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Racism, a multidimensional system of oppression and exclusion, is part of the foundation of the United States and is detrimental to the health and well-being of Black communities and other racially and ethnically minoritized (REM) communities. There is an emerging body of literature that draws attention to the impact of racism and different racialized experiences on the lives of REM children. Based on the Racism + Resilience + Resistance Integrative Study of Childhood Ecosystem (R3ISE) and focused on attending to the interaction between racism and the cultural assets of REM families and communities, this review highlights how racism impacts REM children's healthy development and learning. In addition to calling for research that advances racial equity using the R3ISEintegrative model, we also identify policies that have some potential to ensure equity in economic stability and security, home and community environment, birth outcomes, and educational opportunities for REM children and their families.

The early years are a critical period for setting children up for school and life. For Black children who are exposed to adversities before and after birth, early childhood education (ECE) has been shown as one potentially strategy to mitigate against systemic inequities. However, evidence continues to show the negative impact of structural racism and system inequities in the lives of Black children. While Black children continue to thrive even in the face of biased experiences and unfairness, it is imperative that simultaneous attention focus on how to best support the well-being Black children and address systemic racism. This paper discusses ECE and its evidence and calls for policies and strategies that dismantle racism inherent in ECE by ensuring equitable funding, equity-centered monitoring, and equity-centered assessment of family engagement. To support Black children's health, development, and well-being, we must attend to policies that address equitable access, supports, experiences, and outcomes.

This study used secondary data from the My Teaching Partner-Math/Science 2013-2016 randomized control trial to explore whether equitable sociocultural classroom interactions (see Curenton et al., 2019) were associated with the skills of 105 four- and five-year-olds (52% boys; drawn from 20 unique video recordings of preschool teachers/classrooms; 43% were Black, Latine, Asian, or other racially marginalized learners). Equitable interactions predicted children's skills with effect sizes ranging from small (0.01-0.44) to large (1.00). Moderation analyses revealed that when classrooms had more racially marginalized learners, teachers' use of equitable disciplinary and personalized learning practices were associated with higher executive functioning gains across prekindergarten. Findings illustrate how classroom composition can be a key indicator between equitable classroom interactions and young children's early skills.

Parent training (i.e. group-based supports and psychoeducation aimed at parent as primary agent of change) in Autism Spectrum Disorders (autism) is well-documented as an Evidence-Based Intervention designed to increase advocacy, knowledge, and empowerment. While research on Parent Training acknowledges the cultural limitations, the field lacks culturally grounded models. Furthermore, barriers in diagnosis, service acquisition, and inclusion of under-represented populations including Black families have been established; however, research programs have traditionally failed to include these families. This study aims to provide a first toward addressing the lack of inclusion. We describe the practice-based implementation of a culturally concordant Parent Training program (Spectrum of Care) developed by a community organization (the Color of Autism) as well as feedback from parents after the implementation process. The findings indicate that culturally grounded strategies could promote engagement and empowerment of Black families. There, however, is still a need for research that attends to parental mistrust and examines culturally grounded strategies more closely. Lay abstract Parent training programs have been well-studied in Autism Spectrum Disorders and shown to increase a parent’s feeling of empowerment, advocacy skills, and treatment enrollment for their child. The majority of parent training interventions have been developed without considering the unique needs of under-represented communities, such as the Black community. Black children with autism are not only misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all, but are not accessing services equally compared to their White peers. There is an urgent need for culturally adapted interventions in order to decrease the disparity gap. The Color of Autism Foundation developed and ran a parent training program for Black parents of children with autism. The program was grounded in two key features: (1) creating a circle of support for parents to connect and heal from ongoing and historical racial trauma and (2) using parents of Black children with autism as the main facilitators. We believe this increased parent’s ability to engage in the educational aspects of the training. Overall, parents reported high levels of satisfaction with the training were highly engaged (attended an average of five of six sessions) and reported high levels of empowerment. Parents also reported continued mistrust in the medical and research community and a need for more Black providers. Further work should examine the relationship of the parent and provider in autism treatment and study the impact of circles of healing for Black families.

