Weekly E-News
January 17, 2026
Hot Topics
Among the most debated questions in child care policy is why subsidy programs often see lower-than-expected enrollment. This New Mexico study used survey data from 479 families recruited in 2022 to compare subsidy users and non-users and to address this question. The most frequently reported reasons for not applying were knowledge barriers—especially not knowing the subsidy program existed or not understanding eligibility. Reasons also varied across groups: families not working or in school more often reported they didn’t apply because they did not want or need care, while families in rural areas and households with at least one immigrant were more likely to report they had not heard of the program.
Long-term impacts of preschool attendance on prosocial behaviors of children in China
This study examined whether preschool attendance is associated with long-term prosocial behaviors among children in China, using nationally representative data from the China Education Panel Survey. The analytic sample included 9,317 adolescents across 221 classes in 28 counties. To address selection bias in preschool attendance, researchers used four identification strategies: OLS regression, county fixed effects, propensity score matching, and an instrumental variables model. Results indicate a positive association between preschool attendance and prosocial behavior scores (β = 0.164, p < .05) among adolescents.
In April 2025, Mississippi paused most new child care assistance applications and reduced funding for the state’s Child Care Payment Program (CCPP). A statewide survey of 229 licensed child care centers, serving nearly 11,000 children, documents immediate impacts on provider operations and family access to care. Findings include disruption to care availability, provider stability, and parents’ ability to maintain workforce participation.
NIEER Activity
Early Care & Education Use Among Young Children in New Jersey in 2024
The Center for Women and Work (CWW), the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development (Heldrich), and the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) have joined together to form the Rutgers Child Care Research Collaborative. The collaborative conducts research and facilitates community conversations to develop a broad and comprehensive understanding of New Jersey’s child care landscape. Read the most recent report released by the collaborative.
NIEER’s statewide parent surveys (2022–2024) find most New Jersey families with children under age five rely on early care and education (ECE), with 76% using non-parental care in spring 2024. Center-based care is used more often as children get older and as family income rises, while relative care is more common for infants, toddlers, and lower-income families. Children spend an average of 22 hours per week in care, with longer hours in centers. About half of families spend more than 7% of household income on child care, exceeding the federal benchmark. Parents most often choose care based on cost, location, and schedule flexibility. Quality considerations are more influential for families of preschoolers than for those with younger children, and patterns of ECE use and decision-making differ by family structure, race/ethnicity, income, and region.
IJCCEP
This qualitative study examined how community-based preschools in Uganda are operating in a context where early childhood education is in high demand but not publicly funded, leaving most preschool access dependent on fee-charging private and nonprofit providers. The authors conducted case studies of four community-run preschools in Oyam and Tororo Districts, using interviews, direct observation of preschool days, and analysis of school and household costs. Authored by James Urwick & Mary Goretti Nakabugo.
Research
This systematic review and meta-analysis looked at whether preschool programs designed to strengthen executive function—skills like self-control, remembering information, and focusing attention—improve outcomes for typically developing children ages 3 to 6. Across 35 studies (through January 2025), researchers found small positive effects on inhibitory control and verbal working memory.
The Effect of Free Play in Preschoolers´ Language Improvement: A Systematic Review
This systematic review examined evidence on whether free play interventions support language development in preschool-aged children. Across 674 screened studies, eight were included in the qualitative synthesis, with most relying on observational designs and video-based observation/recording. Overall, findings indicate that free play was associated with improvements in language development, with self-talk identified as a particularly relevant mechanism that appeared age-dependent.
This scoping review synthesized 101 studies (2010–2025) on instructional support for early writing in preschool and kindergarten. Studies were largely quantitative (often quasi-experimental), with about half conducted in the United States. The review identified 16 types of instructional support, most commonly focused on procedural/transcription skills (e.g., handwriting and spelling), and writing outcomes were most often measured in those same areas. Findings highlight a need for more research and instructional emphasis on composing skills (generative knowledge), writing motivation, and broader strategies such as technology supports and strategy instruction.
This population-based study examined whether teacher-rated peer play behaviors in preschool classrooms are associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) likelihood among Korean preschoolers. The sample included 1,018 children from the Panel Study on Korean Children, with preschool teachers rating children’s peer play behaviors in naturalistic classroom settings. Using latent profile analysis, the study identified three peer play profiles: sociable (n = 640), rough-and-tumble (n = 325), and isolated (n = 53). Children in the isolated group—characterized by high disconnection, low interaction, and elevated disruption—showed a greater likelihood of ASD than children in the other profiles.
Developmental Sentence Scoring for Preschool Language Sample Analysis: A Psychometric Update
A new study published in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology evaluates the psychometric performance of Developmental Sentence Scoring (DSS) using a large corpus of American English–speaking adult–child interactions from TalkBank.org. Nan Bernstein Ratner, Brian MacWhinney, Youmin Hong, and Ji Seung Yang found that DSS effectively differentiates children’s language abilities by age and diagnostic category, supporting its continued use in language assessment.
Opportunities
The Authors
Ashley Davison is the Director of Communications for NIEER. In her role, she leads the institute’s development and implementation of audience-centric marketing and media strategies. Through a broad use of digital and content marketing, she seeks to elevate the position of the NIEER, leadership, and mission-related work.
About NIEER
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, conducts and disseminates independent research and analysis to inform early childhood education policy.
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