Contact: Jessica Klos Shapiro

Public Policy and Communications Coordinator

518-690-4217 ext 32

jklos@earlycareandlearning.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

8/14/13

Early Care & Learning Council Welcomes New Executive Director

Since his arrival on the job in June, David Voegele has traveled much of New York State, met with many key stakeholders and begun to form relationships that will advance the vision and goals of the Early Care & Learning Council to flourish for many years to come.

The Early Care & Learning Council has been working to make quality, affordable child care available to New York’s families since 1975. Rooted in a statewide network of child care resource and referral agencies, the support of the Early Care & Learning Council includes wide representation from child care providers, parents, businesses, community organizations, and other individuals.

A native of Connecticut, David’s career began with a volunteer position at a local Community Action child care center. This led to a child care teaching position and then a counselor role with at-risk teens. His non-profit management career began when hired at age 28 as the new Executive Director of the Leominster Multi-Service Center in North Central MA. Over the next few decades, David served in a variety of executive leadership roles in Central and Western MA, including: Director of a Springfield nutrition program for low-income women, infants, and children (WIC); Director of First Call for Help in Hampshire County; founding Executive Director of Worcester Community Loan Fund, Worcester Common Ground (a community land trust and developer of housing cooperatives), and Mass211 (the statewide 2-1-1 Information and Referral system for MA).

Just before joining the Early Care & Learning Council, David served for nearly 12 years as the Executive Director of DIAL/SELF Youth and Community Services, where he initiated a number of new programs and greatly expanded services for at-risk youth in rural Western MA.

Reflecting on these past couple of months, David reports, “I am delighted to be working for such a diverse network of agencies with the support of a talented and enthusiastic staff.”

Board Chair and Child Care Council of Westchester Executive Director Kathleen Halas is thrilled that the Board was able to find such a qualified leader with impressive nonprofit sector experience. “David brings energy, knowledge and skills to the organization and the state CCR&R network that strengthen our collective capacity to effectively serve children and families in communities all across New York State.”

###

Early Care & Learning Council: For more than thirty-five years, the Early Care & Learning Council has been a leading voice for early care and education in New York State.  With its statewide network of child care resource and referral agencies, the Council has successfully fought for increases in funding to support early childhood programs and for the reform of child care laws, regulations and policies to improve safety and quality in child care settings. The Council and partners work to increase the quality, affordability and capacity of the early care and learning field and does so through training and technical assistance, data management and advocacy initiatives. For more information, please call (518) 690-4217 or visit www.earlycareandlearning.org.

Senator Schumer introduces background check legislation

POLICY and ADVOCACY ALERT

7/26/13 Child Protection Improvements and Electronic Life and Safety Security Systems Act On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer unveiled legislation to close a gaping hole in the federal law that prevents summer camps, children’s groups and other not-for-profit organizations that work with children from gaining access to federal criminal background checks on new employees and volunteers. Under current law, most children’s organizations only have access to the New York State database, and lack access to FBI databases, which are widely considered the most accurate and complete criminal databases. New York State’s criminal database – which is the only resource most local groups have access to – lack records of criminal activity committed out of state, when the offense is not federal. As of 2010, over 40% of the individuals with criminal records had committed an offense in a state other than where they were applying to volunteer, meaning that a state-only search would not have found relevant criminal records. Schumer’s legislation would grant youth-serving organizations access to FBI background checks for volunteers and new employees, so they would be able to check for any violent or sex crime committed anywhere in the country, regardless of where it is committed and whether it is a state or federal crime. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. It has not yet been introduced in the House of Representatives but will be sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-29) and Rep. Mike Rogers (MI-8). The bi-partisan legislation has already been endorsed by a variety of groups including the American Camp Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and YMCA of the USA. Stay tuned for more updates. Sincerely, Jessica Jessica Klos Shapiro Senior Policy Associate (518) 690-4217 ex. 32

Do you have a story to share with the Governor?

