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Research has established the vital role administrators play in the success and sustainability of high-quality early childhood care and education (ECEC) programs. However, many center-based program administrators assume their leadership roles by being promoted from a teaching position. Consequently, while they may assume their administrative role with a strong background in teaching young children, they often lack the specific education, specialized training, and experience needed to successfully lead and sustain a high-quality ECEC program. Adult learning theory, as well as research across many workforce sectors, including early childhood education highlights the need to align professional development opportunities with career development stages. This Research Brief provides an in-depth profile of the largest career development stage group: the proficient administrator. Building on the established characterization of proficient administrators as those who shift from struggling to juggling responsibilities, focus on improving their efficiency and effectiveness, and fit into the "conscious competence" learning stage, this study examines their perceived alignment between current and ideal work experiences, career origins, current role perceptions, levels of self-efficacy, and mastery of critical leadership competencies.

The Shaping Futures Together agenda highlights policies and investments that families and practitioners say will ensure all children thrive. This playbook provides recommended policy and research strategies that Start Early believes will help to realize those priorities. Each section includes legislative and administrative policy recommendations and research questions specific to each of the following priorities: (1) healthy births & thriving families; (2) positive early learning & development; (3) effective, valued & well-compensated workforce; and (4) strong, sustainable & equitable early childhood ecosystem.

Expulsion and suspension (or exclusionary discipline) in early care and education (ECE) are widely recognized as harmful to children. Numerous states have developed expulsion and suspension prevention policies through legislation or administrative rules. However, there is limited research on the implementation of state policies designed to reduce exclusionary discipline and on ECE providers' use of program supports that could help reduce exclusionary discipline practices. In this report, we use survey data to investigate Arkansas ECE program leaders' and teachers' understanding of the state's expulsion prevention policy, their use of suspension and expulsion and their participation in professional development (PD) and other supports to meet the needs of children with challenging behavior. We also explore how teachers' attributions of the reasons for challenging behavior predict their use of the available PD and supports. Key findings include: (1) Publicly funded programs in Arkansas (which are subject to state policy) engaged in exclusionary discipline at lower rates than non-publicly funded programs, despite reporting a higher percentage of children with challenging behavior; (2) Many Arkansas ECE program leaders were aware of the state's expulsion prevention policy, but fewer demonstrated a strong understanding of the requirements; (3) More than three quarters of Arkansas ECE teachers reported receiving some form of PD or training on topics such as encouraging positive teacher-child interactions, promoting children's positive behavior and helping children develop skills like managing their emotions; and (4) The use of exclusionary discipline practices was related to teachers' views of families as a reason for children's challenging behavior. At the end of the report, we offer recommendations based on these findings.

A recently launched professional development initiative in Arkansas, called Array, is designed to proactively identify early care and education (ECE) programs that could benefit from social-emotional-focused (SE-focused) professional development and support, and to offer assistance tailored to a program's particular needs. Because Array is designed to initiate contact with ECE programs, it has the potential to intervene early and prevent serious escalations of teachers' frustration in response to children's challenging behavior. This report examines results from case studies in three ECE programs that participated in Array between June and December 2022. The results focus on unique features of Array, how it operates, reported benefits to programs, and recommendations for continued improvement.

Our national survey of the early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) workforce highlights key strengths and concerns. Workers find their roles rewarding, appreciate making a difference for children and families, and are well-qualified, with most holding at least a bachelor's degree. However, the workforce lacks diversity, which may not reflect the children served, and nearly all workers are female, while more boys receive EI and ECSE services. High-stress levels, large caseloads, inadequate support, and poor compensation are significant issues. Addressing these challenges through better training, support, and innovative solutions is essential to retain and attract qualified professionals, ensuring children and families receive the necessary services without delays. [Funding for this report was provided by Early Childhood Personnel Center at the University of Connecticut.]

Leadership is important for quality improvement in center-based early care and education (ECE) settings that serve children birth to five. However, little is known about who leaders are, what leaders do, and how leadership influences quality outcomes in center-based ECE settings. Leadership can be defined by the range of staff who participate in decision-making and quality improvement and the actions they take as leaders. The Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS), funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families, has three goals: (1) fill the gaps in definitions and measurement to understand how effective leadership can improve the quality of experiences for children ages birth to five in center-based ECE settings, (2) develop a measure of ECE leadership, and (3) identify actionable leadership development initiatives and methods of evaluating them. This snapshot presents the ExCELS theory of change to show what ECE leadership looks like as well as the influences on and the influences of ECE leadership.

To better support districts and preschool program providers, the Ohio Department of Education's Office of Early Learning and School Readiness is providing answers to the following frequently asked questions pertaining to Ohio Administrative Code 3301-51-11. This document is divided into sections aligning with each section of the rule. This document will continue to be updated based on additional questions and concerns from the field. Red text indicates revisions since previous version. [For the 2021 report, see ED619735.]

