Tuned In will be off next Friday for our annual Symposium on Children, the theme for which is investing in children. Consider joining us!  

Quotable & Notable

Fact of the Week

“Price of Care: 2021 Child Care Affordability Analysis”, a new report from Child Care Aware, found that the 2021 average annual price of full-time care for an infant in a center-based setting in Ohio is $10,118 and $8,130 in a family care setting.

Policy Radar

Federal Relief Funding  

The Dispatch recaps how Ohio has spent its $26 billion in COVID relief dollars thus far. The state still has $10 billion left to spend, with the Dispatch noting that it’s the largest amount of unallocated money Ohio has seen. Nearly $1 billion of the recovery funds are still left to allocate to child care. 

New America highlights how states are using increased dollars from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER or ESSER III) Fund for early education initiatives. Ohio gains a mention for using $2.2 million of its federal funds to “launch a virtual, personalized tutoring program that supports over 2,000 families of students with IEPs by connecting them to virtual tutors.”

New from Crane

Two Crane faculty associates, Dr. Tzu-Jung Lin and Dr. Kelly Purtell, along with Crane executive director Dr. Laura Justice, are authors on “Extracurricular activity participation in kindergarten: Who participates, and why does it matter?” published in Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. The study examined the relationship between demographic characteristics of kindergarten children (like race, gender, mother's education, and income) and their participation in extracurricular activities. The findings highlight inequalities in kindergarteners’ access to extracurriculars based on demographic characteristics, particularly mother's education and race, with the authors noting “our study provides evidence that crucial barriers in access to EAs by children of lower socioeconomic status, race, and gender are present in education today.” 

Beyond the Buckeye State

Elliot Haspel shares insights from Ireland on child care policy – an intriguing read that reminds us to keep our eyes wide open about what is possible when it comes to paying for systems that work for children and families. To hear Elliot speak, be sure to register for our upcoming Symposium on Children next Friday!

Connecticut is offering one-time $1,000 bonuses for child care workers as part of a newly announced initiative, Wage Supports for Early Childhood Educators. 

New Mexico is garnering attention for action on multiple early childhood items:

• Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s latest plan to use federal relief funds to boost pay of child care workers
• A ballot measure that, if passed, would make New Mexico the first state to “guarantee a constitutional right to early childhood education”  
• A referendum that, if passed, would provide hundreds of millions in funding for early childhood education from the state’s oil and gas “trust fund” 

What We're Reading

Clemson researchers have found that babies born during the pandemic are at a heightened risk for developmental delays in communication and social development. This article offers five evidence-based tips for parents and teachers to help mitigate this risk and support young children.  

The Akron Beacon Journal describes a new literacy training program for K-1 teachers as well as intervention specialists and ESL teachers in the district. The program provides explicit training in the science of reading and phonics.

The 74 Million offers a troubling look into the lack of data on how students with disabilities are recovering from lost instruction during the pandemic.

FYI

CDF-Ohio reminds families that there's still time to claim the Child Tax Credit. They link to a useful tax tool for claiming the CTC. 

Research Round-Up

An article in The Conversation offers a helpful rundown of research on whether and in what circumstances tutoring is effective for students. It’s a timely topic given the money being spent by states to remediate students after the pandemic (including Ohio).