As you know, S.5743(Grisanti)/A.3498A (Peoples-Stokes), the 60 day notification bill, passed both houses of the legislature. If signed into law by the Governor, this law will give parents and providers time to prepare for an increase in co-pay for child care assistance or an altogether a loss of subsidy.

The legislation requires local social service districts to notify the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) at least 60 days before the effective date of a planned reduction in eligibility or increase in co-payments for child care assistance. OCFS will in turn notify key community organizations, including CCR&Rs, as well as providers.

Currently, affected families only receive 10 days notice to adapt to a change in subsidy assistance. Such a short notification period often forces parents to quit their jobs or place their children in questionable care until a better solution can be found. Do you have examples from local child care providers and parents that illustrate the need for this legislation? Please forward these stories (1-2 paragraphs) for use by the Winning Beginning NY Subsidy Committee by July 17^th in asking the Governor to sign this legislation into law.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Best,

Jessica

Jessica Klos Shapiro

Senior Policy Associate

www.earlycareandlearning.org

230 Washington Ave. Ext.

Albany, NY  12203

518.690.4217 ext 32

518-690-2887 (fax)

www.facebook.com/earlycareandlearning

http://twitter.com/#!/NYS_ECLC

https://www.rebelmouse.com/NYS_ECLC/

POLICY and ADVOCACY ALERT: Recap of This Year's Legislative Session

6/28/13

The legislative session in Albany is always an interesting and exciting time, with this year proving no different.  Many different issue were brought to the table and despite the atmosphere and budgetary constraints, there was forward progress made for early care and learning. There is also the possibility of additional legislation passing if a special session is convened later this fall.

---

Child Care Legislative Victory

S.5743(Grisanti)/A.3498A (Peoples-Stokes), the 60 day notification bill, passed both houses of the legislature. If signed into law by the Governor, this law will give parents and providers time to prepare for an increase in co-pay for child care assistance or an altogether a loss of subsidy.

The legislation requires local social service districts to notify the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) at least 60 days before the effective date of a planned reduction in eligibility or increase in co-payments for child care assistance. OCFS will in turn notify key community organizations, including CCR&Rs, as well as providers. Currently, affected families only receive 10 days notice in this situation.

This bill will provide families with much more time to plan how they might be able to continue to work without a subsidy and will allow child care providers more time to adjust accordingly when parents withdraw children from care because of the loss or reduction of a subsidy.

Members of the Winning Beginning NY Child Care Subsidy Committee worked hard to achieve passage of this bill. It is currently being opposed by the New York Public Welfare Association, so there is a bit more advocacy to be done to ensure the Governor signs the bill into law.  

Information on reaching out to the Governor’s Office will be coming and thank you to everyone for all their hard work thus far!

---

Expand Full-Day Pre-Kindergarten

The 2013-2014 NYS budget provided a victory for early learning though $25 million in competitive grant funds to school districts across the state to establish new full-day pre-kindergarten placements and to convert existing half-day slots into full-day ones. The competitive grant sponsors programs that adopt quality indicators and offer instruction consistent with the state’s common core standards. The pre-kindergarten competitive grant targets high-need school districts and students. The RFP is set to be released in the coming days.  Again, thank you to all who advocated tirelessly on this issue, particularly the commitment to quality.

Stay tuned for more updates and have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Jessica

