Research has shown that the first five years play an enormous role in a child’s ongoing development and future success. Since most kids are in a child care or preschool setting while their parents are at work, it’s critical that we invest in a high-quality early education system that provides the experiences kids need for healthy development.
Wisconsin ranks in the top 7 in staff-child ratios and group size for toddlers Wisconsin is one of seven states that meets the staff-child ratio of one adult for every four 18-month-olds and a maximum class size of eight in group child care settings, according to the report, “Investing in Young Children,” by the Center for Law and...
The federal government has just approved the use of a supplemental $11 million to improve early learning and development in Wisconsin, on top of the initial grant of $22.7 million in 2012. The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grant is intended to help states build more efficient and effective early learning systems, with an...
Four-year-old kindergarten (4K) continues to grow in Wisconsin, as 11 more school districts have added 4K for the 2013-14 school year. The number of children served has more than tripled over the last decade, growing to 48,490 students served, compared to 16,051 in the 2002-03 school year, according to a DPI news release on 4K growth....
The Wisconsin Council on Children and Families has just completed a policy brief, YoungStar in Wisconsin: Analysis of Data as of July 2013. The YoungStar child care quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) is a breakthrough policy initiative that has great promise to transform child care in Wisconsin by helping parents make good...
It’s been a dizzying flurry in Washington- some good, some not so good. I thought this brief article from NIEER Online News might help: “Sequestration cutting early education slots. A prolonged federal government shutdown closing Head Start center doors and hurting families. A “state of emergency” in state-funded pre-K as enrollment...
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