Most states in the United States operate their public preschool programs in a mixed delivery system that serves children in local education agencies (LEAs) as well as non-LEA settings, such as Head Start agencies, child care centers, private schools, and family child care homes. To inform state preschool administrators and policymakers as they refine their mixed delivery systems, this report describes the mixed delivery systems of five states that have taken different approaches to supporting providers across settings. The five states discussed in this report include: (1) Alabama; (2) Michigan; (3) New Jersey; (4) New York; and (5) West Virginia. This report answers the following questions: (1) What is the landscape of mixed delivery in select states' preschool programs? (2) How are state preschool contracts awarded, and what supports are provided to non-LEAs to participate? and (3) What are quality requirements, and who monitors and is ultimately responsible for program quality?

This study utilizes data gathered from a nationwide survey of preschool educators in the United States to examine the prevalence of teaching practices associated with academic-focused rather than play-based approaches. The research delves into how these practices vary across different types of preschool programs, including publicly funded, such as state and locally funded public preschools, federally funded Head Start programs, and private preschools predominantly funded through fees. The analysis also considers various program features influenced by public policies, such as teacher qualifications and classroom characteristics. While the main objective is descriptive--to understand the extent of practice differences across auspices--the study also aims to shed light on potential reasons behind these differences, albeit with a recognition of limitations in establishing causality.

The field of early childhood education and care (ECEC) has an educator retention problem (NAEYC, 2021). While the field's administrator retention crisis is less publicized, it is arguably no less important. Administrators are the gatekeepers to program quality and the linchpin for an array of program functions that impact staff satisfaction and retention, including hiring and orienting new staff, supervising and promoting current staff, managing program finances, creating a shared mission and vision, and setting the overall tone for the organizational climate (Bloom & Abel, 2015; Doherty et al., 2015; Douglass, 2019; Sims et al., 2015; Talan et al., 2014). Moreover, research in the K-12 education sector has repeatedly found that principal turnover is tied to teacher turnover (e.g., Béteille et al., 2012; Buckman, 2021; Miller, 2013). One way in which the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership has worked to support novice ECEC administrators is through the Ready to Lead Leadership Academy (RTL). RTL was created as an intensive, four-month leadership academy to meet the needs of new and novice early childhood administrators. Additionally, the RTL curriculum was strategically aligned with competencies within the Illinois Director Credential, part of the Illinois Gateways to Opportunity professional development system. The Center has conducted seven cohorts of RTL with 119 novice administrators from across Illinois completing the academy. At the conclusion of the seventh cohort, the McCormick Center conducted an external evaluation report on the effectiveness of the RTL academy (Hadi-Tabassum & Beaudoin Ryan, 2023). This research brief focuses on two of four of the main research questions addressed in the evaluation: (1) if RTL meets the unique needs of novice administrators and (2) the potential impact of RTL on administrators' own commitment to the field, support for professional development for teaching staff, and future staff retention.

Early childhood researchers from across the U.S. came together to form the Early Learning Network (ELN) in 2016 with the mission to identify policies and practices that narrow opportunity gaps and help children maintain early learning success. Early Learning Network teams are excited to share what they have learned--and what it means for early childhood education practice and policy--in a series of research briefs. The briefs summarize impact areas that have potential to positively contribute to young children's learning and development, including key takeaways and action steps for practice, policy and research. They were developed using the teams' collective findings, along with critical input and insights shared by U.S. stakeholders during the Early Learning Network Forum. Four impact areas emerged, each with their own key takeaway: (1) Pre-K Participation; (2) Classroom Experiences and Learning Opportunities; (3) Relationships; and (4) Sustained High-Quality Experiences. Information regarding Optimizing Learning Opportunities for Students (OLOS), a classroom assessment tool developed by the ELN assessment team and field-tested by network members, is included.

On December 13, 2022, the Early Learning Network Forum, "Equitable and Effective Early Learning Opportunities: Research, Practice and Considerations," was hosted in partnership with the Institute of Education Sciences. More than 100 stakeholders joined network members for the daylong virtual event, including practitioners, policymakers, researchers, state and federal partners, and others invested in early childhood education from across the country. Participants heard the latest ELN findings and engaged in dialogue to determine how the network's contributions to the early childhood knowledge base can be translated and applied to improve practice and policy with the goal to narrow opportunity gaps and ensure early learning success of children from prekindergarten (pre-K) to third grade, especially those from marginalized groups. Based on what the network research suggested, as well as their own insights and experiences, participants offered potential actions to strengthen early childhood education systems; inform practice, policy and research focused on improving outcomes for all students; and ultimately, to help move the field forward.

Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs are an important investment in Ohio's youngest learners. Ohio has worked to increase the availability of high-quality early learning programs for preschool children by providing the Early Childhood Education grants. Funded programs deliver high-quality, comprehensive learning environments focused on healthy development and intellectual, social and emotional success. Research is clear: children who participate in high-quality early learning programs begin school better prepared for educational success. In Fiscal Year 2022 (July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022), 350 Early Childhood Education Grant-funded programs served 16,732 children because of the $72,608,000 investment in state funding. These grantees included public school districts, educational service centers, joint vocational schools, community schools, chartered nonpublic schools and community-based child care providers who earned 3-, 4- or 5-star ratings in Ohio's quality rating system, Step Up To Quality. [For the 2021 report, see ED619733.]