The Carolina Abecedarian Project helped to establish the understanding that early care and education experiences can have long-term positive impacts on educational, social-emotional, and health outcomes into adulthood. This article uses an antiracist lens to reexamine this research, concluding that whereas the study has many strengths, the study's “colorblind” approach and deficit-model orientation limit its ability to inform practice and policy for promoting positive developmental outcomes in the population of Black children represented in the sample. As these limitations remain prevalent in contemporary early care and education research, implications for future research are discussed. Specifically, we propose that studies that focus on race and are based on strength-based perspectives will further understanding of developmental science. This in turn will enable researchers to better inform practice that supports and promotes positive outcomes for all children and public policy that addresses structural racism and its consequences in systems serving Black, Latine, Indigenous, and other minoritized families and communities.

The Infant Mental Health Journal is committed to ending systemic racism and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic publishing. IMHJ unequivocally denounces all forms of racism and white supremacy, including systemic racism in academic publishing. We commit to investigating and working to terminate the ways in which systemic racism has become normalized in academic publishing, including examining our practices and processes at IMHJ. We invite you to join us in intentional, anti-racist work through your scholarship. As part of this effort, IMHJ has updated the author guidelines to include new information regarding how authors can express the ways in which they are engaging with intention in diverse, anti-racist research. These guidelines are available under the author guidelines section on the IMHJ website (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10970355). As a second immediate response relative to promoting diverse, equitable, and inclusive research, IMHJ is releasing the following Call to Action, focusing on centering Blackness in infant and early childhood mental health research. This call is designed as a first step in our efforts, and IMHJ looks forward to coming initiatives aimed at disrupting systemic racism in infant and early childhood mental health research for the many scholars studying and working with diverse populations marginalized by racism and systemic inequities.La Revista de Salud Mental Infantil está comprometida a terminar el racismo sistémico y promover la diversidad, la equidad y la inclusividad en las publicaciones académicas. La Revista IMHJ censura categóricamente toda forma de racismo y supremacía de la raza blanca, incluyendo el racismo sistémico en publicaciones académicas. Estamos comprometidos a investigar y trabajar para erradicar los medios por los cuales el racismo sistémico se ha convertido en la norma en las publicaciones académicas, incluyendo el examinar nuestras prácticas y procesos dentro de la Revista IMHJ. Les invitamos a que se nos unan en nuestro esfuerzo intencional, antirracista, por medio de sus investigaciones profesionales. Como parte de este esfuerzo, la Revista IMHJ ha actualizado los parámetros para los autores para incluir nueva información acerca de cómo los autores pueden expresar de qué maneras están trabajando con intención en investigaciones diversas, antirracistas. Estos parámetros se encuentran disponibles bajo la sección de parámetros de autor en la página electrónica de la Revista IMHJ (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10970355). Como una segunda respuesta inmediata en relación con el