early education

April 6, 2023

The magic of story time: Why is reading aloud to kids so important?

Amid the escalating national literacy crisis, with its grim statistics and deeply entrenched ideological battles, this one is an easy fix, experts say. Read aloud to your children and students.

Karen D'Souza

March 23, 2023

Amid California's mounting literacy crisis, state names new literacy directors

Since reading lays a foundation for all future learning, including math and science, many regard plunging test scores as cause for alarm.

Karen D'Souza

August 4, 2022

Math for babies and toddlers

A teacher at one child development center shares how she uses math concepts all day, even during a diaper change.

EdSource staff

July 27, 2022

Can infants learn math? State-backed pilot project in Fresno aims to find out

A statewide pilot project in California is aimed at boosting the confidence of early childhood educators, child care providers and elementary school teachers to teach math.

Ashleigh Panoo

May 20, 2022

Should kindergarten change in California?

Children from low-income families often start school with fewer academic skills than their more affluent peers, experts say, an issue exacerbated by the pandemic.

Karen D'Souza

March 11, 2022

Will the pandemic leave a lasting mark on baby brains?

Science shows that trauma interrupts brain development in young children, which is why some may have developmental delays due to the pandemic.

Karen D'Souza

December 8, 2021

Why child’s play is serious business in early education

Play is such a powerful force, some research suggests, that it can be used as a tool to close achievement gaps and improve mental health.

Karen D'Souza

November 23, 2021

Benefits of early math experiences add up

In kindergarten, some children already have a sense of what math means and how it functions while others lack a basic understanding of numbers.

Karen D'Souza

September 30, 2021

Hope, caution among experts as California rolls out transitional kindergarten for all 4-year-olds

The EdSource roundtable included policymakers, researchers, advocates and a transitional kindergarten teacher, who discussed the expansion of TK.

Carolyn Jones

September 30, 2021

Will Biden's reconciliation bill transform early childhood education?

If these sweeping proposals are enacted, they would overhaul the nation’s child care system to make it more accessible and affordable.

Karen D'Souza

September 17, 2021

Pandemic effects may have lowered baby IQs, study says

New research says less stimulation, stress on parents during Covid pandemic may factor into average 22-point IQ drop among babies.

Karen D'Souza

September 1, 2021

Should all school districts be required to offer transitional kindergarten?

Parent advocates: Early-education programs such as transitional kindergarten can shrink the California achievement gap.

Karen D'Souza

July 12, 2021

How California’s new universal transitional kindergarten program will be rolled out

Experts say making a year of pre-kindergarten available to all 4-year-olds is a watershed achievement in the early education space.

Karen D'Souza

June 17, 2021

Why some early childhood advocates want more transitional kindergarten choices

A California TK proposal would gradually open the program to all 4-year-olds amid evidence that early learning shapes the adult brain.

Karen D'Souza

June 2, 2021

More help for struggling California child care sector

In the wake of the pandemic, child care providers have emerged as the backbone of the state’s economic recovery.

Karen D'Souza