Start Early

A new blog post by Start Early National Policy Team Climate Change Fellow Evelyn Bigini explains the importance of being aware of air quality as early childhood professionals. Find out how to check air quality and how to teach others about climate. and access other the many resources available to provide a healthy learning environment for all children: https://lnkd.in/gkpMx7KD

Registration is still open for our FREE webinar, “Beyond the Talk: Creating Racial Equity in the Classroom” on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 12-1 p.m. CT. Our first webinar kicks off an engaging six-part series introducing ACSES - a practical, action-oriented framework for creating more equitable early childhood classrooms. The ACSES Framework Introductory Series will build early childhood educators’ understanding of equitable classroom learning and offers include practical strategies to support young Black and Brown learners. Participants will be able to earn CEUs or count webinars towards their CDA. Register now. https://lnkd.in/g7FQu9b6

Register for our FREE webinar “Beyond the Talk: Creating Racial Equity in the Classroom” on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 12-1 p.m. CT. This webinar kicks off an engaging six-part series introducing ACSES, a practical, action-oriented framework for creating more equitable early childhood classrooms. https://lnkd.in/g7FQu9b6

A new blog post by Start Early Climate Change Fellow Evelyn Bigini explains the many ways child care providers can make sure children stay safe during hot summer months. There are several resources such as heat maps and climate outlook charts to ensure children keep cool no matter how warm the weather gets. Read more on how important it is to be aware of the effects of hot weather on the health of young children: https://lnkd.in/gVyudDkH

There is still time to sign up for our FREE webinar, “Beyond the Talk: Creating Racial Equity in the Classroom” on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 12-1 p.m. CT. Our first webinar kicks off an engaging six-part series introducing ACSES - a practical, action-oriented framework for creating more equitable early childhood classrooms. The ACSES Framework Introductory Series will build early childhood educators’ understanding of equitable classroom learning and offers include practical strategies to support young Black and Brown learners. Participants will be able to earn CEUs or count webinars towards their CDA. Register today! https://lnkd.in/g7FQu9b6

“It's still shocking how many folks have no idea how little early childhood educators make, especially for parents who are paying so much. They cannot understand why the market is working the way it is,” said Lauren Hagan, an adviser with the National Association for the Education of Young Children. In Louisiana, early educators are struggling to stay afloat due to their low pay. Often resulting in professionals leaving the field all together. Those who stay in the field do it for their passion for the job, despite some making as little as $11 an hour. Many educators share this struggle as they battle between low wages and leaving the field. Read more on the growing crisis in the early childhood workforce and what can be done to ensure these highly skilled professionals are compensated accordingly: https://lnkd.in/dCGusPTt

Want to hear the latest on early childhood research, advocacy actions and opportunities to collaborate? Sign up to receive noteworthy developments on state and federal early childhood policy news from Start Early. Join our email list today: https://lnkd.in/gu3i3296

Registration is now open for the ACSES Framework Introductory Series Sessions 2-6. Join us this fall for the ACSES Framework Introductory Series: Creating Equitable Classrooms with ACSES. This engaging six-part series introduces a practical, action-oriented framework for creating more equitable early childhood classrooms. Earn CEUs or count sessions towards your CDA. Sessions 2 – 6 are bundled for $250 and include access to all live sessions, post-session recordings, and CEU credits. Register for the series today! https://lnkd.in/gUm-m3MN

Decades of research show the clear benefits of Early Intervention (EI) for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or a medical condition/diagnosis likely to lead to a developmental delay. In both Illinois and nationally, however, we are grossly under-serving eligible infants and toddlers, and babies under one year of age represent the smallest percentage of children served in Early Intervention. Illinois is currently exploring approaches to address some of these disparities by convening a multidisciplinary policy advisory body of stakeholders and leaders from across the state to develop recommendations (forthcoming) aimed at strengthening connections to EI for infants and toddlers with medical complexities. In a new video, Start Early Policy Specialist Zareen Kamal describes the numerous barriers to timely access to EI that families may face, and parent advocates also share their personal experiences in navigating both the health and EI systems for their children. Forming a policy advisory committee and developing a cross-system advocacy strategy is just some of the work Zareen and her team are executing to break these barriers. Zareen recently spoke at the ZERO TO THREE LEARN Conference with Alison L. Liddle PT, MPP, PCS and Jaclyn Vasquez in their session, “Advancing Equity in Early Intervention: Parent, Provider, and Policy Perspectives,” on the need for Illinois to implement these changes to truly move the needle on the issue of increasing equitable access to EI for babies under one. Hear about what she, along with many others, are doing to advocate for systems change to better serve all children and families.

Start Early’s Barbara Cooper, Ph.D will be speaking at The BUILD Initiative summit alongside partner, Dr Stephanie Curenton about The ACSES Framework: Building Racially Equitable and High-Quality Classrooms, Workforce, and Systems. To learn more about the ACSES Framework and the Start Early + ACSES partnership, join us this fall for an engaging six-part series introducing ACSES - a practical, action-oriented framework for creating more equitable early childhood classrooms. Our first FREE webinar: Beyond the Talk: Creating Racial Equity in the Classroom is on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 12-1 p.m. CT. https://lnkd.in/gwXJciYc