Part B, Section 619 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) authorizes additional preschool formula grants to states that are eligible for grants under Section 611 of Part B. States are eligible if they make Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) available to all children ages 3-5 with disabilities. While not mandatory, all states are currently providing IDEA services to preschool-aged children. This document provides materials as part of the process of orienting those new to the role as a Part B, Section 619 Coordinator and to the TA Center Network. There are guiding questions to apply this information to state and local contexts.

The preschool landscape is complex, consisting of several publicly funded programs supported by federal, state, and local funds. Included in this landscape is Head Start, a critical early childhood education (ECE) program that serves--in every state and territory--young children in families with incomes at or below the federal poverty line, families experiencing homelessness, families receiving assistance like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), families of children with disabilities, and children who are in the foster care system. Comprehensive data on Head Start programs are available nationally but can be challenging to integrate with other preschool and K-12 data, in part because the data typically flow from local Head Start grantees up to the federal Office of Head Start (OHS), bypassing the state. However, without the inclusion of Head Start data, researchers, policymakers, and preschool administrators are unable to answer key questions about the experiences of those being served or understand which children and families are served in states with Head Start and state pre-kindergarten (pre-K). To better understand the ways Head Start data are being accessed, analyzed, and used with other preschool data at the state level, the Early Childhood Data Collaborative (ECDC) at Child Trends conducted a survey of Head Start State Collaboration Offices (HSCOs). HSCOs play a role coordinating Head Start systems at the state level with other early childhood programs, and they are well positioned to understand the data collection efforts within a state. The primary goal of the survey was to better understand the types of Head Start data that HSCOs can access and how these data are used, disaggregated, and linked with other early childhood and K-12 data; in addition, the survey aimed to understand data-related supports and infrastructure.

Our updated brief reports that while the number of states allowing FCC participation remained unchanged from 2019-2020 to 2022-2023, there were notable shifts in participation within states. The enrollment of children in FCC settings saw significant increases, with some states experiencing substantial growth. However, concerns regarding the quality of these settings and the learning outcomes for children persist, highlighting the need for further research and support as states expand their pre-K programs to include more FCC settings.

The early care and education (ECE) field is still in the early stages of building the infrastructure it needs to attract, support, and sustain strong leadership (Austin, 2014; Goffin & Daga, 2017; Kirby et al., 2021; Pacchiano et al., 2016). This brief presents the findings from a review of research on ECE leadership development initiatives from the Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS) that focuses on leadership in center-based ECE settings. It examines seven ECE leadership development initiatives that have been the focus of one or more evaluations, describes the features and intended outcomes of each initiative, and considers how they might continue to be implemented and evaluated to further strengthen ECE leadership development. It highlights several key findings: (1) evidence about leadership development in ECE is not yet widely available or accessible; (2) the field needs a deeper understanding about what effective leadership looks like, how to develop and measure it, and what outcomes it can produce; and (3) descriptive studies of seven leadership development initiatives suggest that continued use and evaluation can increase our understanding of the structures and supports that are needed to develop ECE leaders.

This briefing paper explores Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) policies and practices that state early intervention (Part C) programs may consider implementing to meet the social-emotional and mental health needs of infants and toddlers in the context of relationships with their parents and other caregivers.

High quality early care and education (ECE) supports the healthy development and learning of young children. Implementing and sustaining quality depends on staff contributions and actions. Research from fields such as K-12 education, health, and management finds that quality improvement is more likely to occur and be sustained in the context of distributed leadership, in which administrators and frontline staff work together to affect change and improvement (Kirby et al., 2021). In distributed leadership, those in formal leadership roles and frontline staff share power and decision making in one or more domains of work. This brief intends to provide readers with an overview of the research on distributed leadership along with a concrete example of how ECE settings can achieve distributed leadership. Specifically, in this brief, the authors aim to (1) describe and elevate the concept of distributed leadership in center-based ECE settings and its potential benefits, including its role in supporting quality improvement, and (2) provide a concrete example of distributed leadership development from a quality improvement initiative called the Culture of Continuous Learning (CCL) project. The authors conclude with thoughts about how to incorporate distributed leadership into existing professional development and quality improvement systems to better support ECE settings across the country.

The Partnership for Pre-K Improvement (PPI) was launched in 2016 as a project with a vision to develop and sustain high-quality, equitable Pre-K programs that produce improved and more-equitable kindergarten readiness and greater academic success for children through the early elementary grades. The multiyear, multistate (Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington) effort aimed to learn in partnership with states across government leaders, advocates and researchers about how to systematically improve the quality of Pre-K at scale. This report highlights the work achieved by the state leaders, researchers and advocates in Oregon, Tennessee and Washington as part of their PPI strategic vision for improvement. It also describes five foundational assumptions implicit in the PPI strategy that together shaped the design, approach and implementation of the work.

The System Transformation for Equitable Preschools (STEP Forward with Data) Framework was developed to help preschool systems leaders understand where in the preschool system there may be inequities in how children and families are accessing, being supported by, and experiencing the system. The Framework offers preschool systems leaders a pathway to answer common questions about preschool using data in a consistent, equity-centered way. The Framework document first establishes the rationale for developing a unifying data framework in preschool. Second, it details the goals of the Framework, including guidance for preparing to use it. The Framework then provides a list of essential questions which preschool systems leaders may want to answer about their preschool system, organized around six steps in the preschool system. For each step, the researchers describe how children, families, and workforce members experience the system and establish the relevant questions that could be answered at each step. These essential questions are broken down into recommended metrics that can help answer the question using data, which also include suggested ways to calculate the metric, the level at which to collect the data, and example data sources. Finally, a glossary that defines terms used throughout the Framework.

