Collaborating Partners News
Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners provides national and state news for members.
NEW DATA ON THE PREVALENCE OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS (ASDs)
New Data on Autism Spectrum Disorders has been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC estimates 1 in 88 children in the US (11.3 per 1,000) have been identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASDs are almost 5 times more common among boys (1 in 54) than among girls (1 in 252). This marks a 23% increase since the last report in 2009 and a 78% increase since their first report in 2007. Some of the increase is due to the way children are identified, diagnosed and served in their local communities, although exactly how much is due to these factors, in unknown.
CDC's Learn the Signs. Act Early. program provides free tools to help parents track their child's development and free resources for doctors and educators. CDC is also working with states and communities to improve early identification. Read the full scientific article and the related community report. (pdf)
ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES IN WISCONSIN
The Wisconsin Children's Trust Fund and the Child Abuse Prevention Fund of Children's Hospital of Wisconsin recently released a report, "Adverse Childhood Experiences in Wisconsin: Findings from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey."
In recent years, we have learned a great deal about the importance of childhood experiences to lifelong well-being. Early experiences have a broader and more profound impact than most of us would ever guess. Everyday interactions and experiences in infancy and childhood greatly influence the architecture of our developing brains and our subsequent emotional, cognitive, social and neurobiological functioning.
As part of the 2010 Wisconsin Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS), more than 4,000 randomly selected Wisconsin adults were asked about adverse experiences, or ACEs, they may have had prior to age 18. The Wisconsin ACE report highlights the ACE -related findings from the 2010 BRFS, as well as policy recommendations for addressing ACEs in Wisconsin.
Click here to access the full report (pdf), "Adverse Childhood Experiences in Wisconsin: Findings from the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey."
NAEYC & THE FRED ROGERS CENTER RELEASE
NEW POSITION STATEMENT ON TECHNOLOGY & INTERACTIVE MEDIA
On March 6, NAEYC and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College released a new position statement that provides important new guidance to early childhood programs on the effective use of media and technology. Full story >>
YOUNGSTAR QUALITY RATING
The Wisconsin Council on Children and Families has just released two reports on Wisconsin’s YoungStar quality rating and improvement program for child care and early education programs: YoungStar in Wisconsin: Analysis of Data as of January 2012
This report describes the remarkable progress made recently in the rollout of YoungStar statewide, including data and charts on ratings both statewide and by region, significant efforts to help programs improve, and considerations and challenges for the future. (22 pages)
NEW CONCEPT PAPER ON RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION (RTI) IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
Source: National Professional Development Center on Inclusion - January 31, 2012
The National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) has published a new concept paper, Response to Intervention (RTI) in Early Childhood: Building Consensus on the Defining Features (January 2012), which provides a framework for thinking about the meaning of RTI in early childhood and outlines important considerations for early care and education programs that choose to adopt and implement RTI. It was developed with input from national experts and key stakeholders gathered over a two-year period (2009-2011). Additional information and resources are available on NPDCI's Response to Intervention in Early Childhood (RTI-EC) Webpage.
EARLY LEARNING AGENDA
State Superintendent Tony Evers has announced several steps he and the DPI will take to address early literacy and mathematics achievement. One is the creation of a Standards, Instruction, and Assessment Center in Wisconsin. Based on the successful model of the Wisconsin RtI Center, the new center will focus on implementation of the Common Core and other academic standards, as well as the instruction and assessment required for student success. Evers will also open an Office of Early Learning at the DPI. This will focus efforts and reforms in early learning to benefit students. Third will be an increase in the rigor of educator preparation requirements for prekindergarten, elementary, and special education teachers, to include more robust training for reading education. Initial educators in the primary grades will have a professional development plan requirement that focuses on improving student literacy achievement. Finally, the DPI will develop Internet portals or other websites which will share best practices in educational technology and resources for reading professional development. DPI staff have begun developing the first of these, a literacy resources website.
4-YEAR-OLD KINDERGARTENS IN WI
Kindergarten for 4-year-old children continues steady growth in school districts throughout the state with 18 districts adding 4-year-old kindergarten (4K) for the 2011-12 school year. With 46,022 students in 4K classrooms in 368 school districts, enrollment has more than doubled over 10 years.
Additional information is available on the DPI newsroom website: http://dpi.wi.gov/eis/newsroom.html
News Release - Kindergarten for 4 yr olds (pdf)
A map of school districts in Wisconsin offering 4K (pdf)
Please direct comments or questions about this news item to Patrick Gasper, DPI Communications Officer, (608) 266-3559, patrick.gasper@dpi.wi.gov.
RESEARCH FINDINGS - Preschoolers' Classmates Influence Their Language Skills
A recent article in e! Science News (10/26/11) discusses findings from a new study, which suggest that preschool students affect one another’s language development and relatively less-skilled students seem to be more affected than highly skilled students. The authors question the practice seen in many publicly-funded programs of placing disadvantaged children with relatively low skill levels with similarly performing peers. Follow this link: http://esciencenews.com/articles/2011/10/26/preschoolers.classmates.influence.their.language.skills
SAFE START CENTER
Safe Start Center Offers Downloadable Resources on Trauma Informed Care for Children Exposed to Violence and their Families. The Safe Start Center's Trauma Informed Care Tip Sheets offer information about warning signs, potential effects, suggestions and resources for care givers of children exposed to violence. Follow this link: Safe Start center tip sheet