Does your library engage young children in learning that enhances skills and brain development? You can let the Families and Work Institute (FWI) know by completing their brief survey by December 22, 2014.

For the past 14 years, "Mind in the Making," a program of Families and Work Institute (FWI), has been sharing research on what we can do to help children thrive now and in the future. They have been calling attention to the importance of early brain development and promoting executive function skills, which studies reveal have been a critical gap in efforts to promote school readiness and school, work and life success.

A new project of FWI will engage libraries as key partners in the "Mind in the Making" work. FWI is seeking input from museums and libraries about their best practices and innovative approaches for early learning. By completing the survey, libraries and museums can contribute to the development of a national report on the roles that museums and libraries play in informing and supporting children, families and the professionals who work with them. See the IMLS blog, Museums and Libraries: Be a Part of our Brain Building Journey, for more information.

More E-rate: FCC Actions Open the Door to Digital Opportunity for All

Reed Hundt served as the FCC Commissioner and oversaw the creation of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. He was a key advisor to ULC in our recommendations to the FCC's modernization order last week that yielded $1.5 billion for public libraries and those we serve. Read Reed's blog post on the Aspen Institute's blog about this "bold, far-sighted reform."

Campaign for Grade Level Reading Visits the White House

Ralph Smith, managing director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, offered remarks this week as part of a panel discussion on the expansion of private investment in early learning.

He explained why the GLR Campaign has put a stake in the ground around third-grade reading. "We need a generation of high school graduates prepared for college and a career, for military service and to become a workforce that can compete in the global economy," Smith told the 300 practitioners, advocates, policymakers and philanthropists in attendance. "With that in mind, the first thing we must do is teach our children to read."

  

Smith went on to note that school readiness, along with summer learning and regular school attendance, is an important community solution needed to move the needle on reading proficiency for children from low-income families.

"What some of us knew, others suspected and all of us have learned: success in the early grades requires investing in the early years," Smith said. "That is why 'Invest in early learning early' has become a mantra of the GLR Campaign."

Visit the Campaign's website for a full summary of Smith's remarks.