Early childhood researchers from across the U.S. came together to form the Early Learning Network (ELN) in 2016 with the mission to identify policies and practices that narrow opportunity gaps and help children maintain early learning success. Early Learning Network teams share what they have learned--and what it means for early childhood education practice and policy--in a series of research briefs. The briefs summarize impact areas that have potential to positively contribute to young children's learning and development, including key takeaways and action steps for practice, policy and research. This brief focuses on the impact area of relationships. The key takeaway in this brief is: High-quality educational experiences should include educators' use of practices to (1) create and maintain positive interpersonal connections with students; and (2) promote and support positive peer relationships.

Early childhood researchers from across the U.S. came together to form the Early Learning Network (ELN) in 2016 with the mission to identify policies and practices that narrow opportunity gaps and help children maintain early learning success. Early Learning Network teams share what they have learned--and what it means for early childhood education practice and policy--in a series of research briefs. The briefs summarize impact areas that have potential to positively contribute to young children's learning and development, including key takeaways and action steps for practice, policy and research. This brief focuses on the impact area of classroom experiences and learning opportunities. Targeted, positive classroom experiences, including one-on-one language exchanges, teacher-student interactions, student-student interactions, exposure to content-rich instruction and modeling/scaffolding, are associated with students' skills. Classroom learning opportunities, such as large group activities, and strategies, including behavior management and routine cues, are not consistently positively associated with student outcomes.

Early childhood researchers from across the U.S. came together to form the Early Learning Network (ELN) in 2016 with the mission to identify policies and practices that narrow opportunity gaps and help children maintain early learning success. Early Learning Network teams share what they have learned--and what it means for early childhood education practice and policy--in a series of research briefs. The briefs summarize impact areas that have potential to positively contribute to young children's learning and development, including key takeaways and action steps for practice, policy and research. This brief focuses on the impact area of sustained high-quality experiences. Intentional efforts to sustain high-quality experiences, such as using transition practices, promoting positive student-teacher relationships and sharing information across grades, may benefit all children, and especially those from marginalized backgrounds. However, there is variability in the degree to which students experience sustained experiences across grades. Sustained high-quality experiences alone do not consistently result in better outcomes; experiences must be high quality and aligned. The key takeaway of this brief is: Educational experiences should include consistency and continuity of high-quality opportunities across pre-K to third grade, including alignment of experiences within the early elementary grades (K-3).

Early childhood researchers from across the U.S. came together to form the Early Learning Network (ELN) in 2016 with the mission to identify policies and practices that narrow opportunity gaps and help children maintain early learning success. Early Learning Network teams share what they have learned--and what it means for early childhood education practice and policy--in a series of research briefs. The briefs summarize impact areas that have potential to positively contribute to young children's learning and development, including key takeaways and action steps for practice, policy and research. This brief focuses on the impact area of pre-K participation. The initial positive effects of pre-K on children's academic and social-emotional skills (pre-K boost) may diminish or disappear by the end of kindergarten. This pattern appears to be due to non-attenders quickly catching up to their peers, and not children's skills fading out over time. Findings suggest there are different levels of catch-up for different types of skills. Pre-K programs and the early elementary grades should prioritize instruction in both foundational skills (e.g., counting, letter recognition) and complex skills (e.g., vocabulary, self-regulation) to promote lasting pre-K gains, particularly for students who are marginalized.

The pandemic has amplified and exacerbated many of the existing challenges facing the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC) and forced the field to innovate and change much of what had become the status quo. The McCormick Center has a 30-year history of providing intensive (6-12 months in duration), cohesive (curriculum content is coordinated and builds on previous learning and application), and cohort-based leadership academies. These leadership academies have been consistently evaluated, providing empirical evidence of success in supporting the unique needs of ECEC program leaders, increasing program quality, improving organizational health, and fostering a commitment to ongoing professional growth and achievement. Before the pandemic, the McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership received funding to develop and facilitate a seven-month leadership academy for newly-hired center-based administrators. At first, the traditionally designed leadership academy (in-person, off-site, full-day seminar structure) was postponed in hopes of rescheduling when life "returned to normal" for center administrators. Ultimately, the academy was deconstructed and rebuilt to be delivered virtually. The leadership academy evaluated in this study provided the challenge and opportunity to rethink the traditional leadership academy delivery model in ways that accounted for an online and remote learning environment, the impact of a staffing crisis that forced administrators to function as teachers in the classroom to maintain ratios resulting in loss of dedicated time for administrative tasks, and amplified feelings of stress and isolation by participants. Was it possible to transform the traditional leadership academy model into a fully virtual one and still achieve the intended learning and professional outcomes? This brief provides an overview of the revised delivery model of a leadership academy for newly-hired administrators and the empirical evidence regarding its success.

