Michelle J. Neuman

Lessons from Three Decades of Transition Research

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of activities to ease childrens transitions to school. In an effort to inform current and future work, in this article we review the major federally initiated transition demonstration efforts of the past 3 decades (Follow Through and Head Start Planned Variation; Project Development Continuity; the Head Start Transition Project, the National Transition Study; and the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Project). Although the findings from these studies have been far from conclusive and have not strongly affected policy and practice, they do offer lessons for those concerned about implementing transitions. After investigating what has been learned from past research, we recommend a multipronged approach to promote continuity in childrens early development and learning.

Governance of Early Childhood Education and Care: Recent Developments in OECD Countries.

Since the 1990s, many OECD countries have expanded their early childhood services and developed more coherent and coordinated policies. Through this process, countries have adopted very different approaches to governing their early childhood systems. Drawing from findings of a 12‐country comparative study, this article explores cross‐national approaches to the governance of early childhood systems, as well as some possible implications for future policy development. The article discusses the roles of the national government, the local authorities, the private sector and other stakeholders, such as teachers and parents, in making key decisions about how the system operates in different countries. The article calls for empirical research on the effects of governance on the nature of policies and programmes for young children and their families in different nations.

Handbook of Early Childhood Intervention: Early Care and Education: Current Issues and Future Strategies

Throughout the 1990s, interest in and support for our youngest citizens has expanded considerably in the public and private sectors. Throughout the United States, researchers, policy makers, business leaders, media, and parents have recognized the significance of early care and education to fostering childrens early learning and development. Yet, despite recent attention to and activity concerning early care and education, persistent challenges pervade the delivery of services for young children and their families. Historically our nation, while voicing commitment to young children and their families, has layered an insufficient number of piecemeal and idiosyncratic services upon one another, constantly reinforcing – rather than alleviating – an inequitable, nonsystem of early care and education. Although innovative efforts have been launched to redress this situation, like the direct services themselves, these efforts have been without significant coordination or collaboration. Given the increasing utilization of early care and education services, the significant attention being accorded to young children, and the willingness of the public to act more aggressively on this issue than ever before, how can we create a strategic approach to advancing early care and education in the United States? In this chapter, we tackle these issues, first discussing the status of American early care and education today, particularly recent changes in demographics, service delivery, and attitudes. We then delve into the pervasive problems that have plagued the field throughout its history. Given this context, we describe some current innovative efforts in early care and education.

Investing in Early Childhood Development: Review of the World Bank’s Recent Experience

This study provides an overview of Bank investments in Early Childhood Development (ECD) from 2000-2013 within the Education, Health, Nutrition and Population, and Social Protection and Labor practices. The study summarizes trends in operational and analytical investments in early childhood, including lending and trust funded operations at the country, regional, and global levels. Findings are presented on the overall level of finance during this thirteen-year period, the number of ECD investments, and regional and sectoral trends. A series of case studies are presented to highlight lessons learned to inform future Bank support to ECD and to promote better planning across sectors and regions. Trends in analytical and advisory activities are also discussed, including economic sector work, technical assistance, partnership activities, impact evaluations, programmatic approaches, and knowledge products. Finally, the study discusses recent new approaches to support ECD within the World Bank and in client countries. The study benefited from support from the Children Investment Fund Foundation.

Trunk Posture Affects Upper Extremity Function of Adults

This study examined the effects of various seated trunk postures on upper extremity function. 59 adults were tested using the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test while in three different trunk postures. Significant mean differences between the neutral versus the flexed and laterally flexed trunk postures were noted during selected tasks. Specifically, dominant hand performance during the tasks of feeding and lifting heavy cans was significantly slower while the trunk was flexed and laterally flexed than when performed in the neutral trunk position. Performance of the nondominant hand during the tasks of picking up small objects, page turning, as well as the total score was slower while the trunk was flexed compared to performance in the neutral trunk position. These findings support the assumption that neutral trunk posture improves upper extremity performance during daily activities although the effect is not consistent across tasks. Findings are discussed along with limitations and recommendations for research.

Early Childhood Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

In recent years, increasing priority has been placed on the development of national intersectoral early childhood development (ECD) policies in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper reviews the role of national ECD policies to promote young children’s access to key early childhood services. We discuss the proliferation of national ECD policies in Sub-Saharan Africa in the last decade and argue that for most countries, these documents can be useful, but are not sufficient without proper implementation and enforcement. We look specifically at the different ECD policies and institutional arrangements in four countries in East Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and draw out some cross-country lessons for moving from policy development to implementation.

