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Early Education Publications
Early Education Testimony
Early Education Presentations

PUBLICATIONS

YoungStar Progress Reports
Great Start Series
Pathways...To Early Childhood Education Series
Quality Matters: A Policy Brief Series on Early Care and Education
Fact Sheets
Data and Analyses: Early Care and Education
2011-2013 Budget Informational Briefs
2009-2011 Budget Informational Briefs
Other Reports: 2002- 2006

YoungStar Progress  Reports

YoungStar in Wisconsin: An Initial Progress Report as of July 2011. This report provides statewide baseline data on YoungStar as it begins to be implemented, and provides information on the flurry of activity leading up to July 2011 (October 19, 2011).

YoungStar in Milwaukee: An Initial Progress Report as of July 2011. This report provides Milwaukee County baseline data on YoungStar aas it begins to be implement, and provides information on preparatory activities leading up to July 2011 (October 19, 2011).

Great Start Series

Recommendations for Improving Services to Infants, Toddlers and Families. This report provide six top recommendations for improving infant-toddler services in Wisconsin.  Recommendations were developed by the task force including Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, Celebrate Children Foundation, Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health, Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, and Supporting Families Together Association.  The report is intended to generate discussion and consideration on infant–toddler issues, often left out of early childhood policy deliberations (Spring 2011).

The Unique History of Four-Year-Old Kindergarten in Wisconsin. This policy brief examines the remarkable history of 4-year-old Kindergarten (4K) in Wisconsin. The paper explores key developments, starting with the inclusion of education for 4-year-olds in the 1848 Constitution and the establishment of first private kindergarten in the country in Watertown in 1856, and follows the surge in public education for 4-year-olds in the late 1800s, the decline from 1920-1970, and the resurgence from 1980-2010.  The policy brief examines the causes of the rapid growth in the last 15 years and the emergence of the community approach to 4K, and lays out several implications for the future. This is the sixth document in the Great Start Series.

Infants and Toddlers: Crucial Years of Development. This is the fifth document in the Great Start Series and is a joint publication of WCCF and the Wisconsin Alliance for Infant Mental Health.  The report focuses on the incredible opportunities we have to shape the path of children by building strong relationships, promoting social and emotional competence, supporting attachment and self-regulation, and ensuring that all infants and toddlers have access to the foundation for life-long learning.  Infant and toddler services are often neglected in public policy discussions.  It is time for Wisconsin to translate what we know from science about the needs of infants and toddlers into effective, evidence-based policies and practices (May 2010).

Wisconsin Early Care and Education Landscape: Planning for a Coherent System.
This comprehensive report explores trends in early care and education (ECE), including access to services and the quality of programs, across several sectors: child care, 4-year-old Kindergarten, Head Start and Early Head Start, services to children with disabilities, and home visiting programs.  The report also reviews ECE systems in other states and provides options for Wisconsin to consider in planning for an effective statewide early learning system (November 2009). Also, see the Executive Summary.

Great Investment: The Economic Benefits of Investing in Early Learning. This policy brief explores the importance of early brain development, the extraordinary research on the positive effects of high-quality early childhood programs, the strong return on investment from early childhood interventions, and implications for public policy in Wisconsin (July 2009).

Great Plan for Wisconsin: A System for Early Care and Education. This short policy brief examines the ingredients in a quality early care and education system to improve the early learning options for children (November 2008).

Great Services: Components of a High-Quality Early Care and Education Program.
This short policy brief reviews the research on five components of an effective, high-quality early care and education program (October 2008).

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Pathways…to Early Childhood Higher Education Series

Pathways Brief #4: Milestones: Advancements to Pathways for Early Childhood Higher Education. This policy brief is the fourth and final installment in a series exploring career pathways and the connection to higher education. The report summarizes our work in this area over the past year and more, including details on progress towards a system wide approach to Credit for Prior Learning in Wisconsin’s Technical colleges (Winter 2010-2011).

Pathways Brief #3: The Current Status of Wisconsin’s Child Care Workforce.
This policy brief is the third in a series exploring career pathways and the connection to higher education. The results of a recent survey of the ECE workforce shed a light on such issues as retention and quality in early care and education, and suggest that efforts to address turnover and improve quality are on the right track. The survey reveals strengths and obstacles of the Early Care and Education profession (Fall 2010).

Pathways Brief # 2: Attracting, Supporting and Retaining a Qualified Workforce.
This policy brief is the second in a series exploring career pathways and the connection to higher education. There are many challenges facing child care workers including low compensation, lack of professional development support, and high turnover. The recent passage of Wisconsin’s QRIS program, YoungStar is a hopeful step in the right direction toward addressing these issues (Summer 2010).

Pathways Brief # 1: Credit for Prior Learning. This policy brief is the first in a series exploring career pathways and the connection to higher education. Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) is one promising approach that builds on the foundation of experience and non-credit based training that many in the ECE workforce already have. The goal of CPL is to help jumpstart child care teachers/providers to pursue a tech college AA degree (Spring 2010).

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Quality Matters: A Policy Brief Series on Early Care and Education

Policy Brief #5: Getting Ready: Curriculum Elements for Early Learning. This brief examines relevant research on curriculum, components of a well-designed curriculum, and implications for public policy (Fall 2008).

