Early Education Settings Research Articles

Lottery-Based Evaluations of Early Education Programs: Opportunities and Challenges for Building the Next Generation of Evidence

Lottery-based identification strategies offer potential for generating the next generation of evidence on U.S. early education programs. The authors’ collaborative network of five research teams applying this design in early education settings and methods experts has identified six challenges that need to be carefully considered in this next context: (a) available baseline covariates that may not be very rich; (b) limited data on the counterfactual; (c) limited and inconsistent outcome data; (d) weakened internal validity due to attrition; (e) constrained external validity due to who competes for oversubscribed programs; and (f) difficulties answering site-level questions with child-level randomization. The authors offer potential solutions to these six challenges and concrete recommendations for the design of future lottery-based early education studies.

Professional Development Increases Child Care Providers’ NDBI Implementation and Children’s Language Outcomes

A majority of children’s language learning experiences occur in inclusive early child care and education settings. Few evidence-based professional development (PD) programs exist to empower early childhood education providers to use language instruction practices with children in inclusive classrooms. There is little research on providers’ implementation of naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI) strategies to improve children’s language outcomes in whole-group inclusive instruction. We conducted a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial to test the hypothesis that providers in the Early Achievements for Child Care Providers (EA-CP) PD program would show greater gains in NDBI implementation fidelity during shared book reading relative to business-as-usual (BAU) providers. This hypothesis was confirmed. Compared to BAU providers, EA-CP providers exhibited significantly greater fidelity gains from pre-training to mid-training, post-training, and 12-week maintenance assessments. A secondary hypothesis was that toddlers with and without developmental delays in the EA-CP condition would exhibit greater vocabulary and communication gains than toddlers in the BAU condition. Analyses of children with and without delays showed significantly greater expressive vocabulary and story-related engagement and communication in the EA-CP group. For children with delays, positive effects favoring the EA-CP group but not statistically significant were found. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Impact of Motivation and Temperament in Pre-School and School Setting. A Narrative Review

Motivation and temperament are integral determinants of a child's learning journey and social adaptation in early educational settings. This paper examines how intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors influence engagement, curiosity, and academic outcomes, while also exploring the diverse temperamental profiles, peer interactions, and propensity for leadership that children exhibit. The unique interplay between motivation and temperament has profound implications for classroom dynamics, peer interactions, and the cultivation of foundational leadership traits. Recognizing and harnessing these influences can optimize individual learning experiences, fostering both academic growth and the development of essential life skills in young learners.

Predicting adolescent and young adult outcomes from emotional support and cognitive stimulation offered by preschool-age home and early care and education settings.

Children's early environmental experiences are often considered highly influential for later life development. Yet, environmental contexts, such as the home and early care and education (ECE) setting, and multiple aspects of each setting, are not typically examined concurrently. In this study, we examined associations between cognitive stimulation and emotional support in the home and ECE setting during the preschool years (36-54 months) with adolescent (age 15; n = 708; 52% female) and adult (age 26; n = 584; 54% female) outcomes using data from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a study conducted at 10 sites across the United States. Cognitive stimulation in the home was significantly related to increased academic achievement at age 15 and educational attainment at age 26. Home emotional support was related to decreased behavior problems and increased social skills at age 15. No significant associations were found between either emotional support or cognitive stimulation in ECE and children's later development. These findings provide further support that the child's home environment during early childhood plays a substantial role in development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Leveraging the Child and Adult Care Food Program to Facilitate Healthy Behaviors and Environments in Early Care and Education Settings.

Leveraging the Child and Adult Care Food Program to Facilitate Healthy Behaviors and Environments in Early Care and Education Settings.

Can a Brief Professional Development Improve Early Childhood Educators’ Responsivity and Interaction Quality in Child Care Centers? A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT High-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) – particularly care defined by highly responsive interactions between educators and children – has the potential to have lasting positive impacts on children’s development. While there is variability in the level of quality among early education and care settings, professional development for early childhood educators has been shown to be an effective means to improve both ECEC quality and child outcomes. As many professional development programs are time and resource intensive, we sought out to test the efficacy of a brief (5 hr) professional development program that included a workshop, individual coaching, video feedback and text messaging. Research Findings: Results of a cluster randomized controlled trial with 93 educators indicated that the program improved educators’ responsivity three-months after intervention (d = 0.60, p = .035), but not classroom-wide levels of emotional support or instructional quality. Trend analysis revealed the greatest improvements occurred after the workshop and first coaching session and leveled off over time. Practice or Policy: Preliminary evidence suggests brief professional development programs may improve interaction quality with effect sizes comparable to those of longer programs. Well-powered studies using multiple arms or sequential randomization will help optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of professional development.