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) considers high-quality personnel preparation to be essential to positive outcomes for young children birth through age 8 who are at risk for or with developmental delays/disabilities and their families. Recognizing the centrality of quality personnel preparation, DEC has provided guidance for preparing professionals to enact the role of the early childhood special educator through the DEC position statements on personnel preparation for early intervention/early childhood special education (EI/ECSE). This revised position statement provides direction for individuals in a variety of professional roles who are engaged in EI/ECSE personnel preparation, including, but not limited to, faculty and staff at institutes of higher education (IHEs); professional development (PD) and technical assistance providers at local, regional, state, and national levels; and state-level certification/licensure and policy administrators. [The first DEC Position Statement on Personnel Preparation was developed and approved in 1994, endorsed with minor changes in 2008, and significantly updated in 2017.]

The majority of students in Maryland spent at least a portion of the last school year learning virtually, from public prekindergarten through college. Throughout the year, jurisdictions made individual decisions to allow for a gradual return to in-person school in a variety of ways. Lessons learned from the earliest stages of the pandemic made it possible for the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and local officials to create plans for starting the 2021-2022 school year in-person. Along with establishing health metrics and guidelines to create and maintain a safer school environment, most local school systems chose to offer a separate virtual learning program so families could choose options based on their own needs. Twenty-two jurisdictions offered some form of virtual learning. This school year, kindergarten teachers used the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) to assess 73% of the 60,608 kindergarteners enrolled in Maryland's public kindergartens. Although enrollment is still lower than pre-pandemic, a greater percentage of children were assessed on this year's KRA than in 2019-2020. Some of the key findings were: (1) 40% of Maryland's kindergarteners demonstrate readiness and entered classrooms prepared to fully participate in kindergarten. This is a 7-point decrease from the 2019--2020 (47%) school year, the last time the KRA was administered. The majority of kindergarteners (60%) do not demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and behavior to actively engage in the kindergarten curriculum; (2) 33% of kindergarteners are approaching readiness, and may require additional instruction based on their individual strengths and needs; and (3) 27% of kindergarteners are identified as emerging on the KRA, and will require targeted supports or interventions to be successful in kindergarten. This represents a 6-point increase over the prior KRA administration (21%), and accounts for many children who are at great risk of not catching up to their peers. [For "Readiness Matters: 2019-2020 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Report," see ED612005.]

International comparative education studies contribute to improvements in education systems by highlighting strengths and identifying challenges found in the different cultural contexts of different countries. Comparative early childhood education (ECE) studies provide new ideas and insights into how local and national systems can be improved. There are, however, few comparative international ECE studies that report data collected at the individual program level. Further, there is scant research that examines the relationship between administrative practices and classroom practices in ECE programs. The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of programs in two different early childhood systems--Turkey, a developing country with emerging standards for quality early childhood education, and North Carolina, a state with a well-established quality improvement system for early care and education programs. The two ECE quality improvement systems included in this research differed in several key areas, including the auspice of the system, the length of time the system had been in place, and the degree to which standards for program quality were developed. Overall, results from the study suggested that administrative practices play a critical role in supporting high-quality ECE programs, as indicated by the significant, positive correlation between the quality ratings of classroom environments and ratings of administrative quality in both Turkey and North Carolina.

Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs are an important investment in Ohio's youngest learners. Ohio has worked to increase the availability of high-quality early learning programs for preschool children by providing the Early Childhood Education grants. Funded programs deliver high-quality, comprehensive learning environments focused on healthy development and intellectual, social and emotional success. Research is clear: children who participate in high-quality early learning programs begin school better prepared for educational success. In Fiscal Year 2021 (July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021), 353 Early Childhood Education Grant-funded programs served 15,052 children because of the $71,480,000 investment in state funding. These grantees included public school districts, educational service centers, joint vocational schools, community schools, chartered nonpublic schools and community-based child care providers who earned 3-, 4- or 5-star ratings in Ohio's quality rating system, Step Up To Quality. [For the 2020 report, see ED615708.]

Early care and education (ECE) leaders often consider new content, curricula, and models to include in their quality improvement (QI) toolkit. The Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) centers equity in its approach to engaging staff at all levels in an ECE program. It is a promising approach for center-based ECE programs (with the potential to be used with home-based programs). While states are in a unique position of urgently managing pandemic relief funds and addressing high-priority needs for stabilization of child care programs in particular, they are also being challenged to address the needs of families and children (including families with low incomes) who have not had equitable access to ECE programs that provide high-quality care, even prior to the pandemic. Leaders are looking for innovations that can address the challenges in the current system. The purpose of this brief is to provide federal, state, and local ECE leaders with an overview of a quality improvement methodology called the Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC) and to describe the potential to use the BSC in early childhood systems to help ECE programs build their capacity for continuous improvement and make sustained changes in evidence-based practices. This brief focuses on quality improvement in center-based ECE contexts, though many of the general points made throughout are also applicable to quality improvement with home-based providers. [This report was prepared with JRA Consulting, Ltd.]