Jessica Klos Shapiro

Senior Policy Associate

(518) 690-4217 ex. 32

POLICY and ADVOCACY ALERT

6/11/13 CCDBG Reauthorization Bill Introduced through Bi-Partisan Effort in US Senate Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), and Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) have introduced a bill to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the primary federal grant program that provides child care assistance for families and funds child care quality initiatives. The legislation, “The Child Care Development and Block Grant Act of 2013,” would reauthorize the program for the first time since 1996. Under the Reauthorization Bill, states would be required to ensure that all child care providers who care for CCDBG funded children: • Receive health and safety training in specific areas • Receive comprehensive background checks (including fingerprints, checks of the sex offender and child abuse registries) • Receive on-site monitoring This bill includes many measures to improve the quality of child care and ensure that all children in child care settings are safe. Currently, more than 500,000 providers serve about 1.6 million low-income children through this funding nationwide.  The bill is currently being considered by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Early Learning Days of Action Last week, advocates across the country participated in the Strong Start for Children Campaign’s Early Learning Day of Action which included a tweet chat using the hashtag #PreKforAll.  This chat and usage of the hashtag resulted in 1.3K unique participants and a reach of 4.5 million people! To compliment this, many CCR&Rs are participating in Winning Beginning NY’s Early Learning Days of Action to support President Obama's Early Learning Initiative which calls for an investment of $75 billion in early childhood education. The President's bold plan includes investments in supporting early learning and healthy development from the prenatal period, through school age!  The plan also includes critical investments in quality improvement, including better compensation for the early childhood workforce.  To see pictures and media from the NY events as well as our partners, visit https://www.rebelmouse.com/NY4EarlyLearning/. To support the President’s Early Learning Plan: Click Here to Contact your Member of Congress today. Stay tuned for more updates. Sincerely, Jessica Jessica Klos Shapiro Senior Policy Associate (518) 690-4217 ex. 32

Early Care & Learning Council demonstrates Commitment to Quality

Contact: Bonnie Primus

Early Care & Learning Council

518-690-4217 ext 27

bcohen@earlycareandlearning.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

6/4/13

 

Early Care & Learning Council demonstrates Commitment to Quality

The 2013 Annual Meeting and Luncheon will highlight the many ways the Early Care & Learning Council and its Child Care Resource and Referral Network agencies are connecting parents, providers, employers and government officials to the child care information they need. At every level this work is driven by a shared commitment to quality.  In 2012,

Penelope Andrews, President and Dean of the Albany Law School will be the keynote speaker at the Early Care & Learning Council’s Annual Meeting & Luncheon.  Three “Excellence in Leadership” Award honorees will be recognized.  This year’s recipients are:

·         Marcia Brogan, Niagara National Insurance, Inc.

·         Robin Beller, New York State Office of Children and Family Services

·         Subrina Dhammi and Isabel Lim, WNYT News 13 Live at Noon

WHEN:                  Wednesday, June 5, 2013 12:00 pm

WHERE:               Albany Country Club

300 Wormer Road

Voorheesville, NY 12186

WHO:                     (bios attached)

Penelope Andrews, President and Dean of the Albany Law School

Marcia Brogan, Niagara National Insurance, Inc.

Robin Beller, New York State Office of Children and Family Services

Subrina Dhammi and Isabel Lim, WNYT News 13 Live at Noon

###

Early Care & Learning Council: For more than thirty-five years, the Early Care & Learning Council has been a leading voice for early care and education in New York State.  With its statewide network of child care resource and referral agencies, the Council has successfully fought for increases in funding to support early childhood programs and for the reform of child care laws, regulations and policies to improve safety and quality in child care settings.  The Council was a founder and convener of both the Child Care that Works Campaign and Winning Beginning NY, both statewide advocacy coalitions.  The Council and partners work to increase the quality, affordability and capacity of the early care and learning field and does so through training and technical assistance, data management and advocacy initiatives. For more information, please call (518) 690-4217 or visit www.earlycareandlearning.org

Take Action on Sequestration

As you know, federal sequestration that went into effect March 1, 2013 will have an effect on child care in New York State that is yet to be determined.

At this time we know that approximately $5 million will be reduced from the NYS Office of Children and Family Services discretionary portion of the CCDF grant, but exactly which programs will be cut and to what extent are still unknown.  

If any money is to be restored our federal Representatives and Senators really have the power at this moment, as proven by the legislation to ease the air-traffic delays that sailed through both houses of Congress late last week.

Find your member of Congress and contact information for our U.S. Senators here: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

In addition, advocacy to state representatives should still be ongoing. State representatives can discuss the issue with all departments of government.

