News, Research and Resource Digest

Daily, our office receives emails about current news and information about early childhood. Here is a sampling of some resources we found interesting this week:

News:

1.) The Calcasiau Parish School Board has utilized a state grant to build an Assistive Technology lending library. Read about this lending library here.  

2.) The New School Leaders' Standards were released on Monday, September 15th. Read more about major changes in standards focused on the social side of learning. 

Resources for Professional Development:

1.) Ashley Frame from EduPlanet21 sent out the following professional development video link introducing a Module Series on New Hampshire’s Educator Support Evaluation System. Four other modules are available on the NH Department of Education Vimeo site. 

2.) The National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning is hosting a webinar on September 22nd, 2014 about “Classroom-Based and Parent-Focused Interventions for Promoting Social and Emotional Competence in Young Children. Click Here to register.

3.) Effective early childhood practitioners are thoughtful in their interdisciplinary work with other professionals. The Head Start website provides overviews of how each team member can support schoolreadiness.

4.) The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is offering a webinar of real world co-teaching. The first part on Thurs. September 18th will focus on Elementary level educators.

Grants and Policy Information:

1.) The Preschool Development Grants is a new grant program jointly administered by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. This grant competition supports states to:

“1) build or enhance a preschool program infrastructure that would enable the delivery of high-quality preschool services to children, and (2) expand high-quality preschool programs in targeted communities that would serve as models for expanding preschool to all 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families. These grants would lay the groundwork to ensure that more States are ready to participate in the Preschool for All formula grant initiative proposed by the Administration”  

Check out their website to learn more

2.) The Association of University Centers on Disability shares legislative updates on children, health and disability frequently. Here are a couple recent shares that may be of interest (shared directly from AUCD):

Early Childhood/Childcare
A group of House and Senate leaders announced Friday a bipartisan compromise bill (S. 1086) to reauthorize and improve the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CDBG). The CDBG provides funds to states to help low-income families pay for child care while a parent works or is in an education or job training program. The bipartisan, bicameral bill is led by Representatives John Kline (R-MN), George Miller (D-CA), Todd Rokita (R-IN), and David Loebsack (D-IA) and Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Richard Burr (R- NC). Among other improvements, the bill creates a three percent set-aside to improve the quality of infant and toddler care; requires states to explain how they will meet the needs of children with disabilities; and ensures that block grant provisions are coordinated with IDEA infants and toddlers and early childhood programs. See Senate summary of changes to the law.

Medicare Coverage of Speech Generating Devices
A bipartisan group of legislators have requested an explanation for recent policy changes in the Medicare program for coverage of speech generating devices (SGDs). Throughout 2014, Medicare has made a number of policy changes that have had the effect of limiting access to SGDs, especially advanced technologies like eye tracking (see full explanation from the ALS Associationand American Speech-Language-Hearing Association). The letter, led by Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), John Tierney (D-MA), and Erik Paulsen (R-MN), and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and signed by 27 other Senators and 173 other Representatives, asks Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Marilyn Tavenner several specific questions about how and why Medicare made these changes, and request a response to their inquiry by October 1, 2014.

Disability Treaty (CRPD)
Advocates have not given up on efforts to get 67 Senators (a ¾ majority) to support the ratification of the Disability Treaty. While there may be close to 67 supporters in the Senate, election year politics make a public commitment from some Senators difficult. Network members in Georgia, North Carolina, Kansas, Nebraska, and Mississippi are to continue reaching out. For more information, see www.DisabilityTreaty.org.