A survey was distributed to Part C early intervention (EI) service coordination (SC) stakeholders in one state in order to gain a deeper understanding of service coordinator knowledge, skills, and motivators for professional growth and recognition. Survey participants (N = 107), including dedicated service coordinators, program managers, social…

All Australian children and their families have an equal right to access quality early years education. To achieve this, rationalisation of the Australian early childhood (EC) sector in 2007 saw the introduction of mandated governing frameworks, including the National Quality Framework (NQF), designed to regulate and assure quality practices…

This Self-Study Guide has been developed to support Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten Providers (VPK) who are required to complete an improvement plan process (i.e., low-performing providers). The guide has sections that can be used during both the process of selecting target areas for an improvement plan and the process of implementing new or…

The first six to eight years of a child's life, known as early childhood, have been globally acknowledged to be the most critical years for life-long development of children, when the pace of development is extremely rapid. Early experiences at home, in communities, and at other care settings play a crucial role in brain architecture development…

Early educators are the key to quality early care and education (ECE) services, and there is broad consensus that high-quality care and learning environments for young children depend on educators who are skilled at nurturing children's development and learning. Yet, inadequate working conditions and low pay routinely hamper educators in their…

This occasional paper is the first in a series on the National Quality Framework (NQF). This paper offers detailed insights into education and care service quality ratings for Quality Area 1 -- Educational Program and Practice, which focuses on ensuring that educational program and practice is stimulating and engaging, enhances children's learning…

Researchers are increasingly interested in the issue of school accountability. Despite this, program standards for afterschool programs are not as fully developed as in other fields. This study bridges that gap and presents the results from a study to identify benchmarks and indicators for high quality afterschool programs. This research employed…

Each week, nearly 11 million children under age 5 are in some type of child care setting for an average of 35 hours. Parents, as consumers of child care, equate a child care license with state approval--a gold seal for those businesses to which a state grants a license. Child Care Aware® of America reviews state licensing policies, which include…

Although Early Head Start (EHS) is a federal-to-local program, there are opportunities for collaboration at the state level that have expanded in recent years. State leaders can seize opportunities to break down silos and create collaborative state systems and programs to better meet the needs of vulnerable young children in their states. This…

As expectations for early childhood education (ECE) increase, there is a corresponding need for effective leadership in classrooms, programs, and the organizations that form the field's infrastructure. A recent study examined how the ECE field is addressing its need for leadership by focusing attention on the leadership development programs…

These three publications comprise a course that provides occupationally specific training designed to develop knowledge and skills for employment in the area of child care and guidance. The curriculum guide is the teacher component of the series. Contents include the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS); sample course outlines;…

The document--half of which consists of appendixes--is intended as a guide for developing and implementing preschool recreation programs for handicapped children, based on the Preschool Recreation Enrichment Program (PREP) model. Information on the growth and development of both normal and handicapped preschool children is presented, touching upon…

This report describes a mobile training program for directors of day care centers in which weekend workshops were conducted at 6 Michigan sites. Included in the report are descriptions of the three 2-day workshop sessions on Financial and Business Management, Personnel and Parents, and Child Development and Planning which formed the core of the…

Presents a framework and some practical examples for using rigorous implementation research to inform program outcomes and foster program development for developmental interventions. Focuses on: (1) role of process research, specifically developing developmental interventions; (2) characteristics of adherence process research; and (3)…

The Black Child Development Institute is guided in its analysis of legislation by an organizational commitment to building child development institutions which meet the comprehensive needs of black children, families, and communities. Its premises are threefold. First, child development must encompass the black child's cognitive, physical, social,…