Early Care & Learning Council

Who is watching your children? Chris Hansen asked this in the first edition of Dateline’s new hidden camera series. Dateline identified several child care providers who have past convictions or otherwise questionable backgrounds. In most cases, these providers did not evade a background check or try to deceive the regulatory body that governs them. The fact is that only 11 states run full background checks on child care providers. A full background check uses fingerprints to check state and federal criminal records, checking the child abuse and neglect registry and checking the sex offender registry. New York does not check fingerprints against the federal criminal records or the sex offender registry.

Parents who enroll their children in registered or licensed child care may assume that all providers are being rigorously checked and that programs are monitored and inspected on a regular basis. This is not always the case. The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) recently released its latest report, Leaving Children to Chance, ranking states on their current home-based family child care program standards and oversight policies. The report reveals that most states fail to protect the health, safety and well-being of children being cared for in home-based family child care programs. According to the report, only four states scored 70 percent or higher on the basic requirements needed to ensure that children are safe and in settings that promote healthy development. Only 18 states check the sex offender registry.

The report ranks every state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense child care system, on 16 basic standards focused on ensuring the health, safety and well-being of children while in family child care homes serving six or fewer children. According to the report, the average state score (among states scoring points) was 69 (46 percent) of a possible score of 150 points. Sixteen states received a score of zero. About half the states do not conduct inspections at least annually. Only 15 states meet each of the 10 basic health and safety requirements needed to keep children safe and healthy in child care. A similar NACCRRA report, We Can Do Better, published last year focused on child care centers. According to that report seven states do not require a check of the child abuse registry as part of their background check for child care providers in the center setting.

“Child care is an important part of many families’ lives.” said Marsha Basloe, Executive Director of the Early Care & Learning Council. “Parents should do their research, but they should also be able to trust that registered and licensed programs are being adequately monitored and that the children in those programs are safe.”

New York requires inspection of family based and center based care before licensing and regular inspections, 2 to 4 times per year, while in operation. New York ranked in the top ten for Child Care Center Oversight in NACCRRA’s 2011 report on centers. Not all states, however, are this diligent. California requires an inspection of their registered family care homes, once every five years and in Michigan, it’s once every ten years.

“We feel that all children deserve to be safe,” said Jessica Klos, Policy Associate at the Early Care & Learning Council. “On March 8th, we spent the day in Washington D.C. with advocates from Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies throughout New York State. We had some great visits with U.S. Representatives and folks from Senator Schumer’s and Senator Gillibrand’s offices. The message we are trying to send is ‘keep kids safe’. It’s really that simple.” There are a few bills pending in Congress that would require full background checks for licensed or registered child care providers:

Child Care Protection Act (S. 581) by Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
Child Care Criminal Background Check Act (H.R. 1711) by Andre Carson (D-IN)
Child Care Accountability and Responsibility (CARE for Kids Act) Act (H.R. 3829) by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI)
Child Care Protection Act (H.R. 1726) by Representative Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)

“Ultimately we’d like to see high quality care available to all families,” said Basloe, “Until that happens, the least we can do is ensure that the available care is safe.”

To read the full report, Leaving Children to Chance: 2012 Update
NACCRRA's Ranking of State Standards and Oversight of Small Family Child Care Homes click here: http://www.naccrra.org/node/2215

To read the full report, We Can Do Better: 2011 Update
NACCRRA's Ranking of State Child Care Center Regulation and Oversight
click here http://www.naccrra.org/about-child-care/state-child-care-licensing/we-can-do-better-state-child-care-center-licensing

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Early Childhood News

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JOBS

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Supervisory Child Care Program Specialist

Department Of Health And Human Services, Administration for Children and Families

http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/311449800

Technical Assistant/Lab Manager

Brain and Cognitive Sciences-Early Childhood Cognition Lab, MIT

http://sh.webhire.com/servlet/av/jd?ai=631&ji=2608318&sn=I

Regional Field Specialist, Washington, DC (Migrant and Seasonal Programs)

National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning (NCQTL)

https://uwhires.admin.washington.edu/eng/candidates/default.cfm?szCategory=jobprofile&szOrderID=79275&szCandidateID=0&szSearchWords=&szReturnToSearch=1

