EC / K-12 NEWS

• Early Childhood Organizing Project in Pre-K Advocacy Day
• Organizing victory for N. CA early childhood educators
• "No Child Left Behind" reauthorization info
• CFT participates in Ed Source "Convening" October 19
• "No public education by corporation," by George Martinez
• New research supports investing in effective pre-K
• "No Time to Quit," by Miles Myers
• CFT Position Paper on Charter Schools (pdf)
• What CFT members can do about the state budget crisis

Across the United States, there is a growing movement toward universal, high quality preschool.

Quality pre-kindergarten programs can make a world of difference by building an important foundation in early cognitive and social skills and fostering a love of learning that endures through the K-12 years and beyond.  Effective pre-kindergarten helps all children get ready to learn and ready to read, and a vast body of research shows that, when done right it can help narrow the achievement gap before children start school.

In California, quality preschool can cost as much as a year of college, and as a result is out of reach for millions of working families. While some counties have piloted preschool programs and others are in planning phases, voluntary preschool for all California’s kids remains elusive.

Spotlight on Preschool for Working Families

Getting the Word Out on the Importance of Effective Pre-K

Newsletters for you!

• The Early Childhood Education Project is now publishing Small Talk, an electronic newsletter for breaking news. Sign up here if you want to be on top of the latest developments of interest to early care and education professionals!

• The CFT Early Childhood Education Project has also been publishing print newsletters since 2005. Click here for the current issue of the Early Educator, and for a downloadable list of back issues.

Union Members Support Universal Preschool

• Early Childhood educators have given testimony about the advantages they see in children who attend preschool programs, the challenges faced by the preschool teachers, and the benefits of being part of an organized workforce.

• CFT members have given presentations about the need for universal preschool and child care at Central Labor Councils (CLCs) and unions across California. More...

• Supported by a grant from the Packard Foundation, we are building on our previous communication efforts to now get information from the recently released RAND California Preschool Study to constituent groups of the union

• Many CLCs have endorsed the Resolution for Working Parents which calls for universal preschool, affordable, quality childcare programs, professional salaries for the emerging preschool workforce and flexible hours so parents can be involved in their children’s development and schooling.

For more information see:

• Quality Childcare: A Guide for Working Families (PDF pamphlet)
• Labor Project for Working Families
• Preschool California
• Children Now
• First Five Commission
• Center for Childcare Workforce
• Keystone Center
• "UC study examines preschool benefits," San Francisco Chronicle, January 27, 2006

Interested in supporting CFT's early childhood education organizing efforts? Contact Sandra Weese, Early Childhood Education Project Coordinator.