Newsletter for January 2016

An Evening with Anis Mojgani

When: February 10, 2016 7:00 PM

Where: Methodical Coffee, Greenville SC

Cost: $15

Anis Mojgani is AIR Serenbe's 2016 recipient of the Institute for Child Success's Focus Fellowship. This fellowship is awarded to an artist of any discipline making work for young children. ICS will be hosting an event in Greenville so that friends of ICS in our community can experience Anis's work as it relates to early childhood.

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ICS Sharpens Mission and Vision to Celebrate 5th Anniversary

In 2010, leaders in Greenville, SC came together to create the Institute for Child Success (ICS). Five years later, and thanks to the support of its many collaborators, ICS can now point to many accomplishments benefiting the lives of children and families. ICS is commemorating its five-year anniversary by looking forward. The ICS Board of Directors recently honed the ICS mission and vision statements to better reflect our ongoing work and to guide the organization in the years to come. Please see additional details about our new mission and vision here

2016 Pay for Success Technical Assistance Competition

ICS is proud to announce its 2016 Pay for Success competition for jurisdictions interested in improving outcomes for children and bringing new resources to early childhood programs. For more information, visit our website.

When Brain Science Meets Public Policy: Rethinking Young Child "Neglect" from a Science-Informed, Two-Generation Perspective

ICS's latest paper in the Institute's Brain Science to Public Policy series explores the problem of "neglect" from a child welfare perspective. In 2013, the last year for which we have comprehensive data, just over 300,000 young children, ages birth to three, were on the nation's child welfare caseload for substantiated neglect. Co-authored by Dr. Janice Gruendel (Institute for Child Success; Zigler Center in Child Development & Social Policy, Yale University), Bobby Cagle (Georgia Department of Family and Children Services), and Heather Baker (Public Consulting Group) , the brief offers a four-point Checklist for Change. The Checklist is based in the science of early brain development, and it offers common sense steps that could be taken by child welfare agencies committed to improve their approach to vulnerable young children.

Best economic strategy for SC: refundable tax credit

Keller Anne Ruble

Keller Anne Ruble, Associate for Policy Research, published an op-ed in The State about how an Earned Income Tax Credit could benefit South Carolina children and families. For more information on the research she references about the EITC's impact on academic outcomes, see her issue brief or the full research study by Michelle Maxfield, Ph.D.

SXSWedu Summit

This summit, held in Austin, TX in conjunction with SXSW Interactive in March, will convene practitioners, policy makers, and professionals interested in cross-sector change to positively benefit all young children an d their families, with discussants and keynotes from a wide range of fields. The summit, entitled, "Designing an Innovative Future for Early Learning," will feature keynote addresses and a series of conversations around salient issues affecting early childhood health, education, and well-being between discussants and moderators. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with speakers during question and answer sessions. Libby Doggett, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Early Learning, will be joining ICS's own Joe Waters in chairing this summit. To find out more about opportunities to sponsor the inclusion of early learning at SXSWedu, please email Muffy Grant.

Federal Policy Updates

Last year, Congress ratified the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). ICS recently released an analysis showing that children whose families receive a larger EITC have better educational outcomes. Among other improved outcomes, this research shows that young children whose families receive the EITC do better in math and are more likely to graduate high school and go to college. ICS applauds Congress and the President for ensuring that this important tool remains available for our children in years to come.

ICS is also excited to see that the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) received funding for the upcoming year. Earlier in the year, appropriators considered eliminating this important funding to catalyze evidence-based innovation in order to meet very difficult budget targets. ICS is pleased that Congress was able to restore much of SIF's budget for the upcoming year.

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