Policy Brief #4: Small is Beautiful: Staff-Child Ratios and Group Size in Early Care and Education. This policy brief explores research on the importance of appropriate ratios and group size, reviews requirements in Wisconsin ECE settings, and offers implications for Wisconsin public policy (Fall 2008).

Policy Brief # 3: Parents as Partners in Early Education. This policy brief explores the importance of parent involvement in early education. It examines research on the importance of parents' engagement in their child's education from an early age, Wisconsin approaches to promote parent engagement, and public policy implications and options (Spring 2008).

Policy Brief # 2: Making the Grade: Making the Case for Well-educated, Well-trained Teaching Staff in Early Care and Education.This policy brief focuses on the strong research base confirming the importance of qualified teachers, efforts across the country to improve staff qualifications in early childhood programs, and policy options for Wisconsin to consider (Fall 2007).

Policy Brief #1: Brain Development and Early Learning. This policy brief is the first in the series, focusing on research on early brain development and the implications for public policy, making the case for a new public policy that invests more in young children's development and education (Winter 2007).

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Fact Sheets

Fact Sheet #3 - Home Visiting Programs: An Effective Approach to Strengthening Families This fact sheet examines home visiting programs in Wisconsin, focusing on research about effectiveness, the variety of approaches, and funding streams to support programs (February 2009).

Fact Sheet #2 - Advisory Council on Early Care and Education
This fact sheet examines how a state advisory council on early care and education can serve as a catalyst to ensure that Wisconsin’s children have the early learning experiences they need, providing a mechanism for planning a statewide system (August 2008).

Fact Sheet #1 - State Early Learning Initiatives 
This fact sheet looks at other states’ early learning initiatives, providing a snapshot of several states efforts to improve early care and education (August 2008).

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Data and Analyses: Early Care and Education

Data and Analysis, Early Care and Education in Wisconsin: 2007 provides data and analysis on Wisconsin children and on Wisconsin early care and education trends, including a look at access to and quality of programs, an analysis of Wisconsin's strengths, comparisons with other states, and a state-level funding chart.

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2011-2013 Budget Informational Briefs

Falling Support for Schools Threatens Wisconsin’s Economic Future (January 9, 2012).

Early Care and Education Scorecard: 2011-13 Wisconsin Budget (June 2011).

Wisconsin Early Learning Coalition (ELC) Statement Regarding 2011-13 State Budget (June 2011).

Wisconsin Early Learning Coalition (ELC) Position and Alternative on YoungStar Reimbursement (April 2011) .

Wisconsin Early Learning Coalition (ELC) Position on Governor's Budget Proposals 2011-2013 (April 2011) .

"Early Care and Education in the Governor’s 2011-13 Budget - Key Issues"
WCCF policy brief based on materials available April 8, 2011.

Four-Year Old Kindergarten: A Solid Start for Our Children (January 2011)

YoungStar: Assuring Program Integrity and Quality Services in Child Care (January 2011)

2009-2011 Budget Informational Briefs

"Cost Containment Proprosals in Wisconsin Shares 2009-2011 Biennial Budget"

"Early Childhood Education: What Is a Quality Rating and Improvement System?"

Other Reports: 2002-2006

Early Education Matters: Lessons Learned , a 2006 report that highlights the work of the Early Education Matters project on collaborative 4K in Wisconsin.

Ready Kids, Ready Schools, Ready Communities: Measuring School Readiness in Wisconsin. This brief look at some of the measures of school readiness is intended to keep policy makers, families and advocates working toward public policies that promote readiness (2004).

2005 Start Smart Milwaukee Report: Giving Milwaukee's Children Their Best Start: A WisKids Report on Early Education. This report examines trends in Milwaukee children's economic, educational and health status. Using national, state, and Milwaukee data, the report examines the status of Milwaukee's early education and care system, and provides recommendations to improve early care and education in Milwaukee and to improve outcomes for the community's youngest at-risk children.

Wisconsin School Readiness Indicator Initiative: The Status of School Readiness Indicators in Wisconsin. This report presents a comprehensive definition of school readiness, a set of indicators with proven relevance to school readiness, and an assessment of the current availability of state administrative data on these indicators. It represents an important first step in building a statewide infrastructure to monitor and improve the readiness of Wisconsin children to succeed in school (2003).

2002 Start Smart Stay Smart Milwaukee contains a wealth of data and information on early care and education; nutrition; safety; economic security; and prenatal care and health. This year's edition of the annual publication also includes for the first time expanded data on educational achievement.

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TESTIMONY

Opposition to AB110, school voucher program for students with disabilities. Executive Director Ken Taylor to Members of the Assembly Education Committee (May 2, 2011).

"Testimony on Legislative Audit Bureau Audit of Wisconsin Shares: August 4, 2009," presented by Dave Edie, WCCF Early Education Policy Analyst, at the Joint Committee on Audit hearing on the results of the first stage of the Legislative Audit Bureau’s review of the Wisconsin Shares child care subsidy program. 

"Improving Early Learning," Testimony by Dave Edie, WCCF Early Education Policy Analyst to Joint Committee on Finance, Public Hearings on 2009-11 State Budget on April 3, 2009.

Dave Edie presented testimony on the importance of early education in Wisconsin to Senate Committee on Economic Development, November 13, 2007.

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PRESENTATIONS

"Sound Anti-Poverty Investment: Early Care and Education" presented at the Poverty Matters conference, September 18, 2008.

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