Environmental sustainability and food provision in the early childhood and education setting.

To describe environmentally sustainable (ES) and healthy food provision practices in childcare services in Victoria, Australia. Cross-sectional study. Childcare services providing food onsite. Staff completed an online survey that explored ES food provision practices including purchasing seasonal/local food, food waste awareness/management, and food cost/child/d. A purposively sampled subgroup conducted weighed audits to determine compliance with guidelines and total waste, serving waste (prepared, not served) and plate waste. Survey results found 8 % of services (n 129) had previously conducted food waste audits. Service audits (n 12) found 27 % total food waste (range: 9 % - 64 %). Statistically significant differences in plate waste were found between services who had previously conducted food waste audits (7 %) and those who had not (17 %) (P = 0·04). The most common ES practice was 'providing seasonal food'; the least common was 'maintaining a compost system' and 'less packaged foods'. Most services (95 %) purchased foods from supermarkets with 23 % purchasing from farmers' markets. This was statistically lower for regional/rural services (8 %), compared to metropolitan services (27 %) (P = 0·04). Twenty-seven per cent of services spent AUD2·50 or less per child per day on food. Only one audited service provided a menu compliant with childcare food provision guidelines. Childcare settings procure and provide large volumes of food; however, food waste awareness appears limited, and environmentally sustainable food procurement practices may be less affordable and difficult to achieve. Understanding the impact of food waste awareness on food waste practices and food costs across time merits further research.

Young Children's Dietary Quality in Family Child Care and in Their Own Home.

Some evidence suggests that children may have higher quality dietary intake in early care and education settings, compared with their respective homes, but no studies have explored these differences among children in less formal family child care. The purpose of this study was to compare dietary quality via the Healthy Eating Index 2015 among children in family child care and in their own home. This was a cross-sectional analysis of baseline dietary intake data from the Childcare Home Eating and Exercise Research study, a natural experiment, using directly observed dietary data in child care and 24-hour recall data in homes among children in South Carolina. Participants were 123 children in 52 family child-care homes between 2018 and2019. The main outcome was total and component Healthy Eating Index 2015 scores. The analysis was a hierarchical linear regression of children nested within family child care homes adjusting for child, provider, facility, and parent characteristics, including sex, age, race, ethnicity, and income, with parameters and SEs estimated via bootstrap sampling. Children had a mean ± SD Healthy Eating Index 2015 score of 60.3 ± 12.1 in family child-care homes and 54.3 ± 12.9 in their own home (P < 0.001). In adjusted analysis and after accounting for clustering of children in family child care homes, total HEI-2015 scores were lower at home than in care (β= -5.18 ± 1.47; 95% CI -8.05 to -2.30; P= 0.003). Children had healthier dietary intake in family child-care homes vs their respective homes.

특수교육대상유아를 위한 놀이 기반 AAC 어휘 및 그림상징 개발

Background and Objectives: The graphic symbol of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) should reflect the vocabulary required in the environment to which the user belongs. At present, the domestic AAC symbols available for young children do not adequately cover symbols related to play activities and interactions, which make up the majority of early childhood educational activities. Some of the available symbols lack context-specific characteristics. This study attempted to develop play-based vocabulary and graphic symbols that young children with disabilities could use in early childhood special education settings by reflecting the characteristics of play-based early childhood special education. Method: Play-related routines in early education settings were analyzed, and their vocabulary was collected and classified. The existing AAC graphic symbols in Korea were reviewed to develop the necessary vocabulary. After evaluating the validity of the vocabulary list, a play-based graphic symbol was developed accordingly. The validity of the developed graphic symbols was verified for early childhood special education teachers and then modified and supplemented. Results: A total of 36 picture symbols were developed, including 20 vocabulary words and graphic symbols related to play activities and 16 vocabulary words and graphic symbols related to play interaction. Conclusion: The developed symbols have the advantage of satisfying the needs of the augmentative and alternative communication of young children with disabilities by reflecting a play-oriented curriculum. A follow-up study on vocabulary and symbols necessary for routines other than play activities is needed.