Public Interest Policy Internship for Graduate Students

American Psychological Association

http://www.apa.org/about/awards/policy-grad.aspx

Head of School, Leadership Opportunity, July 2013

Cary Academy, Cary, NC

http://www.carneysandoe.com/web/positions/cary.pdf

Pediatric Psychologist

Minnesota Epilepsy Group

http://mnepilepsy.org/jobs/pediatric-psychologist/

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CONFERENCES

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Office of Early Learning at the U.S. Department of Education

Webinars to support SIG schools using high-quality preschool and P-3 structures to improve outcomes for students (3:30pm – 5:00 ET)

Tuesday, March 13: P-3rd Grade Structures

Tuesday, March 20: Foundations in Early Learning: Literacy

Tuesday, March 27: Foundations in Early Learning: Mathematics

http://www.schoolturnaroundsupport.org/user/register

Early Childhood Investigations Webinar

Staff Motivation – The Answers to Your Burning Questions About How to Motivate and Retain ECE Staff

March 21, 2012 2:00 PM Eastern Time

http://www.earlychildhoodwebinars.org/presentations/the-answers-to-your-burning-questions-about-how-to-motivate-and-retain-ece-staff/

NYS Early Learning Trainers' Institute

April 19th, 2012

Buffalo, NY

http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=lpezqpcab&oeidk=a07e5k4vc1f18fed725&oseq=a02atlgndhyk8i

NYSAEYC 2012 Annual Conference

April 19th~21st

Buffalo, NY

http://www.nysaeyc.org/conference/geninfo.asp

New York Zero-to-Three Network Annual Spring Conference

Friday, May 4, 2012

Save the date

http://www.nyztt.org/

XVIII Biennial International Conference on Infant Studies

Minneapolis, Minnesota

June 7 - 9, 2012

http://www.isisweb.org/view/0/conference2012.html

16th Annual Birth to Three Institute

Growing Minds and Hearts…Children, Families, and Communities

June 11-14, 2012

Washington, DC

http://www.ehsnrc.org

The 25th Annual Bank Street Infancy Institute

“Infants, Toddlers and Families: Supporting Their Growth”

June 19, 20, & 21, 2012

New York, NY

http://bankstreet.edu/professional-development-office/institutes-and-series/infancy-institute/

22nd European Early Childhood Education Research Asoociation Annual Conference

'Pre-birth to three: identities, learning, diversities'

29th August - 1st September 2012

Oporto Polytechnic Institute, Portugal

http://www.eecera2012.ipp.pt

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RESOURCES

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Early Care & Learning Council

NYS 2012 Early Care Management Training Workshop Schedule

http://www.earlycareandlearning.org/programs/management-training/documents/2012managementtrainingschedule.pdf

NYS Infant and Toddler Resource Network 2010 – 2011 IMPACT REPORT

http://www.earlycareandlearning.org/programs/infant-toddler/documents/InfantToddlerImpactReportOctober2010throughSeptember2011Final.pdf

New Literacy Resource Available for Providers

New York State Library

http://earlycareandlearning.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-literacy-resource-available-for.html

Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)

Understanding how to access these services to advocate for your child

http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/iep.html

Leaving Children to Chance: 2012 Update

NACCRRA's Ranking of State Standards and Oversight of Small Family Child Care Homes

http://www.naccrra.org/node/2215

Early Childhood Technology Network

A membership community for reliable information about technology in early education

http://www.ecetech.net/

Top 10 Signs of a Good Kindergarten Classroom

National Association for the Education of Young Children

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Top_10_Signs_Good/

Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion

An Internet Parenting Education and Support Group for Mothers with Psychiatric Disabilities: A Research Study

http://tucollaborative.org/

National Association for the Education of Young Children

Key Messages of the NAEYC/Fred Rogers Center Position Statement on Technology and Interactive Media in Early Childhood Programs

http://www.naeycdev.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/KeyMessages_Technology.pdf

