Government Programs and

Initiatives Impacting
Early Childhood Ed.
Objective 9.02
 6 Government
Programs/Initiatives
• Kaiser Child Care Centers
• Head Start
• Smart Start
• No Child Left Behind
• More at Four Pre-Kindergarten
• Partnership for 21st Century Skills

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 2

Kaiser Child Care Centers
• Originated during World War II
• Offered health care and hot meals
• Convenient to work
• Provided round-the-clock care
• Offered exemplary child care

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 3

 Impact of
Kaiser Child Care Centers
• Served over 3,000 children
• Freed women to work during World
War II
• Provided a model for exemplary child
care

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 4

 Head Start
• Started in 1965
• Major points of the program
– Compensatory education
– Parental involvement
– Community control
– First to bring national attention to the
importance of providing good care and
educational experiences for young children

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 5

 Impact of
Head Start on ECE
• Services for low-income families
• Comprehensive developmental services to over 10
million children
• Now serving about 20% eligible low-income children
• Burst of enthusiasm for programs for young
children
• Expanded enrollment in nursery school,
kindergarten, and child care programs
• National attention to the need for good care and
educational experiences for children

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 6

 Smart Start
• Started in 1993
• A North Carolina initiative
• To ensure that young children are
healthy and ready to succeed
• NC partnership for children oversees
the program

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 7

 Impact of
Smart Start on ECE
• Made early childhood education accessible
to children of all races, classes, cultures,
and needs
• Made child care affordable
• Improved child health outcomes
• Strengthened families
• Used cutting-edge, innovative approaches
for early learning

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 8

 No Child Left Behind
• Started in 2001
• All children receive a quality education
• Higher standards and greater
accountability throughout the nation’s
school systems
• Expanded options for parents
• Teaching methods proven to work

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 9

 Impact of
No Child Left Behind
• Provides accurate assessment of student
performance
• Provides children with effective development
materials
• Increases student and teacher accountability
• Provides individualized and comprehensive
reporting
• Encourages parental involvement by providing at-
home activities

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 10

More at Four Pre-Kindergarten
• A North Carolina initiative
• Started in January-June, 2002
• A state-funded initiative
• For at-risk four-year-olds
• Designed to help children be more
successful in elementary school
• Focuses on underserved children and those
never served in a pre-K program

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 11

Impact of More at Four
• Provides a high quality classroom-based
educational program
• Children served in a variety of settings:
– public schools
– for-profit and nonprofit child care
– Head Start
– Combination settings
• Offers financial assistance
• Serves a diverse group of children
• Very detailed planning of program objectives for
children

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 12

 Partnership for

21st Century Skills

• Started in 2002 as a partnership of 27 member
organizations
• In 2005, NC created the nation’s first Center for 21st
Century Skills
• In May, 2006, NC State Board of Education endorsed
a framework for education based on 21st century skills
which will serve as a foundation for evaluating and
realigning the state’s K-12 standards and curriculum.
• Recognizes that there are results that matter for
students in 21st century that go beyond traditional
standards
• Redefines “rigor” as not just mastery of core
subjects, but also of 21st century skills and content

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Impact of 21st Century Skills
• Provides expanded academic enrichment activities
for children
• Opportunities for students and their families to
continue to learn new skills and discover abilities
after school year has ended
• Provides tutorial services
• Provides art, music, and recreation programs
• Helps children meet standards in reading and math

D - 9.02 - Programs & Initiatives 14

On which of the 6 government
programs/initiatives will you write an
investigative report?

• Kaiser Child Care Centers

• Head Start
• Smart Start
• No Child Left Behind
• More at Four Pre-Kindergarten
• Partnership for 21st Century Skills

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