Exploring early educator burnout and process quality in a statewide sample

Building on literature linking educators' psychosocial well-being to early education and care quality, this study analyzed early educators' (N = 648) reports of burnout across a range of group-based care types in one state and examined the relation of burnout to setting quality. Confirmatory factor analysis showed the burnout measure, a self-reported emotional exhaustion scale, had a one-factor structure and adequate internal consistency among educators working in a range of early education and care settings. Measured by the scale, educators on average reported infrequent feelings of burnout. There were small but statistically significant differences in burnout scores by setting type, with Head Start educators on average reporting modestly more frequent burnout symptoms than educators in community-based centers (β=0.29,b = 0.30, SE = 0.13, p = 0.014) or family childcare settings (β=0.57,b = 0.60, SE = 0.14, p < 0.001). Only one significant association was observed between educators' self-reported burnout scores and setting quality after accounting for educator and setting characteristics: a negative association with child involvement (β = − 0.09,b = −0.04, SE = 0.02, p = 0.03). These findings contribute to the field's understanding of burnout as a component of educator well-being and provide initial insight about targeting supports to improve educator well-being.

Evaluation of Serial Testing After Exposure to COVID-19 in Early Care and Education Facilities, Illinois, March-May 2022.

To understand SARS-CoV-2 transmission in early care and education (ECE) settings, we implemented a Test to Stay (TTS) strategy, which allowed children and staff who were close contacts to COVID-19 to remain in person if they agreed to test twice after exposure. We describe SARS-CoV-2 transmission, testing preferences, and the number of in-person days saved among participating ECE facilities. From March 21 through May 27, 2022, 32 ECE facilities in Illinois implemented TTS. Unvaccinated children and staff who were not up to date with COVID-19 vaccination could participate if exposed to COVID-19. Participants received 2 tests within 7 days after exposure and were given the option to test at home or at the ECE facility. During the study period, 331 TTS participants were exposed to index cases (defined as people attending the ECE facility with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result during the infectious period); 14 participants tested positive, resulting in a secondary attack rate of 4.2%. No tertiary cases (defined as a person with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result within 10 days after exposure to a secondary case) occurred in the ECE facilities. Most participants (366 of 383; 95.6%) chose to test at home. Remaining in-person after an exposure to COVID-19 saved approximately 1915 in-person days among children and staff and approximately 1870 parent workdays. SARS-CoV-2 transmission rates were low in ECE facilities during the study period. Serial testing after COVID-19 exposure among children and staff at ECE facilities is a valuable strategy to allow children to remain in person and parents to avoid missing workdays.

Children’s belonging constructed through material relations in multicultural early education settings

ABSTRACT This study explores how children construct their belonging in culturally diverse early childhood settings in Finland and Iceland. Belonging is understood as a holistic phenomenon that is constructed through various relations. The study is a multiple-case study, influenced by ethnographic approaches, conducted with children in two preschool settings, one in Finland and one in Iceland. The children were invited on walking tours with researchers and tablet computers, and participatory observations were utilised. The findings explore the daily moments in which belonging becomes constructed, involving movements, timing, touch, and play, relationally generated moments between children, and their material relations.

Children's Dietary Intake by Early Care and Education Setting in the US Affiliated Pacific

ObjectiveExamine differences in dietary intake of children aged 2–5 years in early care and education (ECE) setting in the US Affiliated Pacific (USAP). DesignSecondary analysis of cross-sectional data collected by the Children's Healthy Living program. ParticipantsChildren (n = 1,423) with complete dietary records and information on the ECE setting. Main Outcome MeasuresDietary intake by ECE setting; Head Start (HS), other ECE (OE), and no ECE. AnalysisComparison of mean dietary intake across ECE settings and multivariate logistic regression to evaluate ECE setting and likelihood for meeting dietary reference intake (DRI). ResultsChildren in HS and OE settings had a significantly higher intake of several food groups and nutrients, compared with no ECE; vegetables (0.4 cup-equivalents per thousand kcals [CETK] vs 0.3 CETK; P < 0.001), fruits (0.8 CETK vs 0.6 CETK; P = 0.001), milk (0.9 CETK for HS and 1.0 CETK for OE vs 0.8 CETK; P < 0.001). Sixty-five percent of the HS group met DRI and had greater odds of meeting calcium DRI (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–2.7) compared with other groups. The OE group had the lowest proportion of children meeting recommended intakes for 19 out of 25 nutrients. Conclusions and ImplicationsMean intakes of foods and nutrients for children across the USAP meet some, but not all, recommendations and intakes vary across children attending various ECE setting types. Additional research on the clinical importance of these differences and the impact of the complex food systems in the USAP may identify systematic strategies for improving diet among children.