Block Building and Make-Believe for Every Child

http://www.naeyc.org/files/tyc/file/TYC_V3N3_StrasserandKoeppel.pdf

Young Children, March 2012, Vol. 67, No. 2

http://www.naeyc.org/yc/currentissue

Developing Kindergarten Readiness and Other Large-Scale Assessment Systems

http://www.naeyc.org/resources/research/kreadinessassessment

Getting the Picture: Using the Digital Camera as a Tool to Support Reflective Practice and Responsive Care

http://www.naeyc.org/yc/files/yc/file/201203/Luckenbill_YC0311.pdf

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GRANTS

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Young Scientist Research Fund Awards 2012

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)

http://www.chadd.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Research_Studies&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=3446

Developing Integrated Maternal and Child Health Information Systems: Promoting the Use of Health Information Technology

Health Resources & Services Administration

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=148594

ED - Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences (IES): Special Education Research

CFDA Number 84.324A-1 Modification 2

http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=149713

CFDA Number 84.324A-2 Modification 1

http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=149733

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NEWS

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Early childhood neglect has negative impact on kids

MSNBC TODAY, 3/14/12

http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/46731704#46731704

US preschool program: model of reform or ripe for cuts?

Reuters, 3/14/12

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-usa-educationheadstart-pixl2e8e8coj-20120314,0,1561437.story

How Federal Budget Cuts Could Devastate Low-Income Children

By Annie-Rose Strasser, Think Progress Economy, 3/13/12

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/03/13/443985/cuts-could-devastate-low-income-kids/

Guidance Offered on Technology in Early Education

Irene Sege, Eye on Early Education, 3/12/12

http://eyeonearlyeducation.org/2012/03/12/guidance-offered-on-technology-in-early-education/

Legislative Update: Progress on Race to the Top. U.S. Senator Calls for More Investment in Early Learning

by Paul Nyhan, Birth to Thrive, 3/12/12

http://birthtothrive.thrivebyfivewa.org/post/2012/03/12/Legislative-Update-Progress-on-Race-to-the-Top-US-Senator-Calls-for-More-Investment-in-Early-Learning.aspx

PLAYBACK: At Issue: Access to Technology and Social Media in Schools, From Pre-K to College

Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning, 3/11/12

http://spotlight.macfound.org/blog/entry/playback-access-to-technology-and-social-media-in-schools/?utm_source=feedburner

Technology and Interactive Media as Tools in Early Childhood

Margaret A. Powers, 3/9/12

http://margaret-powers.com/2012/03/09/technology-and-interactive-media-as-tools-in-early-childhood/

Bringing Nature Into The Classroom

By Coco Zickos, Midweek Kauai, 3/8/12

http://www.midweekkauai.com/2012/03/bringing-nature-into-the-classroom/

Guidelines on Tech in Early Ed Finally Released. What Does the Statement Mean? Plus, New QRIS Report

by Paul Nyhan, Birth to Thrive Online, 3/7/12

http://birthtothrive.thrivebyfivewa.org/post/2012/03/07/Guidelines-on-Tech-in-Early-Ed-Finally-Released-What-Does-the-Statement-Mean-Plus-New-QRIS-Report.aspx

More Than Babysitters

4cforchildren, 3/29/11

http://blogproviders.4cforchildren.org/2011/03/29/more-than-babysitters/

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OUTREACH

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Education Lobby Day in Albany, NY

March 14, 2012

http://www.aqeny.org/flyer-education-lobby-day-march-14-2012/

Developmental Screening & Classroom-based Assessment of Preschoolers

NAEYC would like your input

http://www.naeyc.org/ecp/trainings/assessment

Speak Up for Kids

Child Mind Institute

http://www.childmind.org/en/speak-up-for-kids/

Early Childhood Technology Today Survey, 2012

Early Childhood Technology Collaborative

http://www.ecetech.net/about/early-childhood-technology-collaborative/

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Asil Ali Özdoğru

Evaluation Specialist

Early Care & Learning Council

230 Washington Ave Ext

Albany, New York 12203

Tel: (518) 690-4217 x 34

Fax: (518) 690-2887

aozdogru@earlycareandlearning.org

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Infant and Toddler Care Improving in New York

The Early Care & Learning Council has released its Annual Impact Report to document improvements in infant and toddler child care quality statewide. The report covers the activities of the Infant and Toddler Resource Network for the last program year – October 1,2010 – September 30,2011.

