Tag Archives: Outcomes

Effects of early childhood education and care on child development

Posted on by

10/21/2015

This report considers international research on the impact of early childhood education and care (ECEC) provision upon children’s development and, while not exhaustive, is an extremely comprehensive review, using studies reported from a wide range of sources including journals, books, government reports and diverse organisation reports.

Early research was primarily concerned with whether children attending non-parental care developed differently from those not receiving such care. Later work recognised that childcare is not unitary and that the quality or characteristics of experience matters. Further research drew attention to the importance of the interaction between home and out of home experience. High quality childcare has been associated with benefits for children’s development, with the strongest effects for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. There is also evidence that negative effects can sometimes occur. The results of studies partly depend upon the context and ECEC systems in place in different countries, but there is sufficient commonality of findings to indicate that many results are not culture-specific.

While the research on pre-school education (three+ years) is fairly consistent, the research evidence on the effects of childcare (birth to three years) has been equivocal with some negative effects, some null effects and some positive effects. Discrepant results may relate to age of starting and also differences in the quality of childcare. In addition childcare effects are moderated by family background with negative, neutral and positive effects occur depending on the relative balance of quality of care at home and in childcare. Recent largescale studies find effects related to both quantity and quality of childcare. The effect sizes for childcare factors are about half those for family factors. The analysis strategy of most studies attributes variance to childcare factors only after family factors has been considered, and, where the two covary, this will produce conservative estimates of childcare effects.

Source:  Child care Canada

Available at: http://childcarecanada.org/documents/research-policy-practice/15/10/effects-early-childhood-education-and-care-child-developmen

Slide Presentation: The ABCs of Improving Health Outcomes with Early Childhood Development | Heckman

Posted on by

4/2104

New research from economist James Heckman and colleagues shows that quality early childhood programs that incorporate health and nutrition help prevent chronic disease. Findings reveal substantially better health in the mid-30s with a lower prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, such as stroke and diabetes. Use this slide presentation to communicate these findings.

Source: The Heckman Equation

Available at: http://heckmanequation.org/content/resource/slide-presentation-abcs-improving-health-outcomes-early-childhood-development

The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation-Strong Start: First Annual Report | Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation | Administration for Children and Families

Posted on by

1/3/2014

The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation-Strong Start (MIHOPE-Strong Start), developed by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), funded by CMS, and implemented in partnership with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), uses a rigorous random assignment design to examine the effects of home visiting programs on birth outcomes and maternal and infant health and health care. The study will also collect and analyze rich information on local implementation processes. This report includes a description of the study and the similarities and differences between the two home visiting models that are included in the study: Healthy Families America (HFA) and Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP).

Source: Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families

Available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/resource/the-mother-and-infant-home-visiting-program-evaluation-strong-start-first

The Evidence Base on Preschool

Posted on by

October 11, 2013

For the first time in a generation, national legislation on publicly-funded preschool education is the focus of prominent debate. The research brief “Investing in Our Future: The Evidence Base on Preschool Education,” reviews rigorous evidence on why early skills matter, which children benefit from preschool, the short- and long-term effects of preschool programs on children’s school readiness and life outcomes, the importance of program quality, and the costs versus benefits of preschool education.

Source: Foundation for Child Development

Available at: http://fcd-us.org/resources/evidence-base-preschool

CSSP Early Childhood Community Survey

Posted on by

Complete by 7/22/2013

The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) is conducting a national search for comprehensive, integrated, multi-sector initiatives focused on improving outcomes for a population of young children and families who reside in a defined, local geographic area (i.e., neighborhood, city, or county). Of specific interest are initiatives that promote optimal health and well-being of families with children from the prenatal period through eight years of age.

The purpose of this search is twofold: (1) to identify and “map” the current landscape of exemplary and promising community-focused, early childhood initiatives; and (2) to begin to build learning and networking opportunities across interested initiatives and other key partners. This project is led by the Early Childhood – Linking Innovation Network for Communities (EC-LINC) at CSSP.

All information provided about individual programs will be kept confidential unless we receive your permission to share it.

Thank you so much for your help!

Source: Center for the Study of Social Policy

Available at: http://csspearlychildhoodcommunities.questionpro.com/

Desired Results access Project Video Library

Posted on by

6/18/2013

Digital video is a powerful tool that can be used to enhance a range of early care and education practices, including observation, documentation, assessment, evaluation, coaching, consultation, reflective practice, reflective supervision, family education, and professional development. The Desired Results access Project established a Digital Video Initiative to support early childhood practitioners’ use of video in their work. The videos on this page were produced in collaboration with our partners in this initiative, including staff from the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Sacramento County Office of Education, the Santa Clara Office of Education, and the Riverside County Office of Education. Check back from time to time as new clips are added periodically.

Source: Desired Results Access Project

Available at: http://draccess.org/videolibrary/

Video Library: Desired Results access Project

Posted on by

Digital video is a powerful tool that can be used to enhance a range of early care and education practices, including observation, documentation, assessment, evaluation, coaching, consultation, reflective practice, reflective supervision, family education, and professional development. The Desired Results access Project established a Digital Video Initiative to support early childhood practitioners’ use of video in their work. The videos on this page were produced in collaboration with our partners in this initiative, including staff from the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Sacramento County Office of Education, the Santa Clara Office of Education, and the Riverside County Office of Education. Check back from time to time as new clips are added periodically.

Source: Desired Results access Project

Available at: http://www.draccess.org/videolibrary/

“Child Outcomes Step by Step” Video

Posted on by

This video describes and illustrates the three child outcomes adopted by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and reported on by all state early intervention (Part C) and preschool special education (Part B/619) programs as part of their Annual Performance Report (APR).

This video offers a consistent way to describe the outcome areas across programs and states. It can be used to provide an overview to the three outcomes for professional development and training, orienting families, and introducing the outcomes to other constituents such as policymakers or funders. The video explains functioning necessary for each child to be an active and successful participant at home, in the community, and in other places like a child care program or preschool.

Source: Early Childhood Outcomes Center

Available at: http://www.fpg.unc.edu/%7Eeco/pages/videos.cfm

The 2011 Measuring Child and Family Outcomes Conference

Posted on by

Description

This TA meeting will provide opportunities for participants to learn about other states’ strategies for measuring and improving child and family outcomes, hear the latest guidance from the Early Childhood Outcomes Center and the Office of Special Education Programs, and discuss common challenges and effective practices.

Intended Participants

This meeting is intended for Part C and Section 619 staff who work on collecting, reporting, analyzing and using child and family outcomes data, as well as TA providers, federal agency staff, university staff and other individuals who are involved with outcome efforts and planning improvements in states.

Source: The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center

Available at: http://www.nectac.org/~meetings/outcomes2011/mtghomepage.asp

Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTTT-ELC): Resources for States — Early Childhood Community

Posted on by

The following resources, primarily focused on workforce issues, developed by the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) and the CONNECT Project, may be useful for states in the development and implementation of  RTTT-ELC grants. For more information about these resources, contact Pam Winton ( pam.winton@unc.edu ) .

SELECTION CRITERIA:

A. Successful State Systems

B. Promoting Early Learning and Development Outcomes for Children

C. High-Quality, Accountable Programs

D. A Great Early Childhood Education Workforce

Source: National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCU) and the CONNECT Project

Available at: http://community.fpg.unc.edu/news/resources-related-RTTT-ELC?enews=