Latest Reports

According to this report, children are a declining priority in the federal budget. In 2007, the federal government paid out $2.7 trillion through spending programs and disbursed roughly another $1 trillion through the tax code. Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the country's defense system consume the largest shares of the budget, while spending on children remained essential stagnant and did not keep up with growth in the economy. This report mimics the results of the 2007 Kids' Share report, showing that spending on children's programs is waning.

This study looks at the whole cost to a K-12 system in Minnesota when children are sent to kindergarten unprepared for school success.  The study estimates that cost at $113 million annually.

To better understand why children may be at risk for mental health impairments, how best to provide assistance and strategies for preventing problems from arising, it is important to look at a child's early relationships. The report states that significant adversity early in life can damage the architecture of a developing brain and increase the likelihood of significant mental health problems that may emerge early on or years later.

This report identifies critical early literacy skills that predict later literacy outcomes, and the programs and interventions that are most effecting in helping children develop them. The panel found six critical skills for young children to develop within their first five years: knowledge of letters and their sounds; ability to detect and manipulate sounds and syllables within a word; ability to name letters and digits; ability to name objects and colors; ability to write letters or one's own name and ability to remember spoken information for a short amount of time.   **Attached below, you will find two briefs on the Literacy paper, with cautions and responses to the interpretation of the report for the early childhood field.**

This report studies all aspects of America's children, from child poverty to health coverage; from early childhood care to nutrition.

In this Canadian report, public opinion found that 60% of Canadians believe that the age group most likely to engage in physical aggression is adolescent boys between the ages of 12 and 17. Two percent said preschoolers. Those 2% were right. The preschool years, the report says, are the critical time to teach children the fundamentals of social interaction -- sharing and compromise, cooperation and verbal communication.  Those who fail to learn these lessons early in life, about 5-10% of Canadian children, are more likely to run into serious trouble later, including difficulty in school and substance abuse to risk-taking, mental illness and criminal activity.

This report by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition studies dual language learners in their early years and their preparation for school.

The last seven years have seen a dramatic increase in the quality of the Illinois early childhood workforce. Not only has the percentage of lead teachers with bachelor's degrees risen but a coherent career development system is emerging in the state, says co-author Teri Talan at National-Louis University. The report, Who's Caring for the Kids?, highlights key achievements in the state including establishment of the Illinois Early Learning Council and the launch of Preschool for All.

In 2003, the First 5 California Commission appropriated $100 million to promote preschool opportunities and demonstration programs for the state's children with the goal of providing quality preschools that prepare children to succeed in school and life. Power of Preschool emerged from that investment. PoP is a free, voluntary and universally accessible to all children within designated areas, of which 9,600 children have participated in. The program has reached its midway point and the following report gives a status update on the progress made thus far. 

The Infant Toddler Working Group of the Connecticut Early Childhood Education Cabinet studied the first 1,000 days of childhood to make recommendations to ensure that all Connecticut infants and very young children are optimally healthy, developmentally on track and meeting their full potential.