Background: Following the global financial crisis in 2007/08, the UK implemented an austerity programme which may impact on services. Scotland comprises both densely populated urban conurbations and highly dispersed remote rural and island communities. Method: Expenditure data were extracted from Scottish Government statistics. Per capita…

The purpose of this dissertation is to understand the impacts of social service data collection and use on the lives of young people and those that serve them, and to offer ways for youth, nonprofits, and funders to positively evolve these systems. It grew from three simple questions without clear answers: what's happening, how's it working, and…

Preschoolers can learn vocabulary from educational videos, but children from low-income backgrounds often do not learn as effectively as their higher income peers. We investigated whether adding attention-directing cues to media (Study 1) and slowing the pacing of media (Study 2) supported vocabulary learning for preschoolers from low-income…

Early years practitioners are central to UK government policy in alleviating poverty in early childhood. The significant level and rise in child poverty rates suggest that their role is becoming increasingly important in supporting families on low incomes. Paradoxically, cuts to children's services under austerity policies and the low pay and…

Research Findings: A constellation of social positions of difference can contribute to substantial variation among children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. Using data from the "Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey" 2009 cohort, the present study identified intersectional typologies of cultural…

To understand the broader societal context for supporting the healthy development and well-being of infants and toddlers, the following excerpt from the "State of Babies Yearbook: 2022 Executive Summary" presents key findings on the status of America's families with young children. As of August 2022, the reconciliation bill proposed in…

Student-teacher relationship quality (STRQ) influences a variety of student outcomes, including academic, social, and behavioral functioning (McGrath & Van Bergen, 2015). Less is known about the importance of STRQ for preschool students with disabilities. Many studies are conducted with school-aged, typically developing students (Ansari et…

Research Findings: This study examined associations between observed emotion-focused teaching practices and preschool children's emotion expression, emotion-related behaviors, and learning behaviors. Four centers located in large midwestern and mid-Atlantic metropolitan areas participated in the study. Of these, one center was a Head Start…

Academics have historically been members of socially dominant groups--white, cisgender, heterosexual men, from middle- to upper-classes, who identify as able-bodied and able-minded. Members of other groups are often disadvantaged. In two larger studies, semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals from marginalized groups. Here we…

Coordinated School Health (CSH) is a framework for addressing health in schools, connects health with learning, and improves students' health and capacity to learn through the support of schools, families, and communities working together. This model encourages healthy lifestyles, provides needed support to students, and helps to reduce the…

Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or Section 504 Plans may earn a diploma or a certificate of completion when leaving secondary education. This study examined differences in career- and work-based learning services and work experiences of students who earned a high school diploma or a certificate of completion upon exiting…

To enrich a nurturing school environment, educators must become aware of the social and emotional byproducts of student removal from traditional homes. Many schools host students while they are placed in residential facilities, a number that is increasing across the United States (Department of Health and Human Services, 2017). Educational leaders…

Secondary analysis of the Early Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2018 data set (Baby FACES 2018) explored links between family risk events and referral-making and referral uptake among families receiving Early Head Start (EHS) services. Referrals to both behavioral health and entitlement programs were considered. Results showed that…

This study explored the relations between parental formal education, residential mobility, and children's school readiness in a sample of 509 Head Start children, 30% of whom were Spanish-speaking Dual Language Learners (DLLs). Additionally, it explored whether the relations between these demographic factors and school readiness varied as a…

California's information about opportunities and outcomes in early learning and care, TK-12 schools, colleges, social services, and employment is currently disconnected. A longitudinal data system can be a powerful tool that allows California to identify bright spots, inequities, and roadblocks in our educational system, especially for students of…