fomento de la investigación diversa, igualitaria e incluyente, la Revista IMHJ presenta esta Llamada a la Acción, la cual se enfoca en centralizar la Negritud en la investigación de salud mental en infantes y la temprana niñez. Esta llamada está diseñada como un primer paso en nuestros esfuerzos y la Revista IMHJ anticipa próximas iniciativas dedicadas a poner fin al racismo sistémico en la investigación sobre salud mental en infantes y la temprana niñez para los muchos investigadores profesionales que estudian y trabajan con grupos diversos de población marginalizados por el racismo y las desigualdades sistémicas.Le Infant Mental Health Journal s'engage à mettre fin au racisme endémique et à promouvoir la diversité, l’équité, et l'inclusion dans les publications académiques. L'IMHJ dénonce sans équivoque toutes les formes de racisme et de suprématie de la race blanche, y compris le racisme systémique dans les publications académiques. Nous nous engageons à déterminer comment le racisme systémique s'est normalisé dans les publications académiques et nous nous engageons à travailler à éradiquer cette normalisation ainsi qu’à examiner et à disséquer les pratiques et les processus de l'IMHJ. Nous vous invitons à nous rejoindre dans ce travail intentionnel, délibéré et anti-raciste à travers vos recherches. Dans cette optique l'IMHJ a mis à jour les directives pour les auteurs afin d'inclure plus d'informations sur la manière dont les auteurs peuvent exprimer les façons dont ils s'engagent délibérément dans des recherches diverses et anti-racistes. Ces directives sont disponibles dans la section « directives pour auteurs » dans le site de IMHJ (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10970355). De plus, en tant que deuxième réaction immédiate liée à la promotion de recherches diverses, équitables et inclusives, l'IMHJ rend publique l'Appel à l'Action suivant, mettant l'accent sur la nécessité de centrer la condition noire dans les recherches sur la santé mentale du nourrisson et de la petite enfance. Cet appel est le premier pas de nos efforts et l'IMHJ attend avec intérêt les initiatives à venir se donnant pour but de contrecarrer le racisme systémique dans les recherches sur la santé mentale du nourrisson et de la petite enfance pour les nombreux chercheurs étudiant et travaillant avec des populations diverses marginalisées par le racisme et les inéquités systémiques.Aufruf zum Handeln: Schwarzsein in den Mittelpunkt rücken und den strukturellen Rassismus in der Forschung zur psychischen Gesundheit von Kindern und in der akademischen Publizistik durchbrechen Das Infant Mental Health Journal setzt sich für das Ende von strukturellem Rassismus und für die Förderung von Vielfalt, Gleichberechtigung und Inklusion im akademischen Publikationswesen ein. Das IMHJ prangert unmissverständlich alle Formen von Rassismus und weißer Vorherrschaft an, einschließlich des strukturellen Rassismus im akademischen Verlagswesen. Wir verpflichten uns, die Art und Weise, in der struktureller Rassismus im akademischen Verlagswesen normalisiert wurde, zu untersuchen und daran zu arbeiten, ihn zu beenden. Dies schließt die Überprüfung unserer Praktiken und Prozesse beim IMHJ ein. Wir laden Sie ein, sich uns mit ihrer Forschung bei der bewussten, antirassistischen Arbeit anzuschließen. Als Teil dieser Bemühungen hat das IMHJ die Autor:innenrichtlinien aktualisiert. Es wurden neue Informationen darüber aufgenommen, wie Autor:innen zum Ausdruck bringen können, wie sie sich explizit für eine vielfältige, antirassistische Forschung einsetzen. Diese Richtlinien sind auf der IMHJ-Website unter dem Abschnitt Autor:innenrichtlinien zu finden (https://emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url = https%3A%2F%2Fonlinelibrary.wiley. com%2Fjournal%2F10970355data = 04%7C01%7C%7C04fcb2ce91b44348abfe08d9958a88dd%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637705244491301364%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000sdata = kPRKcHYbAwvFHz1JT4QOX4igY7VelpdZoRcynlhJI4w%3Dreserved = 0). Als zweite unmittelbare Reaktion bzgl. der Förderung einer vielfältigen, gerechten und inklusiven Forschung veröffentlicht das IMHJ den folgenden Aufruf zum Handeln, der Schwarzsein in den Mittelpunkt der Forschung zur psychischen Gesundheit von Säuglingen und Kleinkindern rücken will. Dieser Aufruf soll ein erster Schritt in unseren Bemühungen sein. Das IMHJ freut sich auf kommende Initiativen, die darauf abzielen, den strukturellen Rassismus in der Forschung zur psychischen Gesundheit von Säuglingen und Kleinkindern für die vielen Wissenschaftler:innen zu durchbrechen, die mit verschiedenen Bevölkerungsgruppen arbeiten, die durch Rassismus und strukturelle Ungleichheiten marginalisiert werden.行動喚起:乳幼児精神保健研究及び学術出版において、Blacknessを中心に置き、制度的人種差別を止める 乳幼児精神保健ジャーナル(IMHJ)は、学術出版において、制度的人種差別を終わりにし、多様性・公平性・包括性を促進することに全力を注ぐ。IMHJ は明確に、学術出版における制度的人種差別を含めた、あらゆる形態の人種差別と白人至上主義を非難する。我々は、IMHJでの実践と過程を調査することを含め、制度的人種差別が学術出版において常態となることを終結させるために、調査し取り組むことに全力を注ぐ。是非、あなた方も研究を通じて、意図的で反人種差別の取り組みに参加してほしい。この取り組みの一環として、IMHJは著者が意図をもって、多様性と反人種差別の研究に取り組んでいることを表現できる仕方に関する新しい情報を含めるために著者ガイドラインを更新した。これらのガイドラインは、IMHJのホームページ(https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10970355)**f__;44Gu6JGX6ICF44Ks44Kk44OJ44Op44Kk44Oz44Gu44K7!!HXCxUKc!ht5w9WS1VrQQFy9SI4HWUAtrMwPyYhW_DVUgwdRcA6WwVEqIKIONvSQ97ePUYa1R$ クションの下から入手できる。多様性、公平かつ包括的な研究の促進に関連する２番目の即時対応として、IMHJは、乳幼児精神保健の研究においてBlacknessを中心に置くことに焦点を当て、後述の行動喚起を公表している。この喚起は、我々の取り組みの第一歩としてデザインされている。そしてIMHJは、人種差別と制度的不平等によって阻害された多様な人々と共に研究し活動している多くの研究者にとって、乳幼児精神保健研究における制度的人種差別を止めることを目的とした新機軸となることを期待する。.摘 要:《婴儿心理健康杂志》致力于结束系统性种族主义, 促进学术出版的多样性、公平性和包容性。IMHJ明确谴责所有形式的种族主义和白人至上主义, 包括学术出版中的系统性种族主义。我们致力于调查并努力终止学术出版中系统性种族主义的常态化, 包括审查我们在IMHJ的做法和流程。我们邀请您通过学术研究加入我们有意识的反种族主义工作。作为这项工作的一部分, IMHJ更新了作者指南, 纳入了有关作者如何表达他们主动参与各种反种族主义研究的新信息。这些指南可在IMHJ网站的作者指南部分找到 (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10970355 )。作为促进多样性、公平性和包容性研究的第二个直接回应, IMHJ发布以下行动呼吁:重点关注婴幼儿心理健康研究中“以黑人为中心”的问题。这一呼吁是我们努力的第一步, 对于那些与因种族主义和系统性不平等而被边缘化的不同人群学习工作共事的学者来说, IMHJ期待着未来推出更多旨在消除婴幼儿心理健康研究中系统性种族主义的举措。.دعوة للعمل: تسليط الضوء على قضايا السود ووقفالعنصرية المنهجية في أبحاث الصحة النفسية للرضع والنشر الأكاديمي الملخص جريدة الصحة النفسية للأمهات والرضع ملتزمة بإنهاء العنصرية النظامية وتعزيز التنوع والمساواه والشمول في النشر الأكاديمي.وتدين الجريدة بشكل قاطع جميع أشكال العنصرية واستعلاء البيض ، بما في ذلك العنصرية الممنهجة في النشر الأكاديمي. نلتزم بالتحقيق والعمل على إنهاء الطرق التي أصبحت بها العنصرية الممنهجة من الأمور البديهية في النشر الأكاديمي ، بما في ذلك فحص ممارساتنا وعملياتنا في الجريدة. ندعوكم للانضمام إلينا في العمل الذي يستهدف مناهضة العنصرية من خلال أعمالكم البحثية. كجزء من هذا الجهد ، قامت الجريدة بتحديث إرشادات المؤلفين لتشمل معلومات جديدة تتعلق بكيفية تعبير المؤلفين عن الطرق التي يستطيعون بها أن يساهموا في بحث متنوع مناهض للعنصرية. تتوفر هذه الإرشادات ضمن قسم إرشادات المؤلف على موقع الجريدة على الانترنت. (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10970355__;!!HXCxUKc!hyF7qF-DmF3dFfiOpsPozODIYhPA-gI6zgEstSsNmHtjzYL7TjBEIwLMRX6bxSGA$) وكاستجابة فورية ثانية فيما يتعلق بترويج البحوث المتنوعة والعادلة والشاملة ، تطلق جريدة الصحة النفسية للأطفال والرضع هذه الدعوة للعمل ، مع التوجه لتسليط الضوء على قضايا السود في أبحاث الصحة النفسية للرضع والأطفال في مرحلة الطفولة المبكرة. تم تصميم هذه الدعوة كخطوة أولى في جهودنا ، وتتطلع الجريدة إلى المبادرات القادمة التي تهدف إلى تعطيل العنصرية المنهجية في أبحاث الصحة النفسية للرضع والأطفال في مرحلة الطفولة المبكرة للعديد من الباحثين الذين يدرسون ويعملون مع مجموعات سكانية متنوعة مهمشة بسبب العنصرية وعدم المساواة المنهجية.

