http://www.theurbanchildinstitute.org/.

References
Francis, K. (n.d.) Inviting family into the classroom. EarlychildhoodNEWS: The Professional Resource For Teachers and Parents.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children. (n.d.) Introduction to NAEYC standards and criteria. Washington, DC: Author.