EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
PRnewswire | March 23, 2023
Procare Solutions is pleased to offer a new way for child care centers to bolster their educational offerings by including integrated assessments within Procare's classroom management capability.
With the release of Vine Assessments™, Procare Solutions has become the only provider of child care management software to offer integrated proprietary early childhood assessments for children from birth to 5 years old at no additional cost.
Vine Assessments is an integrated framework that gives early childhood educators and staff a way to clearly articulate the growth and development of children in their care. It includes clear and easy childhood assessments that align with all 50 state standards and provides developmental continuums with 21 goals that apply to children from birth to age 5 as they prepare for kindergarten.
"When early childhood educators can provide a robust assessment to their children and families, it elevates the learning and development of the children in their care and helps transform their businesses into true early childhood education programs," said Jon Pollock, chief product officer of Procare Solutions.
With 91% agreement rate among child care professionals, Vine Assessments are easy to use and understand.
Child care centers are leading providers of early childhood education and are at the forefront of addressing delays to help young learners recover from setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Children born during the pandemic are scoring lower on average on tests of gross motor, fine motor, social and problem-solving skills compared with those born before COVID-19, studies have shown.
In addition to learning delays, many of these children are talking, walking and interacting later and less frequently.
"Children need age-appropriate assessments well before entering kindergarten, as well as assessments that teachers of all experience levels can conduct accurately and without additional stress during their already busy days," said JoAnn Kintzel, CEO of Procare Solutions. "We are continually looking for ways to help centers foster the growth of children in their care, which is something Vine Assessments can help achieve."
"The list of 21 goals is a solid list that providers will find familiar and useful. The numbering system is very intuitive and helpful for navigating the instrument," said Dr. Kristen Burmester, director of administration and operations of the early childhood education program at the University of California at Berkeley.
Teachers using Procare will be able to tie their lessons and observations directly to the appropriate Vine Assessment indicator from the web-based software and Procare child care mobile app.
The simplicity of the Vine Assessments for teachers is what won over Melissa L. Hood, director of early childhood education at the Calvert School in Baltimore.
Her center uses Vine Assessments for all 150 kids at their two centers.
"Assessments provided by the state were too cumbersome and more suited to elementary school-aged children," she said. "They sometimes were 15 pages long and too difficult for parents to decipher."
A childhood assessment conducted through Vine Assessments offered a better alternative.
"It's to the point, it's accurate, it relates to age-appropriateness," she said. "Our teachers like Vine Assessments much better than the state-provided assessments."
About Procare Solutions
For more than 30 years, Procare Solutions has been the leading provider of child care management software, family engagement, integrated payment processing, technology and services. Procare is used by two out of three child care businesses that use child care management software. The company supports more than 37,000 child care centers, preschools, daycares, after school programs, camps and related facilities with comprehensive software that has the power to manage every aspect of their business, enrich classroom and family interactions, and automate the payment process. Procare offers web-based, on-premises and cloud-hosting solutions and supports customers of all sizes from single-center operations to complex multinational enterprises.
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TALENT DEVELOPMENT
edX | March 08, 2023
On March 07, 2023, edX, a global online learning platform of 2U, launched MicroBootCamps, a stackable credential solution for on-demand learning and expert-led technology training programs, developing progressive skills in key technical fields.
MicroBootCamps directly address the demand for credentials from companies and provides a scalable solution for enhanced recruitment, retention and maintenance of a trained workforce. These credentials help companies to reskill and upskill their employees for business-critical technology-related roles. The boot camp programs on the edX platform have driven career readiness through a structured schedule. MicroBootCamps provides learning for the same skills and industry outcomes but with a more flexible and compact schedule. In addition, it offers a more personalized and targeted learning experience with features like live tutorial sessions with experts, individualized feedback, and real-time and on-demand tutoring.
The first MicroBootCamp program on Front End Development with additional programs based on in-demand technical topics will be available. This program offers entry-level learning, job relevance, and practical skills for different front-end development roles. In addition, its programs will provide stackable learning pathways, building their skills progressively for in-demand roles like back end and full stack development.
Co-Founder and CEO of 2U, edX's parent company, Christopher Paucek said, "As one of the largest producers of technical talent in the world, we've seen the incredible power that a high-quality, scalable tech training model brings to bear on universities, companies, and learners around the world." He added, "Expanding and innovating on our boot camp model to offer MicroBootCamps underscores our continued commitment to building a new ecosystem of stackable, alternative credentials—like MicroMasters® programs and MicroBachelors® programs—that provide seasoned and entry-level professionals alike with the opportunity to gain the skills they need to succeed in today's digital economy."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About edX
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, edX, an e-learning solutions provider, specializes in education, e-learning, technology, career advancement, ed-tech, and online education. It has been connecting learners, universities, and companies worldwide since 2012. It supports learners at every stage of their learning journey to achieve their goals. With no limitation of cost and location, it empowers every learner with access to education and knowledge, realizing their potential, skills and strengths. It offers free and open courses, professional certificates, credit-bearing micro-credentials, boot camps, and undergraduate and graduate degrees. In addition, it provides purpose-built online programs in technology, business, healthcare, science, education, social work, and sustainability.
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TALENT DEVELOPMENT
Linewize US | March 01, 2023
On February 28, 2023, Linewize, an education technology company, launched the Linewize Pulse platform for real-time actionable insights on students' well-being with weekly online check-ins for individual and organizational intervention, enhancing overall school culture.
Its 60-second weekly check-ins include questions related to well-being and school experience. Through these check-ins, it offers an overview of students' mental health and anonymously gathers school-level trending data. It gives students safe and easy suggestions for asking for help, and educators clearly know who is very vulnerable and sensitive. In addition, it inspires students to express gratitude for people who made a difference in their lives. Thus developing school-community relations and fostering a culture of enhanced inclusion. The Educator Impact platform helps schools with their culture and student outcomes, connecting well-being, performance and engagement Linewize's acquisition of the Educator Impact platform resulted in the launch of the Linewize Pulse solution.
Psychologist and Linewize's Director of Community Engagement, Teodora Pavkovic said, "As the nationwide children's mental health crisis continues, it's more important than ever to prioritize student well-being. Not only does Linewize Pulse empower individuals to seek out help, but it also provides administrators with the information they need to design school-wide programs and initiatives that meet students' current needs." She added, "Even further, the platform helps foster deeper and more meaningful relationships between school staff and students by alerting teachers and administrators to those struggling and needing assistance. With this information on hand, school staff can better adjust their daily routines to account for individuals' needs and develop stronger connections with their students."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About Linewize
Headquartered in San Diego, California, Linewize, an IT consulting and services provider for the education sector, offers products that filter content, support teacher visibility and give teachers the required control. It creates an educated community that gives priority to children's safety on an online medium. It is a division of ASX-traded company FamilyZone, having a K-12 cyber safety management system, working for cyber safety and EdTech companies worldwide. With a team of education experts and experienced school IT administrators, it designs solutions for e-learning and the online safety of learners. It empowers schools, educators, partners and families to secure every child's digital journey in the classroom and at home.
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