The report findings show that the Infant and Toddler Specialists are improving the quality of care in several ways. There were over 6,000 caregivers trained across the state and evaluations showed an average knowledge gain of 26%. Over 700 on-site technical assistance processes were conducted and resulted in programs improving their child care environments and the practices of caregivers with the children. The work of Infant and Toddler Specialists also increases awareness of the importance of the infancy period as a foundation for success in school and life.

Infant and Toddler Specialists are housed in the Child Care Resource and Referral agencies in seven regions across the state. Funding for this quality improvement work comes from the NYS Office of Child and Family Services.

To read the full report click here.

To view the Impact-At-A-Glance click here.

To learn more about the NYS Infant and Toddler Resource Network contact

Evelyn Efinger, Infant Toddler Coordinator eefinger@earlycareandlearning.org Phone: 518-690-4217 ext 12

Monday, March 12, 2012

New Literacy Resource Available for Providers

Great news from our friends at the New York State Library!

Acting State Librarian Jeffrey W. Cannell announced a new literacy resource for child care providers, “2012 Summer Reading at New York Libraries Early Literacy Partner Manual.” The manual may be downloaded from the “Summer Reading at New York Libraries” http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/, click on Downloadable Materials.

This new manual will assist child care providers and teachers of young children in partnering with a public library, or public library system, to help families gain the full advantage of public library resources and programs during the summer months. Developed by the New York State Education Department in partnership with the Collaborative Summer Library Program and public library system youth services consultants, the manual contains information on public library summer programming for the young child along with extensive book lists related to the Summer Reading at New York Libraries 2012 slogan, “Dream Big READ.”

Public libraries are encouraged to share the manual, in either electronic or paper form, with local child care providers and teachers of young children. It is hoped that this new resource will lead to strengthened relations between libraries and all those who serve and educate the young child.

For further information contact Karen Balsen “Summer Reading at New York Libraries” coordinator, kbalsen@mail.nysed.gov, 518-486-2194.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Early Childhood News

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JOBS

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Assistant/Associate/Full Professor Special Education Faculty Position (tenure track/tenured)

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

http://gse.rutgers.edu/content/assistantassociatefull-professor-special-education-faculty-position-tenure-tracktenured

The James Marshall Public Policy Fellowship

Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues

http://www.spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID=747&nodeID=1

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CONFERENCES

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Child Trends Webinar

The launch of PerformWell: A new web resource helping to improve human service effectiveness

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 3:00- 4:00 pm EST

https://socialsolutions.webex.com/ec0605ld/eventcenter/enroll/register.do?formId=0&formType=0&loadFlag=1&siteurl=socialsolutions&confId=911422769

Early Childhood Investigations Webinar

No More Spaces- How to Attract More Families to Your ECE Program in Our Digital Economy

March 7, 2012 2:00 PM Eastern Time

http://www.earlychildhoodwebinars.org/presentations/how-to-effectively-attract-enroll-more-families-in-todays-digital-economy/

SCARED SICK: The Role of Childhood Trauma in Adult Disease

Monday, April 2, 2012

University at Albany Downtown Campus

http://earlycareandlearning.blogspot.com/2012/02/scared-sick-role-of-childhood-trauma-in.html

American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting

Friday, April 13 - Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

http://www.aera.net/2012AnnualMeeting.htm

18th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect

Celebrating the Past ~ Imagining the Future

April 16-20, 2012

Washington, DC

Early Bird Registration ends March 2, 2012

http://www.pal-tech.com/web/OCAN/index.cfm?p=5

New York State Head Start Association Annual Professional Development Conference

May 15 – 16, 2012

Albany NY

Deadline for Proposals is Monday, March 26, 2012

http://www.nyheadstart.org/

XVIII Biennial International Conference on Infant Studies

Minneapolis, Minnesota

June 7 - 9, 2012

Early Bird Registration Deadline: May 25, 2012

http://www.isisweb.org/view/0/conference2012.html

21st NAEYC National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development

