Upcoming Michigan House of Representatives meetings related to young children:
Committee: Appropriations
Date: October 24, 2007
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Room 352, House Appropriations, 3rd Floor, State Capitol
Agenda: Conference Committee Reports and Discussion of the 2007-2008 Budget

Upcoming Michigan Senate Committee meetings related to young children:
None scheduled at this time.

Committee meetings are often added or agendas changed after the update is sent. Check the legislature's committee calendar for additions and changes.

Current actions on Michigan bills related to young children:
HB 5323 Special Education Rules (Miller) Restores authority of State Board of Education over special education rules. Introduced and referred to Education (10/17/07). Printed bill filed (10/18/07).

SB 747 STUDENT ABSENCES (Garcia) Requires school districts grant excused absences for students when a parent is deployed on or returns from combat duty (9/7/07). Reported (10/10/07). Referred to committee of the whole (10/11/07). Passed roll call (10/17/07). Referred to committee on military and veterans affairs and homeland security (10/17/07).

HRC 51 S.C.H.I.P. (Dean) Urges Congress to override the president's veto of the SCHIP program. Passed in the House (10/11/07). Rules suspended (10/16/07). Referred to committee on appropriations (10/16/07). Discharge committee postponed (10/18/07).

Bill abstracts provided by Voices for Michigan’s Children. See the status of other bills at Michigan's Children.

Budget update:
Michigan's fiscal future: Long-term analysis of Michigan's economy and state budget
Now that there is a temporary budget settlement it is time to look ahead at Michigan's fiscal future. The Citizens Research Council of Michigan and the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research have released an impressive and critically important analysis of what we can expect. Citizens Research Council of Michigan

Have you Heard? – Weekly additions
For Additional reports and findings please visit the MiAEYC web site:
www.miaeyc.org/News/Have_You_Heard.html

Votes Count: Legislative Action on Pre-K, Fiscal Year 2008
This year, another state committed to provide pre-k for all, bringing the total number of such states to seven. More and more states are recognizing the wisdom of investing in pre-k, therefore more children will enjoy educational opportunities that prepare them for success in school and life. Pre-K Now

Tracking Services for Infants, Toddlers and Their Families: A Look at Federal Early Childhood Programs and the Roles of State and Local Governments
This chart summarizes major federal programs currently focused on infants and young children and clarifies the roles federal, state and local governments play in those programs. Zero to Three

Classroom Quality and Time Allocation in Tulsa’s Early Childhood Programs
This study compared Tulsa's universal prekindergarten classrooms to a sample of state-funded preschool classrooms in seven states as well as to the national Head Start program and found that the Tulsa program is of higher quality than those across the nation and produces greater outcomes for children. Georgetown University, Psychology Department

Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Development
Canada's Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development launched its Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Development on October 9th. The Centre says its encyclopedia covers a wide range of early development topics and contains input from 270 authors from 11 countries. Each topic is organized with key messages geared for parents and service providers. For researchers and others wishing to delve more deeply, each topic has a comprehensive folder containing numerous articles and research reports. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development

In the News– Weekly additions
For Additional reports and findings please visit the MiAEYC web site:
www.miaeyc.org/News/The_News.html

Can children recover from their parents' divorce
When a mother and father get divorced, how does this impact children and what can be done to help? Sociologists and psychologists are starting to provide information about the effects of divorce on children and research shows that some of the factors that impact children are the age of the child at the time of the divorce, the gender and personality of the child, the amount of conflict between the parents and the quality of the support system. Christian News Wire

Could smaller elementary school classes make kids healthier?
The discussion this week is whether or not there is a potential link between smaller elementary school class sizes and better health, a safer way to give painkillers and treatments for ADHD. Slate

Reducing Class Size May Be More Cost-effective Than Most Medical Interventions
A study of nearly 12,000 Tennessee children found that those randomly assigned to classes of 13 to 17 students gained, on average, 1.7 quality-adjusted life-years. According to one doctor familiar with the study, the findings suggest that in cost-benefit terms, class size may be more beneficial than money spent on antibiotics, hospital buildings or vaccines. Science Daily

None dare call it child care
Today, we live in a country where quality child care is controversial. We never hear political discussion about the repercussions of the fact that it's nearly impossible to support a middle-class family on one parent's salary. A decent private child care program costs $12,000 a year in some parts of the country, and the middle-class families receive no help. The only parents who get child-care assistance from the government are extremely poor mothers in welfare-to-work programs, however the waiting list is very long and, in many states, once the mother finds a job, she's loses the child care. The New York Times

Giving Intervention a Head Start
During a career spanning five decades, Edward Zigler has combined scholarly research with public service to promote federal and state policies that are good for all children. In 1970, he became the first director of the Office of Child Development, which administered the fledgling Head Start program. In this interview with Educational Leadership, Dr. Zigler expresses his views on Head Start, universal preschool and child care. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Toys'R'Us Identifies Five Key Trends That Will Help Shape Holiday Toy Shopping Decisions
Today, Toys"R"Us announced the predominant toy trends that will influence kids' wish lists this holiday season. After a yearlong review of new toy introductions and thorough research of themes that have captured the imagination of today's youth, Toys"R"Us has identified the following top five toy trends. Corporate Media News

Need for budget cuts may mean less money for childhood programs
Gov. Jennifer Granholm has talked consistently during her five years in office about the need to invest more money in early childhood education. But the state's budget difficulties have made doing that job more of a goal than reality. Lansing State Journal

Web site shows autism videos
What's so unusual about a baby fascinated with spinning a cup, or a toddler flapping his hands, or a preschooler walking on her toes? Parents and even doctors sometimes miss these red flags for autism, but a new online video "glossary" makes them startlingly clear. MSNBC

Study details kids' needs
Overall, the study found that St. Clair County doesn't invest enough in educating children before they hit kindergarten, said Whitney Pavlov, the St. Clair County Regional Educational Services Agency's director for early-childhood education. The Times Herald

School readiness must be a priority for Michigan
It makes much more sense to pay to ensure that children get the services and developmental support they need to start school ready to learn. That will be the focus of a summit on early childhood education that the governor will address next month. We hope that summit participants will look at ways to better utilize both public and private funds to provide preschool children with the educational services they need to become lifelong learners. Battle Creek Enquirer

Early childhood programs not making up the cuts of past years
Spending on programs designed to help make all children ready for school did go up this past fiscal year by about $7.7 million. But overall spending remains a third lower than it was in 2001. The need to cut $440 million out of the existing budget makes it unlikely more money will be pumped into programs designed to help infants to 4-year-olds when lawmakers pass spending plans later this month. The Oakland Press