National Head Start Association

1
Early Childhood Development At the dawn of a
new era

• National Head Start Association
• Leadership Institute
• January 29, 2009
• Presentation by Joan Lombardi, Ph.D.

2
Why this is such an important time

• A transforming moment for the nation and the
  world
• The economic crisis is having a serious impact on
  children and families
• Early childhood has more visibility than ever
• Important reforms pending- health, education and
  child care
• The potential for recovery and growth

3
Lets talk about..

• Where we have been
• The new era in early childhood
• Ringing in the next generation
• of Head Start
• But first how are the children.

4
Source National Center for Children in Poverty.
(2006). Basic Facts About Low-Income Children
Birth to Age 18.
5
Variation by State All Children
6
Variation by State Children Under Six
7
(No Transcript)
8
(No Transcript)
9
A Childs Developmental Trajectory Can Be
Modified With Appropriate Interventions
Risk Factors
Optimal
Impaired
Protective Factors
Slide by Ed Schor, Md
10
Looking back on policy..

• Three trains
• Head Start 1965
• Child Care grows in the 70s, CCDBG 1990
• Preschool emerges in the 80s
• State prek expansion
• Lasting Effects of Preschool (l979), Perry
  Preschool Data (mid 80s), Readiness Goal
  (l989)
• Brain decade- mid 90s
• Early Head Start l995, significant Federal
  investments in child care and Head Start

11
Early childhood at the turn of the century

• Federal funding flattens, and state prek grows
• Tracks start to come together in the late 90s
  and early 2000 unifiers, system building
• Governance
• Quality Rating Systems
• Early Learning Guidelines
• Prek and Head Start into Child Care
• Focus on accountability

12
More recently

• About mid decade 0-3 issues again emerge driven
  by science and advocacy
• 2008 The election shines a light on early
  childhood
• New era of early childhood dawning

13
Characteristics of a new era

• High quality programs for children
• prenatal to age five
• Continuity with quality early primary
• Common infrastructure across all early childhood
  programs

14
Early Childhood Development System A sample
format
Across programs and connected to other systems
Governance And Financing
Programs Guided by Program Standards and Early
Learning and Development Guidelines
Programs
To consumers, public and private sector
Engagement Outreach
Children Ready for Success
Monitoring standards and ongoing technical
support
Monitoring and Improvement
Health, Nutrition, Mental Health, Disability
Services Parenting and Family Support
Comprehensive Services

Professional Development
Core competencies Access to Training and Higher
Education
J Lombardi, Adapted from the Early Childhood
Systems Working Group
15
Ringing in The Next Generation of Head Start

• Investing in Early Childhood Helps America
  Recover and Grow!

16
1. Raise Head Starts visibility in the recovery
and document results

• How many more children?
• How many new jobs?
• How many better jobs?
• How much of a contribution to goods and services
  in the community/state?
• How many parents helped to find and prepare for
  new jobs?
• How many volunteers?
• How many lives changed
• Head Start Helps America Recover and Grow!

17
2. Promote Head Start as a concept of
comprehensive services

• We must assure that young children from low
  income families have access to more intensive and
  comprehensive services. Head Start partnerships
  with child care and prek are essential to this
  vision.
• This means staying active at the state policy
  level.

18
State Early Childhood Development System
Early Learning
Health, Mental Health and Nutrition
Family Support
Special Needs/ Early Intervention
Early Childhood Systems Working Group
19
3. Reinforce the principle that equality for low
income children means starting early

• Early Head Start should grow and serve as the
  model for state investments in prenatial-3.
• Again, this means staying very active in state
  decisions about infant and toddler services for
  low income children.

20
4. Step up efforts to work with parents

• Head Start should continue to play a central role
  in supporting the parent child relationship and
  in promoting their continued involvement in the
  education of their children 0-8.

21

• Need a new dialogue about how best to support
  families beyond parent information
• Look for opportunities to build social networks
  of support
• Promote family literacy
• Prepare parents for working with the school
• Get the word out about successes, particularly
  with fathers

22
5. Focus on results and innovation

• Looking back on practice over the years
• - Socialization
• - Debate over direct instruction vs play
• - Developmentally appropriate practice
• - Basic skills
• - Outcomes
• All of the above!
• Balance, individualization, intensity

23

• Refocus on outcomes for low income children
• Build in time for rich experiences
• Promote dispositions and approaches to learning
• Joy
• Persistence
• Curiosity
• Order
• Language and literacy skills
• Build in coaching and continuous assessment to
  improve practice

24
6. Play a role in moving from program to
community-wide strategies

• Connecting programs across the community
• Developing community wide information systems
• Looking beyond program outcomes to community
  wide outcomes

25
7. Build leadership in early childhood

• Emerging leaders
• Leaders who can mentor
• Leaders who can span borders
• Leaders who can talk research, policy, practice
• Leaders who reflect the languages and the
  cultures of the children and families
• Leaders who set round tables
• Leaders who work for the concept of a Head Start
  for low income children

26
8. Encourage the voice of those most affected by
poverty

• In the health care debate
• In the education reform debate
• In the child care debate
• In the welfare debate
• At the local, state and federal level

27

• Stay healthy my friends and remember
• Be the change.