Exclusionary discipline: Missed opportunities for youngest learners

Over a decade of data at state and national levels show that preschoolers, toddlers, and even infants, are continuously being suspended and expelled from early care and education settings because of behavioral concerns. Trends in these data also illustrate the pervasiveness of systemic racial and social inequities in the United States through the lifespan, with children who are Black, Native American, and multiracial and children with disabilities being disproportionately denied access to participate fully in early learning settings (Allen et al., 2022). Sending a child home is not effective in improving their adjustment or increasing their success within the classroom environment. On the contrary, children who are suspended are at increased risk of repeated suspensions, social isolation and withdrawal at school, poor achievement, dropping out, and entering the juvenile justice system.

Early childhood teachers' sense of community and work engagement: Associations with children's social, emotional, and behavioral functioning

Teachers' capacity to cultivate children's social, emotional, and behavioral functioning in early childhood settings could depend on how connected they feel to their workplace as well as to their work. However, the role of teachers' perceptions of their workplace in their work engagement, as well as children’s functioning (i.e., anger-aggression, anxiety-withdrawal, social competence, behavioral self-regulation), remains to be understood. Within this interdisciplinary study, we used self-determination theory and the Job Demands-Resources Model of Burnout, which propose that when teachers perceive a supportive workplace that enables them to feel capable of handling their responsibilities, they perform better in their role, and thus, could more positively contribute to children's development. The present study utilized a sample of 329 preschoolers and their 53 teachers. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we examined associations between teachers' sense of community (as measured by collegiality and involvement-influence), their work engagement as a moderator, and children's social, emotional, and behavioral functioning in early care and education (ECE) settings. As expected, we found that collegiality was negatively associated with children's anger aggression (β = −1.79, SE = 0.86). Also, work engagement was negatively associated with children's anxiety-withdrawal (β = −0.29, SE = 0.07). Unexpectedly, involvement-influence was positively associated with children's anger-aggression (β = 1.78, SE = 0.67). Relationships in the workplace are valuable to teachers, including how they engage with their work duties and children. However, more responsibilities in the workplace may present challenges that contribute to a less positive response to children or a less positive classroom environment. We discuss implications and potential workplace interventions for ECE educators.

Multi-State Implementation of Go NAPSACC to Support Healthy Practices in the Early Care and Education Setting.

Childhood obesity in the United States is a serious problem that puts children at risk for poor health. Effective state-wide interventions are needed to address childhood obesity risk factors. Embedding evidence-based initiatives into state-level Early Care and Education (ECE) systems has the potential to improve health environments and promote healthy habits for the 12.5 million children attending ECE programs. Go NAPSACC, an online program that was adapted from an earlier paper version of Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAPSACC or NAP SACC), provides an evidence-based approach that aligns with national guidance from Caring for Our Children and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This study describes approaches undertaken across 22 states from May 2017 to May 2022 to implement and integrate Go NAPSACC into state-level systems. This study describes challenges encountered, strategies employed, and lessoned learned while implementing Go NAPSACC state-wide. To date, 22 states have successfully trained 1,324 Go NAPSACC consultants, enrolled 7,152 ECE programs, and aimed to impact 344,750 children in care. By implementing evidence-based programs, such as Go NAPSACC, ECE programs state-wide can make changes and monitor progress on meeting healthy best practice standards, increasing opportunities for all children to have a healthy start.