Thank you for your attention to this issue and please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Jessica

Jessica Klos Shapiro

Senior Policy Associate

(518) 690-4217 ex. 32

Recently, President Obama released his 2014 budget proposal. This budget includes historic investments across several early childhood programs including increased investment in a comprehensive birth-to-five early education continuum built upon child care, home visiting, Head Start, Early Head Start, and preschool – all critical programs for children, especially the most vulnerable children.

From the National Women’s Law Center and CLASP:

The President's plan does three incredibly important things: It expands voluntary home visiting programs that support and educate parents, increases availability of high-quality child care for infants and toddlers, and gives all children in low- and moderate-income families access to high-quality prekindergarten programs. Click here to send a letter to President Obama 

To show our thanks for this ambitious initiative, we need to gather as many letters as possible. After you send yours, please show your support one more way — by forwarding this email to any networks that you're a part of. If you are a parent or work with children, handwritten thank-you artwork would be a great addition! All notes and artwork must be received by NWLC (11 Dupont Circle, NW, #800, Washington, DC 20036) by May 2. If you have any questions, please email the National Women’s Law Center at info@nwlc.org.

---

Families Need Child Care. Ask our Senators to Sign Senator Franken's CCDBG Letter Today

Child Care Aware® of America   
Throughout the country, child care is hard to find, harder to afford, and too often, it is of questionable quality. Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) wants to help. He is collecting signatures from members of the United States Senate on a letter to be sent to Appropriations Committee members urging an increase of nearly $1 billion in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). Urge our Senators today to sign onto the letter. The deadline for signing is COB, Today, Thursday, April 25.

---

Social Services Block Grants Supplemental Funds Available

HHS has released $474.5 million to help five states, including New York, recover from Hurricane Sandy.  All funds will be awarded no later than September 30, 2013 and must be used by September 30, 2015.  New York State's allocation is $235,434,600.   To read more about ACF's efforts to help people recover from Hurricane Sandy click here.  For more information about SSBG, click here.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Sincerely,

Jessica

Jessica Klos Shapiro

Senior Policy Associate

(518) 690-4217 ex. 32

NYS Passes $135.1 billion budget

3/29/13

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Senate Majority Coalition Co-Leaders Dean Skelos and Jeff Klein, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver today announced early passage of the 2013-14 Budget. 

The Budget closes a $1.3 billion gap with no new taxes or fees.

• Total State Operating Budget: $90.2 billion
• Total All Funds Budget, excluding Sandy and the Affordable Care Act: $135.1 billion

The Enacted Budget continues the state's focus on economic growth through a series of initiatives to create jobs and grow the economy including new tax cuts for small businesses, tax cuts for middle class families, major education reforms and investments, and an increase in the minimum wage to $9 per hour. The Budget passed both houses of the Legislature days before the April 1 deadline, marking the first time New York has had three consecutive, on-time budgets since 1984, and the earliest budget since 1983.

Early Care and Learning Budget Victories include:

$7.265 million earmarked for facilitated enrollment :  $1.147 for Monroe; $2.767 million for Oneida and $3.442 million for NYC, funded from TANF transfer dollars.

Right now the total appropriated for child care stands at $910,510,924  which is $3 million more than last year, and $9 million more than was in the Governor’s proposed budget.  This does not reflect Flexible Fund for Family Services transfers made by the counties (they usually have until June to make these transfers). If FFFS transfers equal the $6 million made last year, New York’s children will be $3 million ahead of last year and $9 million ahead of the Governor’s proposed budget. 

Pre-kindergarten Program Expansion: Recognizing that quality early education is critical for long-term success and that children who attend full-day pre-k often outperform their peers, the Budget provides a $25 million additional investment for pre-kindergarten with an emphasis on high quality, full-day pre-k. Funding is targeted toward higher need students in lower wealth school districts via a competitive process.

Thank you to everyone for their advocacy efforts throughout the budget season and keep up the great work!

