Early Care and Early Learning

Are you planning to attend the Branford Festival on Saturday? If so, make sure you visit the Branford Early Childhood Collaborative booth.  

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Rhode Island a $4-million grant to develop a comprehensive data system that will encompass data about students from prekindergarten through elementary and secondary education, higher education, and the workforce.

Researchers from the University of Missouri analyzed data of more than 6,000 children in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort, which collected information from children starting in kindergarten and following them through the fifth grade. At five different times, parents reported family dynamics and teachers reported on the children's social skills and emotional well-being. Researchers tested the children on academics, and recorded their height and weight.

Are you planning to attend the Branford Festival on Saturday? If so, make sure you visit the Branford Early Childhood Collaborative booth.  

(CNN) - Young children, ages 3 to 5, learn through play at home. It’s easy to observe.

But then preschool and kindergarten arrive all of a sudden, and children in today’s school environment are often subjected to scripted lessons and direct instruction.

Whether it’s classic theorists such as Jean Piaget or contemporary researchers such as David Elkind, there is general agreement that children learn through hands-on experience, through their play.

PROVIDENCE — The Senate approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Hanna M. Gallo (D-Dist. 27, Warwick) today that would provide funding for up to four districts for full-day kindergarten, beginning in the 2013-2014 school year. Its companion in the House, sponsored by Rep. Joy Hearn (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence), passed the House of Representatives last week. Both bills must now be approved by the opposite chambers in order for it to become law.

Can finger-painting, cup-stacking and learning to share set you up for a stellar career?

Research says yes, according to Dr. Celia Ayala, chief executive officer of Los Angeles Universal Preschool, a nonprofit that funds 325 schools in Los Angeles County, Calif., using money from tobacco taxes.