This document includes guidance, considerations, and resources for state staff and local practitioners who are determining Preschool Special Education eligibility remotely, due in part to COVID-19. To accomplish this, many states are now exploring a variety of approaches such as teleconference, videoconference, and sharing information and video synchronously and asynchronously. Effective state policies, procedures, and practices are important to appropriately identify children eligible for Part B Special Education services remotely. Part B IDEA regulations, that apply to preschoolers, define "evaluation" as "procedures used in accordance with §§300.304 through 300.311 to determine whether a child has a disability and the nature and extent of the special education and related services that the child needs." This document first presents associated tool table resources, and then the content is organized across five main sections. Each section includes considerations in the form of questions and suggestions. Resources also are embedded throughout the document, including links to: (1) regulations or materials; (2) best practices including Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices (DEC RP); (3) examples of what best practice looks like or doesn't look like; and (4) cautions about potential problems.

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducted a landscape evaluation of early childhood programs in Indiana (IN) between the spring of 2021 and the summer of 2022. The evaluation focused on understanding program components, quality, and children's learning and development across a variety of programs in the state. Commissioned by Early Learning Indiana (ELI), this study aims to provide Indiana programs and policymakers with research-based information on the quality of early childhood programs, and the learning and development status of young children birth to five in the state. This evaluation of Indiana's early care and education (ECE) system is a multi-site study encompassing several components to provide the first-ever independent assessment of this scale of the quality of early care and education programs of various auspices and to assess the developmental growth of children in those programs. This research report on the quality of early care and education programs in Indiana discusses differences observed in program quality by program type, Paths to Quality (PTQ) star level, and geographic region. The report uses data on program quality collected across two time points between March 2021 through July 2022. Throughout this period, programs continued to experience interruptions or quarantines due to the COVID-19 pandemic (including the Omicron and Delta variants of COVID-19). This report discusses the implications of these findings for policymakers and funders in Indiana as they seek to strengthen the early care and education system in order to improve school readiness of young children. The full report of the study and an accompanying Research Brief discusses the implications of these findings for policymakers and funders. Together, the two briefs can provide important information about the developmental status of children and classroom quality in the state to the Indiana Early Learning Advisory Committee. [For the full report, "Evaluation of Early Childhood Programs & Child Development in Indiana. Second Report. Commissioned by Early Learning Indiana," see ED628943. For the Research Brief, "The Developmental Status of Young Children in Indiana. Research Report," see ED628952.]

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducted a landscape evaluation of early childhood programs in Indiana (IN) between the spring of 2021 and the summer of 2022. Commissioned by Early Learning Indiana (ELI), this study provides Indiana programs and policymakers with research-based information on the quality of a sample of 321 classrooms in 206 programs in Indiana and the developmental growth of 715 infants, toddlers and preschoolers in these classrooms. The evaluation focused on understanding the impact of various program components on program quality across a variety of types of early care and education programs in the state. In addition, the report describes the developmental growth of the children in the sampled programs (n= 223 infants and toddlers; n= 492 preschoolers.) The study found that despite the intervening impact of the pandemic on program operations, the results of independent assessments of quality over two time periods from 2021 to 2022 were stable. Children in this sample experienced environments that on average were warm, caring, and supportive. However, findings indicate low levels of language and instructional support observed over time for all age groups. This study employed a set of standardized child assessments designed to measure learning across various domains that are psychometrically valid, proven to discriminate effects in intervention studies, and appropriate for the age range of birth to five. The study found that on average, all children showed significant growth in receptive vocabulary, regardless of their enrollment location or center type. However, literacy development lagged for all children similarly, regardless of where children were enrolled. Overall, children also showed improvements in externalizing behaviors. The report discusses the policy implications of these findings on children's developmental status and considering the findings on program quality, we recommend that the state provide all educators with the necessary tools to effectively support children's healthy growth and development. This includes enriched, culturally responsive curriculum and instructional resources, effective assessments to measure and drive progress for classrooms and children, sustained professional development, and actionable data for continuous improvement. [For the Research Briefs: "Quality in Early Childhood Care and Education Programs in Indiana. Research Report," see ED628949; and "The Developmental Status of Young Children in Indiana. Research Report," see ED628952.]

In 2013-14, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), the nation's third-largest school district, implemented several changes to the policies governing its pre-kindergarten (pre-k) application and enrollment process. Two policy changes that were central to the school district's strategy focused on increasing access to full-day pre-k for high-priority student groups: (1) increasing the overall number of full-day pre-k classrooms within school buildings; and (2) intentionally placing those full-day pre-k classrooms in neighborhoods with a large proportion of age-eligible, high-priority children and historically low rates of enrollment in CPS pre-k. This research examines whether and how access--defined as the distance to the closest school with full-day school-based pre-k and the number of full-day pre-k classrooms near potential students' homes--was related to pre-k enrollment and ongoing learning outcomes in early elementary school. In other words: Does the geographic placement of full-day pre-k classrooms within a school district matter? In prior work, it was found that after these policy changes in Chicago, there were more equitable patterns of pre-k access and enrollment. This brief presents new findings: Geographic placement of full-day pre-k matters not only for more equitable pre-k access and enrollment, but also for academic outcomes in early elementary school. Students--especially in high-priority student groups--who were eligible to enroll in pre-k after the policy changes had higher math scores and grades in early elementary school than did students eligible for pre-k before the policy changes. These benefits are partly explained by the fact that Black students and those living in lowest-income neighborhoods lived closer to full-day school-based pre-k options post-policy, which in turn was related to increased enrollment in full-day pre-k, higher kindergarten entry skills, and ultimately better 2nd grade academic outcomes.