Early Childhood Care and Education: The Family, The Market, and The State

Around the world, the family continues to carry the major responsibility for child care, child-rearing, and early-childhood education and care (ECEC), Increasingly, however, with the rise of women’s participation in the labor force, the family’s role is supplemented by other institutions. This article focuses on the roles of the major childcare and early-education institutions: the family, the market, and the state, in the provision of ECEC for children under compulsory school age. The trend toward greater involvement of nonfamily institutions is especially characteristic of the industrialized countries, but there is great variation with regard to which institution employs which role, how it is paid for, and by whom.

The Politics of (De)centralisation: Early Care and Education in France and Sweden

Since the 1980s, many European countries have shifted significant responsibilities for education and social policy — including early care and education (ECE) — from the central state to lower levels of government. This chapter explores the origins and consequences of decentralisation of early care and education in France and Sweden between 1980 and 2005.1 Decentralisation refers to the extent to which the authority (e.g., administration, staffing, regulation, quality assurance, provision) has been delegated to subnational levels of government, and, sometimes, to the school or programme level. First, I discuss the process of decentralisation of ECE in France and Sweden since the 1980s, with special attention to the actors and institutions involved. Second, I compare the implications of these governance changes in both countries for ECE policy and politics.

Starting Strong: Policy Implications for Early Childhood Education and Care in the U.S.

While the challenges in the field are formidable, Ms. Neuman and Mr. Bennett are confident that policy makers, advocates, practitioners, and parents in the U.S. can learn from the successes and challenges of their OECD peers. But they can apply these lessons only if they choose to make the care and education of their youngest citizens a public responsibility. EARLY CHILDHOOD education and care has become an important political and social issue in many industrialized countries. The recent surge in attention to this area has fostered several major developments, including rapid expansion of early childhood services, increased focus on the quality of those services, greater attention to the coherence and integration of early childhood programs, and higher levels of public investment in the system as a whole. Given these important changes and developments, it is timely to take stock of what has been achieved and what remains to be accomplished. In this article we draw primarily on Starting Strong: Early Childhood Education and Care, a recently released report from the Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development (OECD) that analyzes policy and services in 12 countries.1 Here we briefly review the background, goals, and methodology of the comparative study, discuss seven major cross- national developments and issues, and raise some broad policy implications for the U.S. Three major contextual trends have shaped the recent development of policies for young children in OECD countries. First, research showing that high-quality early experiences promote childrens short-term cognitive, social, and emotional development, as well as their long- term success in school and later in life, have sparked a good deal of policy interest.2 By investing in early childhood education and care (ECEC), countries are making the most of these early opportunities to promote childrens development and learning, which may prevent more costly and less effective remediation later in life. At the same time, research showing the link between the quality of early childhood services and childrens development3 has been incorporated into policy objectives to improve existing programs. In sum, policy makers are recognizing that high-quality early childhood programs - in partnership with parents and high-quality schooling - have the potential to maximize childrens motivation for a lifetime of learning.4 Second, equity concerns have led policy makers to focus on how access to high-quality early childhood services can mediate some of the negative effects of low income on children and form part of a long-term strategy to break the cycle of disadvantage. Child poverty is a concern in many industrialized countries. While taxes and transfers can help redistribute income to families with young children, in a few countries more than 20% of children still live in relative poverty - that is, with household income below 50% of the national median.5 Moreover, governments have also begun to focus on providing early childhood services to families that, though they may not live in poverty, face barriers to full participation in the labor force and society. Such services can help build social cohesion among families at risk of marginalization. Third, many governments have acknowledged the need for affordable and reliable early care to help parents reconcile their work and family responsibilities. Womens desire for greater economic independence, their improved educational levels, and the demands from the economy for more labor have all contributed to increasing female participation in the labor force.6 While many countries have invested in early childhood services to help mothers and fathers balance work and family life, there is also a need for the labor market to be more flexible in accommodating the needs of both parents. Influenced by these important trends, policy makers have recognized that equitable access to early childhood services can strengthen the foundations of lifelong learning for all children and support the broad educational and social needs of families. …

Advancing the nutrition and early childhood development agenda: indicators and guidance.

The importance of early childhood development (ECD) is scientifically established and is increasingly recognized by governments and international organizations. However, progress in protecting and improving ECD is constrained by multisectoral influences on ECD, the multiple sectors and venues for delivering services, the lack of a common fiscal and policy space, and weak or fragmented data and monitoring systems. This paper describes two tools and strategies to strengthen multisectoral, system‐wide policy environments for ECD. One is the Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER)‐ECD framework for tracking progress toward an integrated ECD system. Developed by the World Bank, SABER‐ECD assists governments and their partners to take stock of their existing ECD policies and programs, analyze strengths and areas for improvement using common metrics, and learn from international examples. The other tool is an Agenda‐Setting and Commitments framework, based on research in global health and nutrition that can guide national‐level actors in their advocacy and strategic efforts to strengthen the integrated ECD system. These represent practical and research‐based tools to translate scientific evidence concerning ECD into effective and large‐scale actions.