For more information, contact
Alan Simpson at 202-328-2605
or asimpson@naeyc.org

Early Childhood Professional Development Experts Meet in Baltimore

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2004 - Nearly thirteen hundred early childhood education leaders and researchers will gather in Baltimore this month to discuss new approaches to assessing children, teachers, and programs for young children, and improving the quality of early childhood services. The 13th National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development will be held June 20-23 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. The Institute is organized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children - the world's largest organization of early childhood educators.

"There is growing awareness around the nation that we must do more to raise the quality of preschool, kindergarten, child care, Head Start and other early education programs," said Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D., Executive Director of NAEYC. "A key step in improving these programs is better training and preparation of early childhood teachers, and better public policies to support their important work. Hundreds of college and university faculty, professional development specialists, researchers and other educators will be in Baltimore to discuss evidence-based strategies that lead to program improvement and better outcomes for children."

The overall theme of the Institute - "Learning from assessment" - will be a thread throughout the four-day event, in which participants will choose from more than 100 sessions, such as:

• School readiness indicators: Where does assessment fit?
• Head Start's nationwide test of 4-year-old children: a briefing and dialogue session
• Using young children's play activities to assess what children know
• Teaching mathematics in preschool classrooms: a two-state classroom observation study
• The cost of public prekindergarten in six states: preliminary results
• Assessment of educational progress in early childhood education.

On Sunday, June 20, a plenary session will feature a keynote panel discussion, "Toward a broader vision: assessing children, teachers, programs, and ourselves." Jerlean Daniel of the University of Pittsburgh will moderate the panel, which will include:

Paula Jorde Bloom from National-Louis University;
Ellen Frede from the New Jersey Department of Education;
John M. Johnston from the University of Memphis; and
Jacqueline Jones from the Educational Testing Service.

More than 13 million American infants, toddlers and preschool children are regularly in some form of out-of-home care, and research shows that children enrolled in higher quality early education programs develop stronger language, mathematics and social skills, and are more likely to succeed in school. "Participants at the Institute will exchange many ideas about giving early childhood educators the tools they need to build high-quality early education programs and to assess the results," said Ginsberg. "The lessons learned at this meeting will help us take important steps toward bringing high-quality early learning experiences to all young children in every community."

NAEYC is the largest and most influential organization of early childhood educators and others committed to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through age eight. Founded in 1926, NAEYC now has more than 100,000 members and a national network of nearly 450 local, state, and regional Affiliates.