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Childcare & Early Education

Care.com Finds that a Majority of Americans Want Subsidized Child Care

August 28, 2016
I remember the day I realized I couldn’t afford the day care center I wanted. They had baby yoga and a curriculum I coveted. But the annual cost would have crippled our family. “The annual cost is more than your take home pay,” my husband said looking at the center’s application. The more...
Katie Bugbee's picture

Child Watch® Column: Back to School

August 19, 2016
As a new school year begins, parents, teachers and administrators are all thinking about how to make it the best year ever. One of the keys to student success sounds very simple but can make a profound difference: making sure every student is in school every day. This is not the case in many schools and school districts across the country. The Department of Education estimates that five to seven and a half million students miss 18 or more days of school each year, or nearly an entire month or more.
Marian Wright Edelman's picture

Is Congress doing enough to invest in our littlest learners?

August 18, 2016
Do you care about ALL children receiving a quality, affordable early learning experience? Me too! So lets vote on it this November.
Elyssa Schmier's picture

The “Child Care Dance” and why we need reform

August 15, 2016
“We thought we were doing everything right,” said Jenny, a young mom and Fair Share supporter. “We thought we were so ahead of things, we had even started a college fund, but … no one told us what we needed was a child care savings fund!” While young parents like Jenny try to prepare for parenthood...
Chloe Sasson's picture

Child Watch® Column: Filling in the Stories

August 12, 2016
Do your children love the books on their summer reading lists? Are your children reading about diverse cultures and books that reflect their experience or history? Children of color are now a majority of all public school students and will soon be a majority of all children in America yet children’s books and the publishing industry have failed to keep up with the rainbow of our children’s faces and cultures and needs. Every summer our Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools® curriculum is focused on a superb collection of diverse books that reflect children’s own images and a wide variety of cultures and experiences. For some children it’s the first time they’ve seen books with characters who look like them. For others the storylines draw them in, teach them about moments in history they may not have studied in school, and allow them to fall in love with reading in a way they’ve never experienced.
Marian Wright Edelman's picture

A Chemical Risk to Our Children’s Olympic Moments

August 10, 2016
The summer Olympics are coming, and gymnastics are sure to be among the most popular events. But while parents of America’s young aspiring gymnasts -- and even other parents -- are watching the action, most of them don’t know that some gym mats and other foam equipment could pose a serious health...
Charles Margulis's picture

An entirely different approach to kids' behavior in the classroom

August 9, 2016
Last year, I took a job at a no excuses charter school, sight unseen. I hadn’t visited or asked many questions before signing my contract, which left me uneducated about the practices associated with this type of school. In short, a "no excuses" charter school usually enrolls low income and...

The Truth: The First Step toward Combating the System

August 8, 2016
Growing up my parents answered every question, except the ones about Santa Claus and when our next trip to Toy’s R US would be, with the truth. So, when I asked them about racial inequality in second grade while doing my “Ancestry Project” for my predominately White school (P.W.I.), again my...
Epyana Smith's picture

Moms Aren’t Taking a Recess from Advocating for Recess

August 4, 2016
With a new school year upon us, it seems a good time to give you an update on our effort to ensure Florida's public elementary school students receive the 20 minutes of daily recess they so desperately need and deserve. While our recess bill made it through the House last session, Sen. John Legg,...
Angela Browning's picture

In New York City Schools Racial Profiling and Discrimination Starts Young

July 30, 2016
THREE MILLION students, including preschoolers and kindergartners, are suspended from public schools each year across the nation . Last year in New York City, more than 800 kindergarten through second graders were suspended from school. Not only are these children only approximately 5 - 7 years-old...
Beatriz Beckford's picture

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