Manchester Early Learning Center is set for a big expansion this fall, expanding from the current four sites to 11, offering services to 300 additional families and offering employment opportunities for early childhood teachers.

Connecticut education officials and legislators have expressed interest in applying for the third round of Race to the Top funding -- specifically set aside for early childhoood initiatives. The Early Learning Challenge consists of $500 million of competitive funding for states to transform early learning programs and services from a patchwork of disconnected programs often of uneven quality and uneven access into a coordinated system. Currently awaiting Senate action, a bill (SB 1106) which would bill coordinate all of Connecticut's early childhood efforts in order to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness for children, families and the programs that serve our young children. The bill could help align CT for this federal funding (requirements to be released in the next few weeks).

On May 25, the US Department of Education and the US Department of Health and Human Services announced $500 million in competitive funding made available for states that focus on early learning initiatives. Awards will go to states that create comprehensive plans to transform early learning systems with better coordination, clearer learning standards, and meaningful workforce development.

New America Foundation's Lisa Gurensey looks at the final FY2011 numbers in relation to education. (Link includes an additional link to the education guide.)

Forty-three education programs -- including those that promote literacy, teacher development and dropout prevention -- have been targeted for elimination in a Republican-sponsored bill in the House as a first step toward rewriting the law known as No Child Left Behind.

The search continues to find a new education comissioner in Connecticut. Low salary, high expectations and budget turmoil are among the reasons potential applicants may be shying away from applying.

East Haddam resident and children's author Anne McPherson has been selected as the Early Childhood Education Award recipient for the Social Science division of Middlesex Community College, for her high level of academic performance.

CT Public Television's Education vs Incarceration will air May 17 and May 22, 11 pm and 10 am respectively. Connecticut is one of five states with the distinction of spending more money on incarceration than it does on education.

A $196 million surplus in the Department of Social Services has Appropriations co-chairs questioning why, in this economy when people need help the most in areas like child care, elder home care and services for the homeless, that money was not spent. Instead, approval has been granted to use those extra funds to make up for deficiencies in other programs, with all but $2 million going to Medicaid. In terms of child care funds (ie, Care4Kids), DSS will have a $4.5 million surplus after restricting eligibility, rather than a $4.5 million shortfall.

The Norwich Bulletin wrote a story on the kindergarten age bill, attacking all angles of the issue, including parents who feel it should be left up to them and their child's preschool teacher as to whether or not their child is ready for kindergarten (or should wait one more year), and others who say if the kindergarten age changes, preschool must change with it -- because children with a birthday after October 1 will lose out on a year of schooling.