“Let the Kids Learn through Play” in the New York Times

Don’t miss Let the Kids Learn Through Play, which includes some interesting research and has been getting much attention since it appeared over the weekend.

Also, Jason Furman, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, includes early childhood education in his recent New York Times piece on social programs that have been shown to produce positive outcomes:

A body of research on the long-term effects of high-quality preschool programs and other early-childhood interventions, like home visits by health professionals, consistently finds that they improve a range of adult outcomes, from higher earnings to reduced crime rates. Other research has found that Head Start achieves similar results.

Playbook for Becoming an Early Learning Community

The White House has released a Playbook for Becoming an Early Learning Community in conjunction with its recent Summit on Early Education. The Playbook outlines 7 steps, each with a number of recommended strategies and helpful examples from around the country:

1. Mobilize key stakeholders in your community.
2. Use data to share the basics on young children in your community.
3. Develop a community-wide strategy or plan.
4. Determine funding mechanisms that work best for your community.
5. Develop a data tracking system.
6. Implement and expand on your plan.