Sincerely,

Jessica

Jessica Klos Shapiro

Senior Policy Associate

(518) 690-4217 ex. 32

Early Childhood News

Going Green

Eco-Healthy Child Care http://ecohealthychildcare.org/

Sustainable Baby Steps, Small steps towards greener living: http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/ways-to-go-green.html

News

What’s Next for Early Childhood Education in America? http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/03/13/president-obama-jumpstarts-early-childhood-education-trend

Getting Preschool Education Right: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/opinion/getting-obamas-preschool-education-plan-right.html

Webinars, Workshops and Conferences

2nd Annual Early Childhood Conference. Tending Tiny Roots: Touchpoints and Supporting Relationships: http://www.cobleskill.edu/about/administrative-offices/professional-and-continuing-education/early-childhood-conference.asp

Early Care & Learning Council Management Training Catalog: http://www.earlycareandlearning.org/programs/management-training/documents/2013managementtrainingschedule.pdf

Upcoming free Child Care Aware “Lunch and Learn” Webinars http://www.naccrra.org/public-policy/policy-webinars/lunch-learn-webinars

CCR&R News and Resources

Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Inc. 13th Annual Gala journal, “A Slice of Latin America”: http://issuu.com/committeeforhispanic/docs/journal_2013_final_issuu_print_size?mode=window&proSidebarEnabled=true

Child & Family Resources, is conducting a community needs assessment for Ontario, Seneca and Yates Counties. http://www.cfresources.org/content.aspx?page_id=330&club_id=626081

Abbe Kovacik (Capital District Child Care Council) talks parenting problems: http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S2952351.shtml?cat=0

Child Care Resources of Rockland, Inc. to honor 21st Annual Children’s Champions: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=glurqqcab&v=001tP2d4sszXqosUCwJlrVbDvdxJ46ejDy0snPhkyUmpoffnGJwMCUwmBNWtxXNaIQ5TbYAUE2dG05a2sye7aTXWFWUXxDQ_VPE55R3_2GpIO-LpvSb2X2cF-OEF-SVLjPn

Child Care Solutions is celebrating the Week of the Young Child with a photo contest! http://app.wizehive.com/contests/children-learn-through-play

Council news and resources March 25th, 2013

Two QUALITYstarsNY reports on QRIS Natioanl Learning Network. http://www.qrisnetwork.org/category/state-resource-type/quality-improvement

Continuing Resolution Eases Some of the Sequester Child Care Cuts: http://www.earlycareandlearning.blogspot.com/2013/03/continuing-resolution-eases-some-of.html

Take action on the Federal Budget: http://www.earlycareandlearning.blogspot.com/2013/03/take-action-on-federal-budget.html

Infant Mental Health Summit spurs community work: http://www.earlycareandlearning.blogspot.com/2013/03/infant-mental-health-summit-spurs.html

Continuing Resolution Eases Some of the Sequester Child Care Cuts

Today the US House and Senate passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government for the rest of Fiscal Year 2013 and avoid a government shutdown.  The bill does not overturn the Sequester but it does include small funding increases (known as anomalies) for Early Childhood programs. Child Care will receive an additional $50 million and Head Start will receive an additional $33 million.  However this funding does not make programs whole again.

Senator Mikulski in her remarks on the Senate floor said the increases in Child Care would allow approximately 9,000 more children to receive child care assistance above the Sequester level (the Administration estimated that 30,000 children would lose child care assistance under the Sequester). The Department of Health and Human Services has not yet released official numbers on the number of children served under the CR. 

Even with these increases, the Sequester will still require significant cuts to Child Care and Head Start. New York Congresswoman Nita Lowey, ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee who voted for the bill was quoted as saying, “Like any compromise, this measure is far from perfect.”  The resolution will now be sent to the White House for President Obama’s signature.

