EARLY CHILDHOOD SYSTEMS

Science, Policy, and the Young Developing Child - Closing the Gap Between What We Know and What We Do 
In this report published by the Ounce of Prevention Fund, Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. examines the current state of early childhood, and explores ways to close the gap between what we know and what we do as a society.

Invest in the Very Young  
In this summary paper from the Ounce of Prevention Fund, Dr. James Heckman, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, explores the assumptions and foundations of current policies toward skill formation.  He examines the conventional wisdom articulated by political leaders and draws on a body of recent scholarship that challenges many of the premises that govern popular policy discussions.

Babies and Toddlers in the Policy Picture: A Self-Assessment Checklist for States 
This self-assessment checklist from the Zero to Three Policy Center is based on research about effective policies and best practices in states.  The questions are intended to spark discussion about the needs of infants, toddlers and their families and to help states lay the foundation for building an early childhood development system.

Local Systems Development 
This Short Take from Project Thrive examines results from a scan of State Early Childhood Systems (ECCS) grants of local systems development efforts.

Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems that Spend Smarter: Maximizing Resources to Serve Vulnerable Children 
This National Center for Children in Poverty Project Thrive issue brief looks through the lens of the state Early Childhood Care Systems (ECCS) grant projects to identify ways in which they can promote smarter spending for vulnerable young children as they plan for and implement new, more integrated systems.

Raising Young Children to the Top of the Policy Agenda:  Lessons from Illinois 
Since the 1980s, Illinois has invested significant public funds in efforts to promote optimal early childhood development.  This report that tells a story that literally had a cast of thousands. Countless individuals and organizations from every part of the state played a role in raising young children to the top of Illinois’ policy agenda.

Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems A Key Topic Resource List  
In this resource list from a partnership of the National Center for Children in Poverty, the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research, the Child Care Bureau, and the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation – results from a comprehensive search of resources focused on early childhood comprehensive systems (ECCS).  The list includes an overview of issues addressed in the literature on early childhood comprehensive systems, as well as a listing of selected resources on the topic.

State of the States’ ECCS Initiatives 
Project Thrive summarizes results from an analysis of Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) grants plans, reports, and other related documents related to early childhood systems.

State Indicators of Early Childhood 
This Short Take from Project Thrive reviews the characteristics of good indicators and proposes 36 indicators, based on a review of the literature, an analysis of key national indicator sets, and a comparative review of indicators set out in State ECCS reports and plans.