The first 1,000 days is one of the most consequential times for children's development. As a hugely ignored adversity embedded in all aspects of black children's lives before birth and throughout their life course, racism in all forms deserves more attention in the developmental science literature. Racism—including structural, institutional, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and cultural—negatively impacts the health, learning, and well-being of black children, their families, and their communities. Using the Integrative Model for the Study of Developmental Competencies for Minority Children and Critical Race Theory frameworks, this article elucidates how racial disparities in every opportunity and outcome connected to black children and their ecosystem are due to white supremacy and anti-black racism. We call for urgent action focused on preservation, protection, and promotion to address white supremacy and combat anti-black racism through racial equity and culturally grounded science and policymaking. Iheoma U. Iruka et al, Attending to the Adversity of Racism Against Young Black Children, Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences (8, 2) pp. . Copyright © 2021. DOI: 10.1177/23727322211029313. Users who receive access to an article through a repository are reminded that the article is protected by copyright and reuse is restricted to non-commercial and no derivative uses. Users may also download and save a local copy of an article accessed in an institutional repository for the user's personal reference. For permission to reuse an article, please follow our Process for Requesting Permission. Deposited by shareyourpaper.org and openaccessbutton.org. We've taken reasonable steps to ensure this content doesn't violate copyright. However, if you think it does you can request a takedown by emailing help@openaccessbutton.org.

