skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Ex-attorney for Daniels and McDougal testifies in Trump trial; CT paid sick days bill passes House, heads to Senate; Iowa leaps state regulators, calls on EPA for emergency water help; group voices concerns about new TN law arming teachers.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

House Democrats say they'll vote to table a motion to remove Speaker Johnson, former President Trump faces financial penalties and the threat of jail time for violating a gag order and efforts to lower the voting age gain momentum nationwide.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

More rural working-age people are dying young compared to their urban counterparts, the internet was a lifesaver for rural students during the pandemic but the connection has been broken for many, and conservationists believe a new rule governing public lands will protect them for future generations.

Rating Child Care Like Hotels & Restaurants

play audio
Play

Monday, August 5, 2013   

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - People dine at five-star restaurants or watch movies given four stars by reviewers, and now there's a nationwide shift under way to provide similar guidelines for parents looking for a quality preschool or child care provider. Debi Mathias, director, QRIS National Learning Network, said nearly every state is now planning or implementing a Quality Rating Improvement System.

It goes beyond just helping a parent find a safe place to "park" children under age 5, she said.

"We can have well-qualified, skilled teachers working with parents to give us the best possible outcomes in school readiness for young children," Mathias said.

Research has shown that around 90 percent of brain development happens by age 5, and Mathias said 60 percent of kids in that early age group spend time in the care of someone other than their parents.

"That's amazing, isn't it?," she exclaimed. "We want to make sure that the experiences children are having are really focused on providing the best possible support for them, so that they can be solidly ready for school - and for life in general, too."

Miriam Calderon, senior partner with the firm School Readiness Consulting, said the ratings systems now being created and implemented around the country have to include an easily-understood method of informing parents.

"It's not just about sort of adding a couple of stars, or adding a label to a program, and saying, 'This is a five-star program.' There has to be a lot of effort to really help parents understand what that means," Calderon stressed.

Hundreds of experts from around the country met this past week in Washington, D.C., to share ideas on assessing, improving and communicating the level of quality in early care and education settings. President Obama has made access to universal Pre-K a goal of his administration.

More information is available at http://www.buildinitiative.org/.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
MDHHS reports many cardiac deaths among young people in Michigan could be prevented through screening, detection and treatment. (Rawpixel.com)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Sudden cardiac arrest claims the lives of about 250 Michigan children and young adults each year. Legislation signed into law over the weekend aims …


Social Issues

play sound

Cities and towns across Massachusetts hope to increase young voter turnout in local elections by lowering the voting age to sixteen or seventeen…

Environment

play sound

Minnesota is a leader in renewable energy - getting 54% of its electricity from zero-carbon sources last year, according to the 2024 Minnesota Energy …


play sound

For active-duty service members and veterans eyeing a college degree, the march to academic success just got easier. The University of North Carolina …

Over the span of a decade, the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust has invested $107.5 million across ten North Carolina counties including Beaufort, McDowell, Halifax, Rockingham, Burke, Edgecombe, Nash, Bladen, Columbus and Robeson.

Health and Wellness

play sound

A new report reveals that investing in rural areas can improve essential resources for the people living there. Despite a significant rural …

Social Issues

play sound

New Mexico is taking a deep dive into its funding of public colleges and universities to determine if inequities need to be addressed. The Higher …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Birth doulas assist new moms with the stress, uncertainty and anxiety of childbirth. Another type of doula offers similar support - to those who are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021