Minutes taken by Elaine
Williams, Michigan State University
and Steve Manchester, Michigan AEYC
The meeting was called to
order shortly after 9:30, each person gave a brief
self-introduction and the group adopted the agenda.
EARLY
ANNOUNCEMENT: The web
site for the Michigan Legislature has been improved in
recent weeks. It provides easy access to committee meeting
schedules; the status of bills and their contents as they
move through the legislative process; access to bills by
sponsor, bill number and subject matter; all current
statutes -- and more. The address is:
www.michiganlegislature.org
GUEST
SPEAKER: LARRY SCHWEINHART,
Senior Research Scientist, Research Division, High/Scope
Educational Research Foundation.
Dr. Schweinhart discussed research pertaining to the
Michigan School Readiness Program for 4-year-olds "at risk"
for school failure. The High/Scope Educational Foundation
conducted this research for the Michigan Department of
Education.
NOTE:
You can read the entire report and the press release about
the report at www.highscope.org.
ALSO:
Larry recommended a new report published on February 5
titled, "Preschool for All: Investing in a Just and
Productive Society." This report by the Committee for
Economic Development makes the case for universal preschool
for children ages three to five. Go to www.ced.org.
Dr. Schweinhart said that MSRP serves about 26,000
four-year-olds. Of Michigan's roughly 140,000 annual births,
about one-half are at some risk for school failure. MSRP
along with Head Start and preschool special education serve
about 2/3 of Michigan's at-risk children.
MSRP has two important characteristics: (1) A state wide
program, it is carried out similarly across the state, which
makes research findings applicable across the state; (2)
According to the High Scope research, MSRP delivers
important gains for children that last five years beyond the
time they leave MSRP. Furthermore, the success of MSRP comes
at a time when Michigan's opinion leaders have newly
discovered appreciation of the importance of early childhood
development.
These programs were consistently rated as providing "high
quality" experiences for children, both by teachers in the
programs and independent outside observers. The research
indicated possible areas of mediocre to low quality with
respect to few teachers engaged with a professional
organization and some teachers paid far less than others.
The task force engaged Larry in a lively discussion about
the implications, if any, of school district based teachers
earning an average salary of $40,000 and non-school-based
teachers earning $20,000. Does the amount of salary purchase
the same or different staffs; does the quality offered by
their programs differ?
The study showed that MSRP positively affects academic
skills but shows no effect on social skills. MSRP keeps
children from repeating a grade, which is one of the worst
things that can happen to a child in school (research shows
that retaining children just does not work, but Michigan
uses the approach more than most states). The state saves
$11 million each year by simply keeping some children from
repeating a grade.
Dr. Schweinhart concluded with comments about using these
research findings and other research to advocate for high
quality early childhood education programs.
GUEST
SPEAKER: JANE ZEHNDER-MERRELL,
Senior Research Associate, Michigan League for Human
Services; Project Director, Kids Count in Michigan.
Ms. Zehnder-Merrell discussed the recently released report
"Right Start in Michigan," which focuses on the conditions
for mothers and infants in urban communities. (Data for
Michigan counties will be available in March.)
NOTE:
The updated information on "Right Start in Michigan" will be
on the Michigan League for Human Services web site beginning
in early March at www.milhs.org. Currently, you can view the
"Right Start 2001" report with data through 1999. The report
uses the following information from birth certificates to
assess the conditions for babies and their families in
Michigan counties and urban centers. The data produce eight
indicators: (1) Percent of births to teens; (2) Percent of
teen births to teens who are already mothers; (3) Percent of
births to unmarried women; (4) Percent of births to mothers
with less than 12 years education; (5) Percent of births to
mothers receiving late or not prenatal care; (6) Percent of
mothers who smoked during pregnancy; (7) Percent of low
birth weight babies; (8) Percent of pre-term births.
The state showed improvement on six of the eight indicators
over the 1990s. Although the biggest improvement occurred in
the decline in smoking during pregnancy, the state still had
higher rates than the national average. Michigan also showed
positive gains during the 90's with respect to teen births
and repeat births to teens.