There is still time to stop these cuts and to restore funding for these important programs if Congress decides to do so. It is critical that you continue to talk about the impact of these cuts in your communities.  Are you going to the Child Care Aware of America Policy Symposium? Make your appointments to see your representatives about these important issues today!

Stay tuned for more updates, including final details regarding the New York State Budget.

Sincerely, 
Jessica Klos Shapiro
Senior Policy Associate
(518) 690-4217 ex. 32

Webinars, Workshops and Conferences January to Match 2013

Q&A with Laura J. Colker via NAEYC http://www.naeyc.org/event/planning-for-learning-centers

Free Webinar: Unforgettable: The Fascination and Frustration of What Audiences Remember about Your Online Presentations 
http://learn.gotomeeting.com/010813-NA-G2MC-NoTactic-WBR-L1?ID=70150000000YexQ&elq=fd12ecbff66b40a6943312cd12866cbe&elqCampaignId=

Kids Matter App- Oklahoma Implementation Webinar https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/944036506

Early Registration for NYSAYEC conference opens: http://nysaeyc.org/

Child Care Aware Lunch and Learn Webinar: PowerPoint Basics https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/987409330

Child Care Aware Lunch and Learn Webinar: Excel 101:  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/256863858

Live Webinar: Breaking Down the Barriers for Nonprofits http://tinyurl.com/bytd6fw

Child Care Aware Lunch and Learn Webinar:  Advocacy vs. Lobbying  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/972931842

Membership Meeting http://www.earlycareandlearning.org/documents/ECLCMembershipMeetingJanuary302013.htm

Child Care Aware Lunch and Learn: Budget Bonanza: The New and Improved Fiscal Cliff: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/886977050

Marsha Basloe will be on Assemblymember Tom Abinanti’s TV show
Wednesday: Infant Toddler Mental Health Summit at Hotel Albany. Contact Evelyn Efinger for more information eefinger@earlycareandlearning.org

Lunch and Learn, Excel 101  https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/256863858

Webinar, 5 Steps to Moderating Successful Online Events  http://tinyurl.com/agpu9e3

Register for Workshop for CCR&R professionals at the NYSAEYC Conference: http://www.earlycareandlearning.org/resources/documents/COREBodyofKnowApril42013registrationform.docx (this is a word doc and will download automatically) More information about the session can be found on the registration form or here: http://www.earlycareandlearning.org/resources/documents/CoreBodyofKnowledgeatNYSAEYCforFeb15.pdf

Child Care Aware Lunch and Learn: Federal Budget Overview and Outlook. https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/235743458

2013 NYS Early Learning Trainer's Institute http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Attend-the-2013-Trainer-s-Institute.html?soid=1102180028907&aid=Syw_36Et7p8

Early Care & Learning Council’s 2013 Professional Development Events: http://www.earlycareandlearning.org/resources/documents/2013CCRRProfessionalDevelopmentEvents.pdf

Early Care & Learning Council Management Training Catalog: http://www.earlycareandlearning.org/programs/management-training/documents/2013managementtrainingschedule.pdf

Websites

Child in Mind - Promoting Children's Mental Health Through Relationship Based Interventions, A blog about children’s mental health: http://claudiamgoldmd.blogspot.com/

The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program: http://www.triplep.net/glo-en/home

For Our Babies is a national movement promoting healthy development in U.S. children from conception to age 3. They advocate for the types of environments, experiences, and relationships that infants and toddlers need in order to thrive. 

http://forourbabies.org

Discount School Supply’s free grant database for early childhood care and education: http://www.discountschoolsupply.com/community/grants.aspx

Early Childhood News January to March 2013

Investing in an ounce of prevention: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Investing-in-an-ounce-of-prevention-4276781.php#ixzz2KtuBanRW

Yes, President Obama: Working Families Desperately Need Access To Preschool--And Childcare: http://www.forbes.com/sites/brycecovert/2013/02/13/yes-president-obama-working-families-desperately-need-access-to-preschool-and-childcare/

Getting Preschool Education Right: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/16/opinion/getting-obamas-preschool-education-plan-right.html

