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2008-2009 National Head Start Fellowships Application deadline has been extended

Applications for the 2008-09 National Head Start Fellowships Program has been extended to Friday, May 16, 2008. Information on the National Head Start Fellowships Program is also available at the Head Start Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLKC) at http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/Professional%20Development/Individual%20Development/Head%20Start%20Fellowship%20Program/prodev_pub_00055_022207_1.html.

The Office of Head Start (OHS), Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awards up to 10 Fellowships each year.  Candidates are sought who demonstrate experience with Head Start, substantial content area expertise, and high levels of personal and professional achievement.  OHS is particularly interested in candidates experienced in training and technical assistance, program monitoring and quality assurance, and family and community partnerships. However, placements for next year have not yet been determined and candidates with other areas of expertise should also feel free to apply!

The National Head Start Fellowships Program runs from October 2008 through September 2009.  Fellows are expected to contribute their skills and perspectives from the field to support the accomplishment of national program initiatives designed to improve the quality of services to children and families served by Head Start programs nationwide.  In addition to work assignments, the Fellows take part in professional education and leadership development programs aimed at enhancing their leadership skills.

Established in 1995, the National Head Start Fellowships Program offers the opportunity to gain first-hand experience and a national perspective on the Office of Head Start and other Federal programs serving children and families.  In this way, the Fellowships program is developing a cadre of leaders who have the experience and skills to make substantial contributions in behalf of the children and families of today and tomorrow.

NBCDI's President Carol Brunson Day, Ph.D. honored at the 2008 Parents as Teachers Conference
On April 1, 2008, NBCDI’s President Carol Brunson Day, Ph.D. received the 2008 Parents as Teachers Child and Family Advocacy Award at the Parents as Teachers conference in St. Louis, Missouri . Dr. Day was honored for her exceptional service and steadfast commitment in advocating for children and families. Members of the BCDI St. Louis affiliate chapter were in attendance including Gwen Pennington, Alan Green, Bernice Garner, Ciby Kimbrough, Valerie Banks, Nancy Reams, and Christine Reams. Click here for the St. Louis American's coverage of the awards ceremony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NBCDI will participate in a briefing on the “Providing Resources to Improve Dual-Language Education Act”

The National Black Child Development Institute is partnering with the National Council of La Raza in conjunction with Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-CA) for a briefing on the “Providing Resources to Improve Dual-Language Education Act” (PRIDE Act) (H.R. 3842). The briefing will take place on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. in Room 121 of the Cannon House Office Building. Click here to view the invitation.

NBCDI President Responds to a New Policy Brief from the Foundation for Child Development

NBCDI’s President Carol Brunson Day, Ph.D. was one of four respondents at a Press Conference held January 10, 2008 by New York’s Foundation for Child Development, marking the release of a new policy brief, Implementing Policies to Reduce the Likelihood of Preschool Expulsion by Walter S. Gilliam, Ph.D. The original policy brief, Prekindergarteners Left Behind: Expulsion Rates in State Prekindergarten Systems published in May 2005 cited findings that showed that African American children were twice more likely than other children to be expelled from preschool. The study also found that of the African American children expelled, ninety-one percent (91%) were males.  

Click here to view Dr. Day’s press statement about the report. To listen to the audio recording of the press conference, call 1-888-203-1112 (access code 1244349).

NBCDI helps craft the DC Council's Pre-K Expansion Measure

NBCDI has been an advocate promoting a measure that would extend pre-kindergarten programs in DC to an additional 2,000 three- and four- year olds in the city. The measure was introduced last month by DC Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D). Pre-K for All DC, a collaborative initiative of NBCDI, helped Gray craft the Pre-K for All DC Amendment Act. NBCDI President Carol Brunson Day was quoted in a Washington Post article about the bill. Click here to view the article.  

NBCDI partners with Reading is Fundamental (RIF) to offer RIF's Care to Read campaign in two Affiliate cities

NBCDI has partnered with Reading is Fundamental (RIF) to offer professional development to early childhood educators to build their capacity and resources to develop and enhance early literacy skills of African American children. RIF, the nation’s oldest and largest non-profit literacy organization, along with support from the U.S. Department of Education, Macy’s, Univision, Radio One, and Koahnic Broadcast Corporation have launched a nationwide campaign to help improve children’s literacy in the African-American, Hispanic, and native American communities. The campaign stresses the importance of developing the language skills of young children to help better prepare them for success in school and life. As a part of this campaign, RIF has proposed a long-term partnership with NBCDI to begin this fall with a pilot phase involving offering RIF’s Care to Read early literacy training program in two cities under the auspices of NBCDI affiliates in Nashville, TN in Albany, NY. On October 5 and 6, NBCDI's affiliate chapters BCDI Albany and BCDI Nashville participated in the early literacy training. Click here to read an article about the training in Albany.

Click here for more information about RIF's Multicultural Literacy Campaign.

NBCDI President serves as a panelist for the Center for American Progress' event The Push for Quality Pre-School Education

On July 25, 2007, NBCDI President Carol Brunson Day, Ph.D. was a featured panelist at the Center for American Progress' presentation The Push for Quality Pre-school Education. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) and Bob Casey (PA) were the Keynote Speakers and presented the highlights of their recently introduced pre-kindergarten bills. A Q&A session with the senators followed, as well as a panel session with experts from the field.

Other expert panelists included Harriet Ditcher, Deputy Secretary, Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Pennsylvania Departments of Public Welfare and Education and Libby Doggett, Executive Director, Pre-K Now.

Click here to read Carol Brunson Day's remarks.