Early childhood is a crucial stage in a child's life, and aspects of the environment in the physical, social-emotional, cognitive, and health and safety domains all play important roles in shaping children's development during these early years. Having a valid and reliable measure of the quality of these aspects of children's care settings is…

Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) grants help states and communities improve early childhood systems to support child development, equitable access to quality services and supports, and family well-being. Truly interdisciplinary, ECCS promotes cross-sector systems change initiatives that focus on integrating health care, mental health,…

Over 5 million American children under the age of 18 years, a disproportionate number of whom are Black or Latino, have had a residential parent jailed or incarcerated. While a number of existing studies identify parental incarceration as a key risk factor for poor child and family outcomes, there is more limited information describing programs…

The quality of early care and education affects a wide range of children's experiences and developmental outcomes. Family Child Care (FCC) is no exception, and attention to increasing the quality of Family Child Care is needed. The purpose of the current study was to examine an experimental case of intensive Professional Development (PD) in FCC…

The "Integrated Approaches to Supporting Child Development and Improving Family Economic Security" project was conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and Northwestern University for the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE), in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human…

Home visitation programs are designed to provide comprehensive services that promote parent's abilities to create stable, nurturing care environments for their children. In order for program goals to be met, parents must participate actively and be engaged with the programs' mission. However, promoting engagement and participation are complex…

Based on Laura Colker, Derry Koralek, and Diane Trister Dodge's classic book, originally published by NAEYC in 1993, High-Quality Early Childhood Programs offers detailed descriptions of what one should see in high-quality programs (and why) to provide a strong foundation of child development knowledge and principles translated into practice.…

This is the executive summary for the report, "From Best Practices to Breakthrough Impacts: A Science-Based Approach to Building a More Promising Future for Young Children and Families." Early childhood is a time of great promise and rapid change, when the architecture of the developing brain is most open to the influence of…

In Spring 2015, a survey was administered to parents of students enrolled in the Austin Independent School District's prekindergarten program for three-year-olds. This report summarizes responses from parents of these students at Oak Springs and Zavala Elementary Schools.

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…

Current literature regarding the prevalence of child abuse and neglect, resulting developmental impacts on children, and early intervention services for children and families involved in the child welfare system is summarized. While early intervention eligibility referrals are mandated for this population under the Child Abuse Prevention and…

There is wide recognition that early childhood experiences are critical to a child's development and their subsequent life chances. However, little research has been undertaken into leadership in early years settings, which is so influential in this regard. This article summarizes research into the leadership of Sure Start Children's Centres,…

This Research-to-Policy Resource List compiles research-based policy documents published in 2010 and later on the following topics: Early learning guidelines for infants and toddlers; Program standards for settings serving infants and toddlers; Core competencies and credentials for caregivers of infants and toddlers; Use of infant/toddler…

As highlighted in recent series in "The Lancet" (2007, 2011), children from low and middle income countries are more likely to be adversely affected by early biological and psychosocial experiences that have their origins in environments characterized by poverty, violence, nutritional deficiencies, HIV infections, substance abuse, and…

Research Findings: The influence of preschool quality on the development of 67 4-year-old children from poor and rural families in South India was examined. Children's developmental status was assessed using a modified version of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities and through physician ratings. Preschool quality was assessed through…