Senator Neil Breslin asks some UPKers to raise their hands if they like school and learn a lot! https://twitter.com/NYS_ECLC/status/301739649515261952/photo/1

Officer John Shanahan of Cohoes talks to UPKers about how important their experiences are. https://twitter.com/NYS_ECLC/status/301726604311285760/photo/1

In Cohoes with Fight Crime Invest in Kids and room full of adorable UPKers! https://twitter.com/NYS_ECLC/status/301724523420585984/photo/1 

Q&A: Business leader (Bill Millet) to speak on importance of early education in Syracuse:  http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/01/business_leader_bill_millett_t.html

What's the ROI on Early Childhood Education: http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/Hawaii-Business/February-2013/Whats-the-ROI-on-Early-Childhood-Education/

Principal Cliff Bird discusses the importance of pre-k #earlychildhoodeducation #q4k pic.twitter.com/1GBxh341:  
https://twitter.com/NYS_ECLC/status/298467845916987392/photo/1

Child Care Crisis: http://www.kmot.com/News_Stories.asp?news=61268

Male caregiver finds welcome community: 
http://www.ledgertranscript.com/home/3509932-95/aucoin-care-preschool-program

Top 10 Blog Posts of 2012: http://www.facebook.com/notes/national-institute-for-early-education-research/top-10-blog-posts-of-2012/10151207456123152

PDI’s Sherry Cleary and the Early Care & Learning Council’s Mary Stalker talk about quality early care and education on the Capitol Pressroom: 
http://www.wcny.org/thecapitolpressroomorg/wp-content/uploads/DEC202012.MP3

Toddlers’ language skills predict less anger by preschool:   http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-toddlers-language-skills-anger-preschool.html

Larry Schweinhart What do preschools get you? A TEDtalk on the Highscope Perry Preschool study: http://blog.tedx.com/post/34701775446/what-do-preschools-get-you-larry-schweinhart

Coping with violence: http://www.naeyc.org/content/coping-school-shooting

Defeat Poverty, child care and early learning: http://defeatpovertydc.org/end-poverty/make-work-possible/child-care/

A Smart Investment: Skilled Early Childhood Workforce: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elaine-weiss/early-childhood-education_b_2271120.html

K-12 May Not Benefit From Brighter Fiscal Outlook: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/12/12/14budgets.h32.html?tkn=ORSFyuidhhU6WQzndXq9c%2FXuigqJ5KRIZi5d&cmp=clp-edweek

Community College Lab School Trains Early Educators: http://eyeonearlyeducation.org/2012/11/26/community-college-lab-school-trains-early-educators/

Infographic: Quality #ECE reduces special education spending: https://twitter.com/firstfiveyears/status/281102399999967233/photo/1

Child Care Crisis: http://www.kmot.com/News_Stories.asp?news=61268

Male caregiver finds welcome community: http://www.ledgertranscript.com/home/3509932-95/aucoin-care-preschool-program

Top 10 Blog Posts of 2012: http://www.facebook.com/notes/national-institute-for-early-education-research/top-10-blog-posts-of-2012/10151207456123152

PDI’s Sherry Cleary and the Early Care & Learning Council’s Mary Stalker talk about quality early care and education on the Capitol Pressroom: 
http://www.wcny.org/thecapitolpressroomorg/wp-content/uploads/DEC202012.MP3

Toddlers’ language skills predict less anger by preschool:   http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-toddlers-language-skills-anger-preschool.html

Larry Schweinhart What do preschools get you? A TEDtalk on the Highscope Perry Preschool study: http://blog.tedx.com/post/34701775446/what-do-preschools-get-you-larry-schweinhart

Coping with violence: http://www.naeyc.org/content/coping-school-shooting

Defeat Poverty, child care and early learning: http://defeatpovertydc.org/end-poverty/make-work-possible/child-care/

A Smart Investment: Skilled Early Childhood Workforce: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elaine-weiss/early-childhood-education_b_2271120.html