Michigan compares closely with national averages except that
Michigan moms are more likely to have completed their high
school education, but they are also more likely to have
smoked during pregnancy.
Two critical measures of infant well being showed no
improvement: low birth weight and pre-term births. Low birth
weight is the largest cause of infant mortality among
African-American women. Medicaid is available to pregnant
women whose income is under 18.5% of poverty but many women
do not know/realize they are eligible. Teen births are
double the rate in Western Europe.
Jane noted that despite progress in the nation and in
Michigan, U.S. teen birth rates continue to be more than
double the rates of most industrialized countries. Policies
to promote marriage as a strategy to improve child
well-being may prove problematic as research shows that
unmarried men who father children outside marriage are more
likely to be poorly educated, unemployed and have substance
abuse problems than their married counterparts. Marriage, by
itself, will not solve these problems.
Michigan could do more to reduce smoking, particularly if
tobacco settlement funds were used for this.
BUSINESS OF THE TASK
FORCE
Department
of Education Report: Barb Roth
(rothb@michigan.gov)
Certain ECEC grants are no longer available through Barb's
office because of changes or expected changes in the School
Aid and Department of Education budgets. You can track these
changes at:
http://www.state.mi.us/mde/off/staa/earlychild/index.htm
Barb will organize the writing of the state's plan regarding
the federal 21st Century Program, which provides
after-school services. Contact Ms. Roth if you want to help
in writing the plan.
Barb will also be involved in writing a plan for the
Michigan Mathematics Progress Profile for preschoolers. You
can contact Barb if interested in being involved with
this.
Other
Legislation:
Kristen
MacDonald-Stone discussed
a bill that will establish a Marriage and Fatherhood
Commission to encourage and support families.
Steve
Manchester gave an
update on House Bills 5583 and 5585, which repeat the
before- and after-school bills passed by the House last
spring as 4617/19 and then defeated in the Senate.
(NOTE:
Last week, the Senate referred HBs 5583/5 to the Senate
Committee on Families, Mental Health and Human Services, the
same committee that considered this issue last year. The
analysis in vogue today is that these new bills and their
earlier incarnation will move no further unless different
modes of communication develop.)
Steve asked people using school playgrounds as outdoor play
areas for child care centers to contact him about their
experiences, if any, with the Division of Child Day
Licensing, particularly if they are being told they can no
longer use those playgrounds.
LAST
MINUTE SPECIAL GUEST: State Representative Michael
Murphy (Lansing) joined
the meeting shortly before noon. (He had planned to give a
legislative update if his committee obligations permitted,
but had been held in committee meetings later than
expected.) He said he wanted early education and care
matters placed more strongly into future state budgets so
they would stop being last-in/first-out during weak economic
times.
Other
Announcements: Head
Start conference, February 27-March 1 (WWW.MHSA.WS) MiAEYC
conference, March 21-23 (WWW.MiAEYC.ORG).
COMMUNICATIONS
NETWORK PASSES 900: The
communications network contains 764 email and 139 snail-mail
members for a total of 903 members, passing 900 for the
first time. Thank you to those who sent in new members in
January. You are asked to RECRUIT just ONE NEW MEMBER to the
network so that we can go past the 1000 mark.
The meeting adjourned shortly after noon.
NEXT
MEETING:
Wednesday, March 6, 2002
9:30 a.m. - noon
State of Michigan Library; Lake Ontario Room, Lansing
GUEST
SPEAKER: TOM WATKINS,
STATE SUPERINTENDENT of PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
Kristen McDonald-Stone,
Michigan Head Start Association
Lisa Brewer, Michigan 4-C Association/T.E.A.C.H.®
Co-chairs, Michigan Child Care Task Force
o Please FORWARD THIS NOTICE
TO OTHERS; we invite people to join this email network.
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list should be directed to smanchester@MiAEYC.org.
oThis message is made possible, in part, by generous support
from the Frey Foundation of Grand Rapids.
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