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The increased ability to gather and use data is one of the most important developments the education world has seen.  To best serve our children, states must be able to answer important questions about the long- and short-terms outcomes of the programs and services they provide. Early childhood education data, combined with data from home visiting […]

Do You Live In A Child Care Desert? A child care desert is a census tract with more than 50 children under the age of five where there are no child care providers or so few options that there are more than three times as many children as there are licensed child care slots.  The […]

Our gingerbread house building and decorating event was a huge hit with the neighborhood and New E3 School children and families. It was fun to see the excitement that filled The New E3 School last weekend. Adults and children equally enjoyed the holiday activity stations & decorating the gingerbread school modeled after The New E3 […]

We have many family traditions, but a few of my boy’s favorites are seeing what the elf left in the Advent calendar (not so much anymore), building a Lego Christmas village, building & decorating gingerbread houses and making (and mostly eating) homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas Day. Every year since my two boys were young […]

The Obici Healthcare Foundation kicked off “Assignment: Impact! Creating a Foundation for Success” on Wednesday, October 31st armed with data from: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Social Determinants of Health 2018 Community Health Needs Assessment commissioned by the foundation The 2017 JLARC Report, entitled Improving Virginia’s Early Childhood Programs Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program […]

While support for early education and preschool has grown in recent years, research shows mixed evidence of whether preschool leads to long-term student outcomes. Some studies have shown lasting benefits of preschool, while others suggest that by 3rd grade, the advantages children who attended preschool had over children who did not, have disappeared.  This “fade-out” […]

Play is universal among most living species.  Puppies, kittens, monkeys and fish play and children across all cultures and throughout the generations have played. Research proves that play has a significant role in the development of humans and animals alike.  Among the many benefits of play are stress reduction and the promotion of social skills […]

The evidence is clear – high quality early education experiences help children develop foundational readiness skills that are highly predictive of educational and workforce success. A well designed curriculum and teachers trained and supported in using the curriculum effectively are the centerpieces of high quality early education.  Teachers educate children better using the guidance of […]

I always wanted to be a mom. When I was a little girl, I played house with my dolls. I would pretend to feed them and change their diapers. I would wrap them up in blankets and carry them around the house. When I got a little older, I would help our neighbors with their […]

  Research tells us that human interaction and connection between adults, babies, toddlers and preschoolers matter! The day-to-day interactions between adults and children are essential to their healthy growth and development. Dr. Junlei Li @ The Hunt Institute’s Prenatal to three Summit said, “When it comes to language development, focus on quality NOT quantity. Thirty […]

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-do-you-make-the-benefits-of-pre-k-education-last  Click the link above to read the PBS News Hour report entitled, How Do You Make the Benefits of Pre-K Education Last? A recent study from Vanderbilt University sparked debate in Tennessee and around the country about the benefits of pre-k.  The quality of early education and its’ long-term benefits are major issues in […]

Mixed-Income Models Work:  All Children Benefit Upon a recent loss of state funding, Norfolk district leaders are looking to open up some preschool classrooms previously set aside for low-income children, to any children in the city, creating more diversity in early education in this region. Superintendent Melinda Boone recognizes that all children benefit from early […]

It is a known fact that reading to children helps them develop the pre-literacy skills needed to be ready for school.  A new study proves, however, that reading can also help children develop positive social skills and prevent aggression, hyperactivity and attention deficit. A recent study looked at 675 families and showed that reading aloud […]

New Initiative Launched on May 1 with Goal of Cultivating, Igniting and Uniting Women Across Virginia as Advocates for Early Education Norfolk, Va. May 3, 2018 – E3: Elevate Early Education launched WE3: Women Elevating Early Education at an inaugural luncheon in Norfolk on Tuesday that was attended by First Lady of Virginia Pamela Northam […]

The Road to High-Quality Learning: Lessons from the States released by Learning Policy Institute describes and analyzes how four states—Michigan, West Virginia, Washington, and North Carolina—have built high-quality early education systems. It is based on reviews of policy documents, studies, and data in each state, as well as observations of programs and interviews with 159 individuals, […]