Urban Institute has partnered with the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) to document the implementation of DC's early childhood educator (ECE) compensation program and understand its impacts on early educator well-being, retention, and program operations. Funded through a 2022 Child Care Policy Research…

Research Findings: This qualitative study explored the process through which a small group of preservice early childhood teachers engaged in primary caregiving as a framework for learning about early care and education with infants during an infant practicum course at a university-affiliated early childhood center in the United States. Based on…

Background: Early childhood development (ECD) is pivotal in addressing educational inequality and reducing income disparities in South Africa. Government initiatives to integrate ECD into the education system underscore a positive trajectory. Aim: This study assesses the impact of relocating ECD to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in South…

Background: There are many children with neurodisability who are unable to rely on speech to communicate and so use a range of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods and strategies to get their message across. Current instruments designed to measure the outcomes of speech and language therapy interventions lack specific attention…

In this paper, we take an ecological view of children's development to argue that preventive interventions should move beyond separating the microsystems of school and home to create new intergenerational spaces for nurturing mental wellbeing. Using the 5A's theory of creativity, we draw upon our experiences of creative writing to explore how…

Internationally, recent population movements due to conflict, climate change and global inequality have resulted in increased cultural and linguistic diversity in many societies. As a result, education systems are increasingly grappling with how to adapt practice to provide educational access and opportunities with increasingly diverse student…

This case study is based on a program evaluation of a professional certificate program that trains early childhood care and education providers to build and support young children's emotional literacy. The research project described in the case study will address approaches to methodological combination, justifying research design and changes to…

A central tenant of early childhood intervention (ECI) is collaboration between professionals and the caregivers of children receiving these services. There are limited studies on caregiver perceptions of collaboration in ECI teams particularly in resource-limited countries. Sixty-four caregivers participated in this study by completing a…

Background: This study aimed to develop a self-report measure of paid caregivers' empathy towards people with intellectual disabilities. Materials and Methods: Following questionnaire development, 194 staff working in services for people with intellectual disabilities completed self-report questionnaires, including the new empathy measure. The…

Purpose: The impact of home use of a remote microphone system (RMS) on the caregiver production of, and child access to, child-directed speech (CDS) in families with a young child with hearing loss was investigated. Method: We drew upon extant data that were collected via Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) recorders used with 9 families during 2…

Background: Siblings of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often support their brothers and sisters through caregiving and guardianship. Methods: In this qualitative study, the knowledge and views of 10 adult siblings were explored. Results & Conclusions: The tripartite impact of limited knowledge of guardianship and…

Background: As the demand for child care continues in the United States, the well-being of the child care workforce is an important consideration as well. Child care providers have job-related stresses, which affect their physical and mental health, ultimately can lead to a variety of concerns including, high turnover and overall quality of…

Custodial grandparenting (i.e. raising grandchildren on a full-time basis) is a global phenomenon. Despite the hardships associated with 24/7 custodial care, grandparents continue to invest in their grandchildren. Why they do so is a matter of much conjecture. For example, it has been posited that grandparents assume custodial care of their…

Background: Generalist mental health professionals are inadequately equipped to meet the rights of people with intellectual disability. A better understanding of the attributes of effective professionals may assist in the development of workforce capacity in this area. Methods: Twenty-eight family/support persons of people with intellectual…

Background: The increased longevity of individuals with intellectual disability means that ageing parents often play an extended caregiving role into late life. This systematic review evaluates qualitative evidence on futures planning among older parents whose adult children live either in the family home or out-of-home. Method: Electronic…