K-12 May Not Benefit From Brighter Fiscal Outlook: 
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/12/12/14budgets.h32.html?tkn=ORSFyuidhhU6WQzndXq9c%2FXuigqJ5KRIZi5d&cmp=clp-edweek

Community College Lab School Trains Early Educators: http://eyeonearlyeducation.org/2012/11/26/community-college-lab-school-trains-early-educators/

Infographic: Quality #ECE reduces special education spending: https://twitter.com/firstfiveyears/status/281102399999967233/photo/1

A powerful account of what it takes to care for a child with special needs. So many child care providers are part of "care maps" like this, working as part of a team with parents, therapists, physicians and so many others:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/gabes-care-map-special-needs-children-caregivers_n_2469564.html?1358524067&utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=2291676,b=facebook

Prevent the Flue by Playing Outdoors: http://www.playworks.org/blog/prevent-flu-playing-outdoors

FEMA Updates for New York Hurricane Sandy:  http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4085/updates/answers-most-commonly

NAEYC’s first themed issue of TYC, includes articles about beginning the planning process, planning for play in the classroom, and knowing when to change plans.  http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/current

Early Childhood Education Is Just the Start:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-p-chavous/early-childhood-education_b_2476287.html

Family Child Care Association of NYS , Inc.  21st  Annual Conference, Scholarships available:  http://www.fccanys.org/2012FCCANYSConFlyer.pdf

Warning to parents: Inspect Fisher-Price infant seats (via OCFS): http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/childcare/defaultdatabaseDetails.asp?ID=291

Warning to parents: Inspect Fisher-Price infant seats (via OCFS): http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/childcare/defaultdatabaseDetails.asp?ID=291

Infographic: Returns on $1 invested to 3 Pre-K Programs:  http://firesteelwa.org/public/skins/admin/js/tiny_mce/plugins/imagemanager/files/early_learning_returns.jpg

For Obama’s New Term, Start Here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/opinion/kristof-for-obamas-new-term-start-here.html?_r=1&

TEDTalk: Adora Svitak: What adults can learn from kids: http://www.ted.com/talks/adora_svitak.html

Infographic: What's the answer to global competitiveness, better #health and #education outcomes and less crime and #poverty? https://twitter.com/NYS_ECLC/status/293735435677609984/photo/1

Day Care and Behavior Problems, Unlinked: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/day-care-and-behavior-problems-unlinked/

A tough critique of Common Core on early childhood education: http://tinyurl.com/anyczoj
Letter: Early learning classes benefit future of state: http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Letter-Early-learning-classes-benefit-future-of-4301697.php#ixzz2LvPpidlt

NPR’s spin on universal preschool is unduly negative: http://investinginkids.net/2013/02/18/nprs-spin-on-universal-preschool-is-unduly-negative/

The Benefits of Positive Parenting: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/helping-the-parents-to-spare-the-children/?ref=opinion

Take Action! Persuade your legislators to fund early care & learning! https://www.votervoice.net/WBNY/Campaigns/31064/Respond

Daycare providers warn of childcare scam:  http://www.nbc12.com/story/21527393/daycare-providers-warn-of-childcare-scam

Child-care tax breaks for working parents: How to take advantage of tax savings available to all earners http://www.marketwatch.com/story/child-care-tax-breaks-for-working-parents-2013-03-06

Capitalists for Preschool:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/02/opinion/the-business-case-for-early-childhood-education.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1362240262-wLaLYlpMxs2ZYgxfgkX%2F0Q

Affordable Child Care Necessary to Reviving Gender Equality:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anika-rahman/affordable-child-care_b_2783235.html

Child Care “Crisis” to Impact NY Economy? http://www.publicnewsservice.org/index.php?%2Fcontent%2Farticle%2F31007-1

Letter: Early learning classes benefit future of state:  http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Letter-Early-learning-classes-benefit-future-of-4301697.php