June 10-13, 2012

Indianapolis, IN

Registration Opens March 2

http://www.naeyc.org/institute/

The Children’s Defense Fund national conference

July 22nd - July 25^th, 2012

Cincinnati, Ohio

http://www.childrensdefense.org/national-conference/index.html

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RESOURCES

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Teaching Cases on Family Engagement: Early Learning (Ages 0-8)

Harvard Family Research Project

http://www.hfrp.org/family-involvement/publications-resources/teaching-cases-on-family-engagement-early-learning-ages-0-8

10 Skills of Competent Parents

ExchangeEveryDay

http://ccie.com/eed/view/3019/

How to Find the Best Day Care

Kelly Alfieri, The Bump, Jan 16, 2012

http://pregnant.thebump.com/new-mom-new-dad/newborn-basics/articles/how-to-find-good-day-care.aspx

McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership

Business Administration Scale Training Online Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds6hixq5YGQ&feature=youtu.be

Cornell University, College of Human Ecology

Human Development Today e-News Winter 2012

http://www.hdtoday.human.cornell.edu/

Prevent Child Abuse New York's Parent Helpline

1-800-CHILDREN

http://www.preventchildabuseny.org/resources/for-parents/parenting-tip-sheets/

National Association for the Education of Young Children

Books for Laughing Together

http://www.rightchoiceforkids.org/node/124

Ideas for Bringing Humor into the Classroom

http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/article/bringing-humor-into-the-classroom

What happens when we say ‘yes’ to children?

http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/article/unplanned-explorations-lively-minds

Childhood Obesity Prevention Resources

http://www.naeyc.org/childhood_obesity_prevention_resources

Developing Kindergarten Readiness and Other Large-Scale Assessment Systems

http://www.naeyc.org/resources/research/kreadinessassessment

NAEYC’s e-News, March 1, 2012

http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/naeyc/issues/2012-03-01.html

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GRANTS

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HHS - Department of Health and Human Services

National Institutes of Health

Academic-Community Partnership Conference Series (R13) Modification 1

http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=143313

Let's Move! Child Care and State Challenge

National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies

http://www.naccrra.org/news-room/press-releases/2012/1/lets-move-child-care-and-state-challenge

APA Division 35: Society for the Psychology of Women

Janet Hyde Graduate Student Research Grant

http://www.apadivisions.org/division-35/awards/hyde/index.aspx

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NEWS

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The #earlyed Daily

A paper.li newspaper

http://paper.li/tag/earlyed

'The Hansen Files' returns, investigates daycare

Msnbc.com, Beginning Friday, March 2nd, at 10pm/9c

http://insidedateline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/27/10518251-mar-2-the-hansen-files-returns-investigates-daycare

Advocates Call for State Investments in Early Childhood Programs

New York Nonprofit Press, 2/29/12

http://nynp.biz/index.php/breaking-news/9348-advocates-call-for-state-investments-in-early-childhood-programs

Message to Lawmakers: Stick with What Works for Youngest New Yorkers

Story via Public News Service, 2/28/12

http://earlycareandlearning.blogspot.com/2012/02/message-to-lawmakers-stick-with-what.html

Should 3-Year-Olds Learn Computer Programming?

Liz Dwyer, GOOD Education, 2/27/12

http://www.good.is/post/should-3-year-olds-learn-computer-programming/

Teacher-Data Reactions: Absorbing New Rankings With Caution

Wall Street Journal, Metropolis, 2/25/12

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2012/02/25/teacher-data-reactions-parents-teachers-absorb-rankings-with-caution/

USAID using childcare subsidy as another way to retain employees

By Emily Kopp, Federal News Radio, 2/24/2012

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=535&sid=2760120

Who’s Curating Digital Content for Kids?

Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning, 2/22/12

http://spotlight.macfound.org/blog/entry/whos-curating-digital-content-for-kids/

Early childhood education a proven answer

Fredrick Jackson, ctpost, 2/22/12

http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Early-childhood-education-a-proven-answer-3352994.php

Swipe, Tap, Flick and . . . Read? Research on Children and E-Books

By Sarah Vaala, edutopia, 2/17/12

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/childrens-ebooks-sarah-vaala

How Child Abuse Primes the Brain for Future Mental Illness

By Maia Szalavitz, Time Healthland, 2/15/12

http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/15/how-child-abuse-primes-the-brain-for-future-mental-illness/#ixzz1nKpz4Xzu

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ADVOCACY

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Building Strong Foundations Social Media Campaign

Birth to Five Policy Alliance

http://www.birthtofivepolicy.org/Advocacy/SocialMedia/tabid/115/Default.aspx

Post-Budget Update: What to Expect for Early Childhood in 2012 Audio Conference

Feb 23, 2012, Audio Recording

http://www.clasp.org/resources_and_publications/publication?id=1075&list=publications

Winning Beginning NY

Early Care and Learning 2012 Poster

http://winningbeginningny.org/documents/2012artworkposter_000.pdf

Winning Beginning Wednesday

http://earlycareandlearning.blogspot.com/2012/02/today-is-winning-beginning-wednesday.html

------------------------------------------------

Asil Ali Özdoğru

Evaluation Specialist

Early Care & Learning Council

230 Washington Ave Ext

Albany, New York 12203

Tel: (518) 690-4217 x 34

Fax: (518) 690-2887

aozdogru@earlycareandlearning.org

Friday, March 2, 2012

'The Hansen Files' returns, investigates daycare

Many of you may know Chris Hansen, from Dateline's hidden camera series of shows that catch child predators and the like. It seems Chris Hansen has been laying low for awhile, that might have something to do with the fact that those he was trying to catch became wary and backed out of meeting their (fictional) prey before Chris Hansen even got a chance to poke his head around the corner and surprise the perpetrator. This wasn't great for the show but was great for potential victims of abuse. So kudos to Chris Hansen and the Dateline crew, perhaps they put enough fear into at least a few people to prevent someone from getting hurt.

Well they are at it again but this time with a different angle. The show's website says that they will be investigating dishonest lottery dealers and health insurance scammers, among others. But, what we are most interested in is tonight's episode which will investigate day care providers with criminal records.

Here is the description:

Beginning Friday, March 2nd, at 10pm/9c:

Reliable daycare is a staple requirement of American child rearing. But how much do parents know about just who owns and runs some of the daycare centers around the country? And how much are they allowed to know? “Dateline” did some random sampling of Day Care owners and found a surprising number of Day Care operators actually have criminal records. And, sometimes it ends in a tragedy. Chris Hansen confronts Day Care operators with secrets in their pasts.

A Today Show blogger shared some of Chris Hansen's tips for ensuring that your child is in safe hands and they did mention NACCRRA. NACCRRA keeps close track of what each state does and doesn't do as far as keeping children in child care safe. If you are wondering what protections your state has in place this is a great place to look.

But…should this really be something we have to look up? Parents probably assume that individuals who are cleared to work in child care have been through a thorough background check; that is not always the case. In New York for example, fingerprints are run through a state database and the background check includes a check against criminal history and child abuse. However the fingerprints are not run through a federal database and there is no check against the sex offender registry.

So what can you do to ensure that not only your child, but all children are safe in child care?

Call or write to your Senators and Representatives ask them to

Reauthorize Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) to require comprehensive background checks, including fingerprint checks for all child care providers caring for unrelated children and for all providers receiving federal subsidies.
Prohibit the use of CCDBG or TANF funds to pay convicted felons to provide child care.
Require all paid providers (caring for unrelated children on a regular basis) to have a state license or permit.

We are thrilled that this issue will be brought to light on Dateline tonight and hope it inspires parents, advocates and legislatures to take action in support of children's safety. We'll be watching!

Contact your representative: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

NACCRRA: www.naccrra.org

Friday, March 23, 2012

Early Childhood News

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Who is watching your children?

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Early Childhood News

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Infant and Toddler Care Improving in New York

Monday, March 12, 2012

New Literacy Resource Available for Providers

Monday, March 5, 2012

Early Childhood News

Friday, March 2, 2012

'The Hansen Files' returns, investigates daycare

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