Here’s a good read explaining why toddlers love to do things on repeat. Note, repetition is also an important part of helping young children grow literacy skills. 

Quotable & Notable

“Often, we talk about governments and policies [and] it’s hard to sometimes connect them to our daily lives. This [the Child Tax Credit] is a policy that impacts families’ lives day-to-day.”

Who:

Ailen Arreaza, executive director of ParentsTogether Action

Where: “A new child tax credit could pass this month. Here’s what it would do for low-income families” published in The 19th

Fact of the Week

An expansion of the federal Child Tax Credit is being considered by Congress — part of a compromise deal announced this week. If it were to pass, the expansion would lift an estimated 400,000 American children out of poverty.

Policy Radar

Ohio legislators are considering a “thriving families tax credit” that would provide up to $1,000 per child for children under age five and up to $500 for children 6-17. The credit could help alleviate financial pressure and food insecurity for Ohio families — as this Public News Service article discusses.

Ohio lawmakers are also reviewing a new proposal to establish a pilot program to improve student attendance in kindergarten and in the ninth grade. The pilot would offer cash incentives to families whose children maintain high attendance rates, in an effort to address chronic absenteeism.

FYI

Ohio State’s Crane Center, in partnership with the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University, has launched the Big Ten Early Learning Alliance — an initiative among 14 universities to collaborate on early childhood research and promote the use of scientific evidence in policy and practice.

Beyond the Buckeye State

Lawmakers in West Virginia are realizing that child care access is critical for attracting business investments to the state. Members of their state legislature have formed a work group and several bills are under consideration — including one that would stabilize child care provider payments, and another that incentivizes employer-based child care.

A ballot measure passed by Texas voters in November 2023 allows cities and counties to offer property tax exemptions for facilities that operate child care businesses. Early Learning Nation explains the cost savings this could yield for providers.

What We’re Reading

Chalkbeat discusses how inadequate child care can pose a threat to the sustainability of rural communities in America.

Here are two reads explaining the importance of the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program (Summer EBT), which allows eligible families to purchase food while school is out of session to reduce food insecurity. The program is estimated to help up to 850,000 Ohio children this summer.

Research Round-Up

Recent studies on the impacts of preschool tend to show weaker results than the “landmark” studies from the 1960s and 1970s that have been heralded by advocates. In this Q&A published by Education Week, one researcher describes some of the reasons for this, reasons also suggested in a working paper on the topic.

This edition was written by Jamie O'Leary.

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