More than half a century of educational efforts have focused on eliminating the Black–White achievement gap. Yet, racial disparities persist. In this article, we describe the issues with educational discourse focused on the achievement gap and the ways structural racism drives the educational experiences and outcomes of Black students. We include a discussion of Black children’s developmental competencies and the ways educators may use culturally relevant pedagogy to capitalize upon these competencies and support higher achievement among Black students. We conclude with suggestions for specific actions to foster systemic change for Black students.

High-quality early care and education can mitigate the short- and long-term effects of poverty on young children’s development. Therefore, policies that expand access to high-quality early care and education can be an effective anti-poverty strategy. A number of programs demonstrably foster volitional processes of self-regulation—the capacity to control emotions, thoughts, and behaviors—among young children in poverty. However, relatively little is known about how the activity of the neurophysiological systems that form the interface between brain and body supports these processes of self-regulation in early care and education settings. Maximizing the efficacy of early care and education as an anti-poverty strategy requires adopting policies to advance three interrelated goals: understanding, accommodating, and reconfiguring young children’s neurophysiological function in the early care and education environment.

ImportanceThe US leads the world in the raw number of incarcerated persons as well as the rate of incarceration, with detrimental effects on individual-, family-, community-, and population-level health; as such, federal research has a critical role in documenting and addressing the health-related impacts of the US criminal legal system. How often incarceration-related research is funded at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and US Department of Justice (DOJ) levels has a direct association with the public attention given to mass incarceration as well as the efficacy of strategies to mitigate negative effects and poor health related to incarceration.ObjectiveTo understand how many incarceration-related projects have been funded at the NIH, NSF, and DOJ.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cross-sectional study used public historical project archives to search for relevant incarceration-related keywords (eg, incarceration, prison, parole) since January 1, 1985 (NIH and NSF), and since January 1, 2008 (DOJ). Quotations and Boolean operator logic were used. All searches and counts were conducted and double verified by 2 coauthors between December 12 and 17, 2022.Main Outcomes and MeasuresNumber and prevalence of funded projects related to incarceration and prison keywords.ResultsThe term incarceration resulted in 3540 of 3 234 159 total project awards (0.11%) and prisoner-related terms resulted in 11 455 total project awards (0.35%) across the 3 federal agencies since 1985. Nearly a tenth of all projects funded at NIH since 1985 related to education (256 584 [9.62%]) compared with only 3373 projects (0.13%) that related to criminal legal or criminal justice or correctional system and 18 projects (0.0007%) that related to incarcerated parents. Only 1857 (0.07%) of all NIH-funded projects have been funded related to racism since 1985.Conclusions and RelevanceThis cross-sectional study found that a very low number of projects about incarceration have historically been funded at the NIH, DOJ, and NSF. These findings reflect a dearth of federally funded studies investigating the effects of mass incarceration or intervention strategies to mitigate adverse effects. Given the consequences of the criminal legal system, it is undoubtedly time for researchers, and our nation, to invest more resources into studying whether this system should be maintained, the intergenerational effects of mass incarceration, and strategies to best mitigate its impact on public health.

This article synthesizes findings from an international virtual conference, funded by the United States National Science Foundation, focused on the home mathematics environment (HME). In light of inconsistencies and gaps in research investigating relations between the HME and children’s outcomes, the purpose of the conference was to discuss actionable steps and considerations for future work. The conference was composed of international researchers with a wide range of expertise and backgrounds. Presentations and discussions during the conference centered broadly on the need to better operationalize and measure the HME as a construct—focusing on issues related to child, family, and community factors, country and cultural factors, and the cognitive and affective characteristics of caregivers and children. Results of the conference and a subsequent writing workshop include a synthesis of core questions and key considerations for the field of research on the HME. Findings highlight the need for the field at large to use multi-method measurement approaches to capture nuances in the HME, and to do so with increased international and interdisciplinary collaboration, open science practices, and communication among scholars. ispartof: Journal of Numerical Cognition vol:7 issue:2 pages:195-220 status: published

This study used pre-academic and socioemotional data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth (ECLS-B) Cohort to examine the profiles of Black girls’ school readiness skills from preschool through kindergarten. In addition to examining profiles that emerged, analyses were conducted to determine whether family socio-economic status (SES), parenting, parental functioning, community social support, neighborhood quality, and early education experiences predicted the likelihood of being in a particular profile. Three profiles emerged: (1) Consistent Learner, (2) Struggling Learner, and (3) Excelling Learner. There was heterogeneity within these prekindergarten-to-kindergarten learning profiles; however, a relatively large group showed low achievement and aggression during these early years. Family demographics, parenting, parental functioning, and early education experiences predicted likelihood of being in a particular profile. Implications of how to support Black girls’ learning and adjustment from preschool through kindergarten are discussed.

According to Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory (Bronfenbrenner & Evans, 2000), children’s early development and learning are influenced by multiple systems, including the microsystem (e.g., family poverty level), mesosystem (e.g., home-school partnership), exosystem (e.g., community type, early education policies), and macrosystem (e.g., rural culture). Given the lack of early education studies focused on rural communities, we sought to explore how these ecological systems are linked to children’s early learning experiences, with a particular focus on educators’ perceptions of how these ecosystems influence children’s learning environments and opportunities. Based on interviews and focus groups with school leaders, educators, and parents in 10 rural school districts, we found that children in one rural state experienced diversity in ecological systems that may impact their opportunities for learning. In particular, there was a range in the level of familial poverty, early education access, family-school engagement, available community resources, and cultural diversity in these rural communities. Implications for policies and practices to support children’s early learning in rural communities in light of their unique challenges and assets are discussed.

