Early Ed Roundup: Week of March 3 – March 7

Pre-K Gets a Boost in Kansas

More kids in pre-k now means less crime in the future, say law enforecement officials, who went to the Kansas legislature Tuesday to support pre-k. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, a strong pre-k supporter, highlighted the importance of early education programs in her January State of the State address. Sebelius’ FY 2009 budget proposal includes a $30 million increase in funding for early education, most of which will go to block grants for at risk children, and a $1.2 million boost to the state’s pre-kindergarten program.

Pre-K That Counts: New Study Looks at Pre-Kindergartener’s Math Potential

When we think about quality pre-k curriculum, we tend to focus on how programs support children’s emerging literacy and language development. These skills are important, but high-quality pre-k programs should also develop children’s emerging math skills. A new report from the Society for Research in Child Development suggests that most pre-k programs do not devote sufficient attention to developing children’s emerging mathematics skills. The report shows that children under five are able to grasp concrete and abstract mathematical subjects, in addition to the basic counting and shapes taught in most pre-k classrooms. It adds that pre-k instructors need to be better trained in their students’ math capabilities and advanced instruction methods.

Who’s Minding the Kids, and For How Much

Last week, the Census Bureau released “Who’s Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Spring 2005,” a report that describes the childcare arrangements American families use, and how much they pay for them. Nearly 90 percent of children under age 5 with employed mothers are in some form of regular childcare arrangement. Nearly half of these children are cared for by relatives while their mothers work, and a quarter attend center-based childcare or preschool. Children with Black or Hispanic parents are more likely that White children to be cared for by relatives. Families with an employed mother and a child under 5 paid $129 a week for childcare. For families in poverty, childcare costs represent almost a third of their income, compared to 6 percent of the income of wealthier families.