Topic: Preschool Education

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Michelle Obama: 8 food and garden tips, stories from the First Lady

8 stories and pieces of advice from Michelle Obama's new book 'American Grown'
Top 15 money games, toys for kids

One of the best ways to teach kids about money is to make it fun. There are plenty of toys and games – even books – that do just that. Here are my 15 recommendations for money toys and games that entertain as well as teach something about how to handle cash, ATM cards, debt, and so on. These money games and toys are age-specific, so click through to the age of the child you plan to buy for. (Descriptions include links to examples from Amazon.com, but there are many alternatives you can find).
Kids tablets: Five touch-screen computers for the nine-and-under set

If Mom and Dad want to use an an iPad, why shouldn't Junior get a tablet computer, too? Many parents appear to be following that line of reasoning, but many child-development experts say it's best for kids not to have too much "screen time" each day.
Top five states for upward mobility

The Opportunity Project (opportunityindex.org) calls itself a campaign to promote "access to the American Dream." Its state-by-state report ranks upward mobility. Instead of looking only at gross domestic product and poverty, the index weighs such things as household income, percentage of children in preschool, and crime. Here are 5 states that scored high in the Opportunity Project's report.
Banned Books Week 2011: Top 10 most challenged books of 2010

The 10 books most banned or challenged by communities throughout the US in 2010, according to the American Library Association.

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Michelle Obama: 8 food and garden tips, stories from the First Lady

8 stories and pieces of advice from Michelle Obama's new book 'American Grown'
Modern Parenthood
Mother's Day: The unexpected best (and worst) places to be a mom

Mother's Day: Save the Children's annual State of the World's Mothers report offers the best and worst places to be a mom – the US isn't tops.
Modern Parenthood
Screen-Free Week: Parents this includes you, and your iPads, too

Screen-Free Week runs through May 6, and while it may be difficult, parents should not exempt themselves from the celebration. So, turn off those iPads, stash the mobile phones, and have a week of screen-free powered-down fun. We'll make an exception for Modern Parenthood.
Modern Parenthood
Does mother's Passover picture book cross church state line?

A mother debates the merits of reading a Jewish children's book in her son's private pre-school, wondering if the book's Passover plot crosses the church state line.
In Sweden, a debate over whether gender equality has gone too far

As gender-neutral policies are promoted more broadly in Sweden's schools – including the use of a neutral pronoun to refer to boys and girls – some Swedes are pushing back.
Toddlers to tweens: relearning how to play

Children's play is threatened, say experts who advise that kids – from toddlers to tweens – should be relearning how to play. Roughhousing and fantasy feed development.
Pre-K winners for Race to the Top contest: Will they spur broader reform?

Nine states will receive federal Race to the Top money to boost support for pre-K and other early-learning programs, the Obama administration announced Friday.
Top 15 money games, toys for kids

One of the best ways to teach kids about money is to make it fun. There are plenty of toys and games – even books – that do just that. Here are my 15 recommendations for money toys and games that entertain as well as teach something about how to handle cash, ATM cards, debt, and so on. These money games and toys are age-specific, so click through to the age of the child you plan to buy for. (Descriptions include links to examples from Amazon.com, but there are many alternatives you can find).
Kids tablets: Five touch-screen computers for the nine-and-under set

If Mom and Dad want to use an an iPad, why shouldn't Junior get a tablet computer, too? Many parents appear to be following that line of reasoning, but many child-development experts say it's best for kids not to have too much "screen time" each day.
Top five states for upward mobility

The Opportunity Project (opportunityindex.org) calls itself a campaign to promote "access to the American Dream." Its state-by-state report ranks upward mobility. Instead of looking only at gross domestic product and poverty, the index weighs such things as household income, percentage of children in preschool, and crime. Here are 5 states that scored high in the Opportunity Project's report.
Bilingual and struggling

A bilingual parent tries to keep a native tongue alive at home, a problem faced by many immigrants.
Israel's tent protests transition to next stage: political fight

A day after their main Tel Aviv encampment was dismantled, it's unclear whether Israel's tent protesters can translate the summer's street momentum into lasting political change.
Robert Reich
Morally indefensible budget cuts

We’re in the worst economy since the Great Depression – with lower-income families and kids are bearing the worst of it – and what are Republicans doing? Cutting programs Americans desperately need to get through it.
Banned Books Week 2011: Top 10 most challenged books of 2010

The 10 books most banned or challenged by communities throughout the US in 2010, according to the American Library Association.
Letters to the Editor – Weekly Issue of September 19, 2011

Readers write in to defend Head Start as a good use of federal funds and to praise the 'People Making a Difference' profile of a public servant.
In Pictures: Who's who on the US deficit super committee
In Pictures: Quirky mailboxes
Global News Blog
In Sweden, no 'he' or 'she,' just 'friend'

In an effort to combat gender stereotypes, a government-funded preschool in Stockholm has eliminated the use of gendered pronouns.
Change Agent
Hatua Likoni offers scholarships and mentors to Kenya's students

The nonprofit supports Kenyan students who need mentoring or lack the means to pay for school. The next problem to solve: 9,000 desks for 14,000 students.
Bestselling books the week of 8/25/11, according to IndieBound*

What's selling best in independent bookstores across America.
How does Obama want to reshape preschools? Education Department shows its hand.

The Education Department announced the guidelines for its latest Race to the Top competition, which will target preschools. The rules show what President Obama wants to change.
Are federal social programs working? No one knows.

Most federal social programs have never been evaluated for true effectiveness. The good news is that they are ideally situated for just such study.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 06/14
The Simple Dollar
Parenting and personal financial behavior

To give a better life to children, parents need to practice good financial behavior.
Mother's Day: What are the best and worst countries for mothers?

Mother's Day provides an opportunity to look at the quality of life for mothers around the world. A recent study from Save the Children looks at data ranging from maternal mortality to education.