The transition to kindergarten is foundational for children’s future school performance and families’ relationships with the educational system. Despite its well-documented benefits, few studies have explored family engagement across the pre-Kindergarten (pre-K) to kindergarten transition nor considered the role of geographic context during this period. This study examined trajectories of family engagement across the pre-K to kindergarten transition, and identified whether engagement differs for families in rural versus urban settings. Participants were 248 parents of children who participated in publicly funded pre-K programs and transitioned 1 year later into kindergarten. Home-based involvement increased from pre-K through kindergarten. School-based involvement increased during pre-K and decreased through the end of kindergarten. Structural and relational communication remained stable during pre-K and decreased through the end of kindergarten. Compared to urban parents, rural parents reported less home-based involvement, structural communication, and relational communication. Implications for practice and policy are explored.

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to refine and validate the Assessing Classroom Sociocultural Equity Scale (ACSES), an observation tool for measuring equitable sociocultural...

Building on research demonstrating the importance of teachers' well-being, this study examined personal and contextual factors related to early childhood educators' (n = 1640) depressive symptoms across licensed child care homes, centers, and schools. Aspects of teachers' beliefs, economic status, and work-related stress were explored, and components of each emerged as significant in an OLS regression. After controlling for demographics and setting, teachers with more adult-centered beliefs, lower wages, multiple jobs, no health insurance, more workplace demands, and fewer work-related resources, had more depressive symptoms. Adult-centered beliefs were more closely associated with depression for teachers working in home-based settings compared to center-based settings. These findings provide preliminary evidence about what relates to depression in the early childhood workforce, which has implications for supporting well-being across settings.

Purpose Understanding the full impact of COVID-19 on U.S. children, families, and communities is critical to (a) document the scope of the problem, (b) identify solutions to mitigate harm, and (c) build more resilient response systems. We sought to develop a research agenda to understand the short- and long-term mechanisms and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s healthy development, with the goal of devising and ultimately testing interventions to respond to urgent needs and prepare for future pandemics. Description The Life Course Intervention Research Network facilitated a series of virtual meetings that included members of 10 Maternal and Child Health (MCH) research programs, their research and implementation partners, as well as family and community representatives, to develop an MCH COVID-19 Research Agenda. Stakeholders from academia, clinical practice, nonprofit organizations, and family advocates participated in four meetings, with 30–35 participants at each meeting. Assessment Investigating the impacts of COVID-19 on children’s mental health and ways to address them emerged as the highest research priority, followed by studying resilience at individual and community levels; identifying and mitigating the disparate negative effects of the pandemic on children and families of color, prioritizing community-based research partnerships, and strengthening local, state and national measurement systems to monitor children’s well-being during a national crisis. Conclusion Enacting this research agenda will require engaging the community, especially youth, as equal partners in research co-design processes; centering anti-racist perspectives; adopting a “strengths-based” approach; and integrating young researchers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). New collaborative funding models and investments in data infrastructure are also needed.

Parenting differs in purpose and strategy according to cultural background (Brooks-Gunn & Markman, 2005; Iruka, LaForett, & Odom, 2012). The current study tests a unique latent factor score, Adaptive Parenting, that represents culturally-relevant, positive parenting behaviors: maternal coping with stress through reframing, maternal scaffolding of toddlers' learning during a low-stress task, and maternal commands during a high-stress task. Participants were Black mothers (N = 119; Mage = 27.78) and their 24- to 30-month-old toddlers. Families were part of a broader study examining family resilience among urban, low-income young children and their families. Results demonstrate that the proposed variables align on a single factor and positively predict toddlers' emotion regulation. Findings are discussed in the context of Black culturally-specific parenting processes.