This chartbook presents nationally representative estimates of all home-based care to children under age 13, using data from the 2012 and 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). Home-based providers discussed in the report include both paid and unpaid providers of care. It describes counts of home-based providers and children served, characteristics of care provided in home-based early care and education (ECE), and characteristics of the individuals providing home-based ECE. The chartbook also identifies statistically significant changes between 2012 and 2019 for different types of home-based providers: listed, unlisted paid, and unlisted unpaid. For each type of home-based provider, the chartbook features: (1) Counts of providers and children served; (2) Characteristics of care provided in home-based ECE; and (3) Characteristics of the individuals providing home-based ECE.

In support of the Every Child Ready Chicago initiative, Start Early has begun to explore the creation of a Chicago early childhood research consortium that would bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, families, and community representatives across sectors in a robust, long-term research-practice partnership focused on helping Chicago achieve its vision for a strong early childhood system. Critical to the success of early childhood, and any other systems-building initiatives, is access to evidence and data that are relevant, actionable, and timely to guide the decisions of policymakers and program leaders. For an early childhood system as large and ambitious as Chicago, no one research partner or institution alone has everything that is required to achieve these goals. Chicago already benefits from several research consortia, but none focus specifically on supporting the early childhood system in Chicago. This report presents the findings of the initial phase of exploration regarding the creation of a Chicago early childhood research consortium. [This report was prepared as part of the Every Child Ready Chicago initiative.]

Child Trends and Start Early have partnered to better understand what early childhood systems builders need to build and support more equitable systems. The briefs in this series, called Conversation Starters, define a new framework for early childhood systems that center families' experiences and raise key considerations and next steps for implementing the framework. This piece highlights some lessons learned from systems that are working to center families' voices and experiences as they build and improve their early childhood systems. [For the companion piece, "Defining a Family-Centric Early Childhood System. Conversation Starters on Building More Equitable Early Childhood Systems," see ED628964.]

Child Trends and Start Early have partnered to better understand what early childhood systems builders need to build and support more equitable systems. The briefs in this series, called Conversation Starters, define a new framework for early childhood systems that center families' experiences and raise key considerations and next steps for implementing the framework. This piece offers a framework for systems builders to co-define "with families" what it would mean for their system to be "family-centric." [For the companion piece, "Authentic Family Engagement in Family-Centric Early Childhood Systems Building. Conversation Starters on Building More Equitable Early Childhood Systems," see ED628965.]

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducted a landscape evaluation of early childhood programs in Indiana (IN) between the spring of 2021 and the summer of 2022. The evaluation included assessments of infant, toddler, and preschooler children's developmental status in multiple domains at two time points to measure growth. Commissioned by Early Learning Indiana (ELI), with generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc., this study aims to provide Indiana programs and policymakers with research-based information on the quality of early childhood programs, as well as the learning and development status of young children birth to five in the state. This study employed a set of standardized child assessments designed to measure learning across various domains that are psychometrically valid, proven to discriminate effects in intervention studies, and appropriate for the age range of birth to five. The study found that on average, all children showed significant growth in receptive vocabulary, regardless of their enrollment location or center type. However, literacy development lagged for all children similarly, regardless of where children were enrolled. Overall, children also showed improvements in externalizing behaviors. For infants and toddlers, we found lower developmental levels in language, cognition, and socio-emotional levels relative to what we expected due to maturation alone. At baseline, the children of preschool age in the sample had lower levels of literacy and math skills compared to their typical peers, but they had similar language and executive function skills. During the study period, the children made strong gains in vocabulary and showed expected growth in math and executive functions relative to peers their age. However, their literacy skills showed slower growth than typical, and in fact, they lost relative to their peers in standard scores. The report discusses the policy implications of these findings on children's developmental status and considering the findings on program quality, we recommend that the state provide all educators with the necessary tools to effectively support children's healthy growth and development. This includes enriched, culturally responsive curriculum and instructional resources, effective assessments to measure and drive progress for classrooms and children, sustained professional development, and actionable data for continuous improvement. [For the full report, "Evaluation of Early Childhood Programs & Child Development in Indiana. Second Report. Commissioned by Early Learning Indiana," see ED628943. For the Research Brief, "Quality in Early Childhood Care and Education Programs in Indiana. Research Report," see ED628949.]

To understand the use of early care and education (ECE) programs in New Jersey, the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) conducted a representative survey of parents of children under age 5 (not yet in kindergarten) about their use of (non-parental) child care. The survey was conducted between May 25th and June 13rd, 2022, with 1,251 parents. This report summarizes the use of child care arrangements by parents of infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children in New Jersey in spring/summer 2022. These include center-based programs (child care, pre-k, and Head start) and non-center-based (family child care, other non-parental) ECE programs. This report also describes parents' reasons for selecting their ECE program as well as reasons for not using any ECE arrangement. [Data for this report was collected under a larger project funded by the NJ Department of Health and Human Services.]

