Early Childhood & School Readiness
You are in the Family and Community Involvement section of the Casey Foundation Knowledge Center, which offers resources that are either published or funded by the Casey Foundation. Resources address the importance of empowering families and communities actively engaged in schools and school systems.
See also the Our Work: Education, an overview of the Casey Foundation's investments in this issue.
See also all Education resources in the Knowledge Center.
Featured Publications
Ensuring Success for Young Children: Early Childhood Literacy
2009
Research shows that reading abilities in third grade act as a tell-tale barometer for later school success, since children who read at grade level are more likely to graduate from high school. And those who graduate from high school are more likely to pursue further education or get a job. This discussion guide for small foundations explores strategies for supporting nonprofits that provide early childhood education programs and services, especially those that focus on early childhood literacy and reading at grade level by third grade.
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View the Investing Strategies to Serve Vulnerable Children Series >>
Feeding Our Future: Growing Up Healthy with WIC
2009
This report by Children’s HealthWatch highlights the implications of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) on very young children. The report details research indicating that WIC improves children’s health as well as reduces the risk of developmental delays.
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Present, Engaged, and Accounted For: The Critical Importance of Addressing Chronic Absence in the Early Grades
2008
Although students must be present and engaged to learn, thousands of this country’s youngest students are academically at-risk because of extended absences when they first embark upon their school careers. Nationally, an estimated one in ten kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent (i.e., miss nearly a month or more of school over the course of a year). This report, commissioned by Casey, raises awareness of this issue, presents data on the scope of the challenge, and shares emerging insights about how to address it. The good news is that chronic early absence can be significantly reduced when schools, communities, and families join together to monitor and promote attendance, as well as to identify and address the factors that prevent young students from attending school every day.
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Close to Home: State Strategies to Strengthen and Support Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care
2007
In this report the authors highlight a variety of policy options that offer opportunities to strengthen the early learning experiences of this country’s poorest children who receive child care provided by family, friends, and neighbors.
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Ensuring Success For Young Children: Transition to Kindergarten
2009
Research shows that as much as half of school failure may be due to gaps in school readiness even before children transition to kindergarten. This discussion guide for small foundations explores strategies for supporting nonprofits that provide early childhood education programs and services, especially those that focus on ensuring school readiness and smoothing transition to kindergarten.
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View the Investing Strategies to Serve Vulnerable Children Series >>
Executive Summary - Present, Engaged, and Accounted For: The Critical Importance of Addressing Chronic Absence in Early Grades
2008
This executive summary highlights the Casey-funded report from the National Center for Children on how schools and communities can work together to reduce chronic absenteeism among young school-age children.
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State Child Care Assistance Policies 2008: Too Little Progress For Children And Families
2008
Based on a survey of state child care assistance policies in four key areas—income eligibility limits, waiting lists, parent copayments, and reimbursement rates, this paper reports on changes in these policies between February 2007 and February 2008. It also notes state policy changes that had or were expected to occur during 2008.
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Supporting Early Childhood Success: Action Kit for Municipal Leaders
2008
A child's ability to learn, grow, and succeed is often related to his community's ability to provide access to high-quality child care and education, as well as promote a child's safety and well-being. Understanding that municipalities are tasked with such a charge, this action kit outlines steps that community leaders can take to help children and families succeed.
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Demographics of Family, Friend, and Neighbor Child Care in the United States
2008
This research brief, which summarizes a larger literature review, focuses on the proportion of employed parents who use family, friend, and neighbor care; the patterns of family friend neighbor care used; and the various characteristics of caregivers who provide family, friend, and neighbor care.
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