Family–Teacher Relationships and Child Engagement in Early Care and Education

Young children’s positive interactions with teachers and peers in early care and education (ECE) settings support the development of their social and academic skills. Identifying malleable factors that contribute to children’s positive engagement in these interactions is important in supporting early development. The current study examines one potential malleable factor that could be bolstered through supports for families and teachers alike: family–teacher relationships. We investigate associations between three specific domains of family–teacher relationships and children’s engagement in ECE, so that findings are specific and relevant to intervention. We examine data from Oregon’s Quality Rating Improvement System Validation Study; a diverse sample of 492 preschool-aged children in center-based ECE participated. Children’s engagement was directly observed; parents reported their perception of family–teacher relationships. Multilevel models examined the associations between family–teacher relationships and children’s positive engagement with teachers and peers in ECE classrooms. Results indicate a positive significant relationship between practices and children’s positive engagement with teachers. Although this association was not causal, it suggests that teachers who collaborate and communicate with families, respond to family feedback and cultural values, and demonstrate a family-focused concern may help children engage more positively with teachers. Findings are discussed, limitations addressed, and future directions provided.

Prosodic variation and rich linguistic environments in a preschool setting

Children require rich linguistic environments (RLEs) to support their development in early education settings (Bratsch-Hines et al., 2019; Justice etal., 2018). RLEs are defined by high-quality language, teacher tone (prosodic/fundamental frequency-f0 variation), and interactions between the teacher and children (increased turn-taking, contingent responses, open-ended questions) (Jones &amp; Rowland, 2017). As we support enhancing the quality of interactions, we lack a quantifiable way to assess teacher language to provide clearer feedback. Our aims are (1) to quantify the measures used to assess the quality of teacher language, (2) to examine teacher prosodic variation across a typical day, and (3) to explore any connections between teacher (quality) language and prosody. Audio data were recorded from preschool classroom teachers (teachers of children aged 3 to 4-years-old; n = 5 to date). Each site had two days of recording, 4 to 8 hours per day. Teachers completed a background survey and reported a log of daily activities. The recordings are transcribed to analyze language and speech: measures of f0 variation, types of open-ended questions, word usage diversity, number of turns taken between the teachers-students, and presence of contingent responses. Data from this study help us to understand RLEs and provide a coding system to systematically capture teacher language in a more nuanced manner.

A Review on Early Intervention Systems.

Early intervention programs have been shown to increase the overall socio-emotional and physical wellbeing of children in early childhood and educational settings. The goal of this narrative review is to explore recent literature that describes implementation of these systems and highlights innovative practices in the early childhood intervention sector. Twenty-three articles were included, and we identified three themes in this review. The literature addressed concepts of innovative techniques in relation to childhood disability interventions; policy practices that promote child, family, and practitioner wellbeing; and attention to the importance of trauma-informed care in education for children and families who face the impacts of social marginalization such as racism and colonization. Notable shifts in the current early intervention paradigms are approaches to understanding disability informed by intersectional and critical theories, as well as systems level thinking that goes beyond focusing on individual intervention by influencing policy to advance innovative practice in the sector.

Universal Teacher-Child Interaction Training in early childhood special education: A cluster randomized control trial

Growing evidence suggests that Teacher-Child Interaction Training-Universal (TCIT-U) is effective for increasing teachers' use of strategies that promote positive child behavior, but more rigorous research with larger, diverse samples is needed to understand the effects of TCIT-U on teacher and child outcomes in early childhood special education. Using a cluster randomized control trial, we evaluated the effects of TCIT-U on (a) teacher skill acquisition and self-efficacy and (b) child behavior and developmental functioning. Teachers in the TCIT-U group (n = 37) exhibited significantly greater increases in positive attention skills, increased consistent responding, and decreased critical statements relative to teachers in the waitlist control group (n = 36) at post and 1-month follow-up (d's range from 0.52 to 1.61). Teachers in the TCIT-U group also exhibited significantly fewer directive statements (d's range from 0.52 to 0.79) and greater increases in self-efficacy compared to waitlist teachers at post (d's range from 0.60 to 0.76). TCIT-U was also associated with short-term benefits for child behavior. Frequency (d = 0.41) and total number of behavior problems (d = 0.36) were significantly lower in the TCIT-U group than in the waitlist group at post (but not follow-up), with small-to-medium effects. The waitlist group, but not the TCIT-U group, demonstrated an increasing trend in number of problem behaviors over time. There were no significant between-group differences in developmental functioning. Current findings build support for the effectiveness of TCIT-U as universal prevention of behavior problems with an ethnically and racially diverse sample of teachers and children, including children with developmental disabilities. Implications for implementation of TCIT-U in the early childhood special education setting are discussed.