In 2020 preschool participation rates substantially declined. A recent NIEER survey found that the Fall 2022 preschool participation rates had nearly returned to pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The NIEER survey asked parents of young children who were still not in preschool in the Fall of 2022 to report why they did not enroll their children. The top responses included having one parent home (82%), cost and lack of affordable options (41%), and continuing concerns about the pandemic (35%). In NIEER's Spring 2021 PLA survey, 81 percent of parents of age-eligible children said they would very likely or somewhat likely send their child to a free, universal pre-K program if it became available. In addition, parents with annual incomes below $25,000 more often reported being very likely to participate than those with higher incomes. [For "Impacts of the Pandemic on Young Children and Their Parents: Initial Findings from NIEER's May-June 2021 Preschool Learning Activities Survey. Research Report," see ED616245.]

The research note discusses various classroom observation tools used in early childhood classrooms and the degree to which they capture the facilitation of playful learning. We note that while all tools capture some aspects of play facilitation especially the preconditions for play, few tools directly measure techniques that solely facilitate learning within play. We identified two tools that do measure these to a greater extent. However, the challenge remains in capturing the dynamic nature of teacher-child interactions during play throughout the day and even within the same play activity. We propose that time-sampling tools may provide detailed information on the frequency of facilitation techniques used across different activities and settings and how they relate to individual child characteristics and professional development experiences. This type of tool would also allow researchers to understand the differences in learning outcomes between play-based and non-play-based activities. [This report was created in partnership with aeioTu (Colombia). For the full report, "Paths to Play Competency (P2P): Teachers' Experiences and Their Professional Development. Final Report," see ED628944. For "Play Related Beliefs and Practices in Colombia: Implications for Policy & Practice. Policy Brief," see ED628957.]

Playing is crucial for children's growth and learning, and it is essential to understand and improve the role of educators in facilitating learning through play. This study aimed to investigate the beliefs of early childhood educators in Colombia's aeioTU program about play, which is based on the Reggio Emilia philosophy and focuses on art, projects, exploration, and play. The study revealed that educators perceive play as a fun, social, and interactive activity that allows children to participate actively and exercise agency. They also emphasized the spontaneous and voluntary nature of play, which is closely linked to the exploration processes in the aeioTU educational model. Most educators reported that they set the materials and space for play, guided children when they needed help, or directed activities such as games. The findings suggests that educators see their role at the two extremes of the play facilitator spectrum. Although the aeioTU curriculum recognizes play as a free and unstructured activity in which children have complete freedom to make decisions, the teachers' report suggests a preference for more structured and directed approaches that limit children's agency. The findings provide valuable insights into the educators' practices and can guide decision-making and teacher training efforts in this area. In addition, the findings provide an opportunity to how play is situated in policy. [For the full report, "Paths to Play Competency (P2P): Teachers' Experiences and Their Professional Development. Final Report," see ED628944. For "Measuring Teacher Facilitation of Playful Learning. Research Note," see ED628956.]

This resource provides information about tools for planning and monitoring progress that can be administered remotely. These assessments rely on practitioner observations, interviews with, or questionnaires completed by a parent or caregiver to learn about the child's behavior and what the child knows and can do. Depending on what needs to be observed, practitioners also may be able to use videoconferencing or asynchronous videos of the child as part of the assessment process. In addition to supporting planning and tracking progress, the information provided by these tools can be helpful in determining whether the child is eligible for early intervention or preschool special education services although they are not norm-referenced and do not provide a standard score (e.g., percent delay). The table includes assessments for chieldren birth through five years old in which one or more domains can be administered by observation, interview, and/or parent/caregiver checklist. Many of these tools could be described as curriculum-based or criterion-referenced assessments. Assessments that are companions to a curriculum were included as long as use of the curriculum was not a requirement for use of the tool. Assessments focused largely on children's behavior in classrooms were not included. As noted in the table, some assessments were designed for use with a particular population, such as, children with visual and/or hearing loss or children with physical, cognitive, social, or emotional disabilities. The table provides a link to the website (or websites, when the tool is available from more than one source) where the tool can be obtained; the age range of the tool; the name of domains or content areas that have potential to be assessed remotely; the administration approach; language translations available; and additional details about the tool. Links are provided for tools that have been crossed walked to the three child outcomes used for state reporting to the Office of Special Education Programs.

Improved measurement of the active ingredients that promote children's gains in early childhood education programs is a topic of considerable interest to stakeholders. Accurate and reliable measurement of early childhood education experiences can aid policymakers, school administrators and educators in improving the quality of early education and help parents make choices among early learning options. The Early Learning Network (ELN), a team of researchers from six institutions located across the United States and funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, is making strides in contributing to this knowledge base. Jointly, ELN team members took a multifaceted approach to direct observations of classroom processes. This brief explores some lessons learned from one approach: Fine-grained, time-based measures that capture how young children spend their time in prekindergarten (pre-K) and kindergarten classrooms. These measures quantify how much time individual or groups of children spend on different instructional and non-instructional activities, the content of instruction (e.g., literacy, math), the instructional format (e.g., whole group, small group, centers, individual), and in some cases, the frequency with which children experience certain types of dialogues with others (e.g., open-ended questions, multiple-turn exchanges).