Early Education and Care Related Links
Child Care Issue Guide
This new issue guide from Public Agenda Online is a comprehensive public policy guide for those interested in early childhood education and development. This site includes recent public opinion research on the issue, facts and graphs, as well as recent news coverage.
Child Care Now
The introduction to this report from the Children's Defense Fund states: The need for quality child care and after-school activities is a daily concern for millions of American working parents. Every day, three out of five preschoolers are in child care and millions of older children are in after-school activities while their parents work. Child care and after-school activities help to shape the way children think, learn, and behave for the rest of their lives, but little attention is being paid to the quality of those experiences. There is real cause for concern as parents face great difficulty finding good-quality care that they can afford.
New Perspectives on Compensation Strategies
This report, from the Wheelock College Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education, addresses compensation for workers in the early education and care area.
New Statistics Show Only a Small Percentage of Elibible Families Recive Child Care Help
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala released new statistics on child care for low-income families showing that, because of a lack of federal funding, only 12 percent of eligible children received federal assistance in 1999, despite a slight increase in the number of children being served.
The Children of the Cost, Quality & Outcomes Study Go to School
High-quality child care positively affects children's cognitive and social skills through the second grade, according to a major national study by researchers at four universities, including researchers at FPG and the National Center for Early Development & Learning at UNC-Chapel Hill. Children in quality care programs when they were 3 and 4 years old scored better on math, language and social skills development through the early elementary years than children in poor-quality care. Researchers, who began following these children 4 years ago as part of the Cost, Quality & Outcomes Study, say policy implications are significant.
Ten Critical Threats To America's Children: Warning Signs for the Next Millennium
A coalition of national leadership groups says the health, safety and future of America's children are jeopardized by "10 Critical Threats" that are detailed in a new national report. The report says the next generation of leadership for the United States is in jeopardy unless the country makes a commitment to put an end to these obstacles facing our children.