In their article, “Child Care Attendance and Educational and Economic Outcomes in Adulthood,” Domond et al1 confirm extant literature revealing the lifelong impact of high-quality early care and education participation. Specifically, 2 seminal early intervention studies conducted in the United States, the HighScope Perry Preschool Program2 and the Carolina Abecedarian study,3 have revealed the academic, social, economic, and health benefits of early childhood education, especially for children placed at risk primarily because of poverty.4 These studies, which were based on a small sample of primarily African American children in specific communities, make it challenging to generalize the findings, and the lack of rigorous examination of the core components makes it difficult to replicate. The current study extends and expands our current knowledge about the impact of regulated early care and education, specifically child care, on children’s education attainment and economic stability. Of particular note … Address correspondence to Iheoma U. Iruka, PhD, HighScope Educational Research Foundation, 600 N River St, Ypsilanti, MI 48198. E-mail: iiruka{at}highscope.org

While the role of early maternal parenting practices in the development of executive functions (EFs) has received considerable attention in the literature, little is known about how specific parent...

Parenting is a multidimensional construct that includes practices, attitudes, and emotional capacity. The aims of the study were to examine variation within parenting through a person-centered appr...

Studies have highlighted the need to better understand child development in rural contexts in the first years of life. This study uses a person-centered approach to determine patterns of academic/socioemotional competence profiles at 36 months of age in a sample of 1292 children living in rural poverty in North Carolina and Pennsylvania who participated in the Family Life Project. This study explores factors that contribute to profiles of academic/socioemotional competence, including parenting behavior, and home, child care, and neighborhood environments. Three profiles of academic/socioemotional competence emerged: 1) Non-Compliant Average Achiever, 2) Unengaged Low Achiever, and 3) Engaged High Achiever. These three groups significantly differed on profile indicators and on early parenting behaviors, and home, child care, and neighborhood characteristics. Study findings have implications for understanding the different profiles of young children's academic/socioemotional competence, and the need to strengthen the early care and education environments of children in rural communities.

Background Improving the home environment and parenting practices to support children’s early development and learning is a key focus of many. Home visiting is one potential strategy to improve the home environment and parenting; however, more data about current programmatic efforts is needed, especially for children with multiple risks living in low-wealth communities.

Although shared book reading is seen as an effective way to support children’s early literacy and language development, less is known about the factors associated with toddlers’ engagement with books. The goal of the current study was to examine younger and older toddlers’ engagement with books during one-on-one reading with a teacher in an interactive versus non-interactive manner and during independent exploration. Using single-case design, the study examined how engagement among toddlers (N = 6) in a childcare classroom varied under different book reading/exploration conditions. Results indicated that overall engagement was greater when teachers read interactively compared to when children explored books on their own, with this effect differing for younger versus older toddlers. Understanding how teachers reading to younger and older toddlers is associated with children’s engagement with books compared to children’s engagement when exploring books on their own can inform early care and education reading practices with toddlers. Implications for book reading with toddlers in group childcare are discussed.

Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) data set (U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2001), this study examined child, family, and community factors in the early years (infant and toddler years) to predict the cognitive and language outcomes for preschool-age Black boys in relation to Black girls and White boys. Findings indicate that Black children face many challenges, with Black boys experiencing less sensitive parenting as compared to their peers. We live in a highly complex, racialized environment. While there are universal indicators that predict children's preschool outcomes such as strong social positioning and positive parenting, there are, in addition, some indicators that are more beneficial for Black boys’ early development, including a stable, less urban home environment with parents engaging in “tough love.”

Guided by the sociocultural theory of human development, this study aims to mediate the monolithic categorization of young Latino boys' school readiness transition patterns using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) dataset. Three patterns of transitions were unveiled using a person-centered approach: (1) Consistent Learner, (2) Struggling Learner, and (3) Declining High Achiever. Findings showed variations in the nature of transitions and developmental competencies of young Latino boys. The contextual interstices of positive parenting practices and greater socioeconomic resources and center-based attendance are positive predictors of membership in transition patterns with optimal growth simultaneously in language, academic, and socio-emotional skills. We highlight societal implications and practice recommendations for applying culturally-sustaining and developmentally appropriate practices to support Latino boys' transitions to Kindergarten. We also call for authentic measurement frameworks for school readiness and ethnic minority children's sociocultural contexts in future research.