The Survey of Head Start Grantees on Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) was conducted in program year 2019-2020 with a nationally representative sample of Head Start program directors and Head Start managers/coordinators to understand how Head Start grantees use T/TA of all types and from all sources. Head Start program directors completed…

To gain insight into the farm to school practices implemented across the country, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS) regularly conducts the Farm to School Census (Census). The Census is an online survey sent to all school food authorities (SFAs) in the U.S. and its territories that participate in the National…

This "Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) Plan Guidance" provides instructions for designing, operating, and reporting on all State nutrition education and obesity prevention grant program operations. It describes the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)…

Objective: To examine the components of successful food assistance programs for college students. Participants: Focus groups conducted during the fall 2019 semester included undergraduate students who accessed a food assistance program on campus (n = 26). Key informant interviews were conducted with professionals working with campus-based food…

The PreK-12 and higher education systems operate as separate and distinct entities (Kirst & Venezia, 2004). States organize them as separate units and the administrators in the systems are formally trained separately and operate separately with few exceptions. While studies have been conducted from the PreK-12 and higher education perspectives…

Research on first-generation college students' (FGCS) is centered around cultural, demographic, and personal characteristics and structural barriers that adversely impact their persistence and graduation from postsecondary institutions. Literature is limited in its examination of how FGCS' utilize their personal strengths and assets, institutional…

Detrimental circumstances (e.g., poverty, homelessness) may affect parents, parenting, and children. These circumstances may lead to children being labeled "at risk" for school failure. To ameliorate this risk, more school and school earlier (e.g., Head Start) is offered. To improve child outcomes, Head Start teachers are expected to…

Low-income students struggle with resources while trying to achieve future financial stability. As colleges explore ways to support students, one solution is integration with public benefits. This study focuses on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a program that offers cash assistance to low-income adults with children. Statistical…

This study explored the experiences of Head Start parents who were becoming involved in their pre-school-age children's Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Seven participants from the rural Midwest engaged in focus group (n = 2) or interview (n = 1) format discussions regarding barriers to involvement in the IEP process and…

This report provides findings on language access policies, plans, and procedures in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) agencies in four States at the State and local agency levels: (1) Massachusetts, (2) New Mexico, (3) North Carolina, and (4) Washington. The study team conducted case studies in each site--interviewing State and…

This Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Nutrition Education (SNAP-Ed) Plan Guidance" provides instructions for developing and submitting State nutrition education and obesity prevention grant program plans, commonly referred to as State SNAP-Ed Plans. It describes Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to describe how the language diversity (i.e., the within-group variability in dual-language skills) of Latino dual-language learner (DLL) preschoolers was related to their science readiness skills and (b) to describe the importance of language of science instruction for Spanish-dominant children.…

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP) Language Study is providing the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) with a comprehensive understanding of the language landscapes that SNAP and NAP agencies operate in as well as the policy and operations landscapes for limited English proficiency (LEP)…

Super Parents is a group-based, Extension-led parenting program developed to enhance the parent-child relationship. Implemented by trained Head Start staff using the train-the-trainer model, this effort is achieved by teaching positive parenting practices, increasing parents' knowledge of child development, instructing parents in activities and…

Research Findings: Family child care providers widely participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), yet their participation experiences have not been studied. To fill this gap, we used a mixed methods approach that combined survey data collected from a random sample of 224 CACFP-participating licensed family child care providers…