Weekly E-News
April 3, 2026
Hot Topics
Kindergarten Redshirting and Kindergarten Readiness
A new study by NWEA addresses the topic of Kindergarten redshirting (having students start kindergarten a year late). Using national data from NWEA’s MAP Growth K-2 assessment, Megan Kuhfeld and Sofia Postell followed a Kindergarten cohort through the third grade and found that the academic advantages of redshirting fade quickly. By third grade, “redshirters” were scoring equivalent to their peers who entered school on time.
Erica Meltzer recently covered the new brief in Chalkbeat. Chistina Samuels also discussed the new study in the Hechinger Report, citing her own personal experience as a parent navigating Kindergarten enrollment cutoff dates for her son.
As parents and policy makers alike try to make decisions on redshirting, it is important that we develop a shared, research-based understanding of what it means to be “ready” for Kindergarten. NIEER’s policy brief, “What is Readiness?," helps answer the questions:
- What does it mean to be ready for Kindergarten?
- Who should be ready for what? What should schools do to be ready to receive new Kindergarteners? What should children know to be ready?
- How and why do we evaluate Kindergarten readiness?
Click here to read NIEER’s brief, “What is Readiness?”
Click here to read NWEA’s one pager, “Kindergarten redshirting: What families should know”
Universal Preschool in California: Promising Practices for Mixed Delivery Systems
In a new Learning Policy Institute report, Hanna Melnick, Marjorie E. Wechsler, Victoria Wang, and Sara Plasencia analyze California’s $4 billion initiative to expand universal preschool via a "mixed delivery" model. This approach integrates public schools, Head Start, and community-based providers to broaden reach. Findings emphasize that shared standards and integrated professional development support more consistent program quality, while dedicated funding is necessary to improve teacher compensation and workforce stability. The report also identifies challenges, including fragmented governance and declining enrollment in private programs due to the expansion of transitional kindergarten (TK). Overall, the study underscores the importance of coordinated systems, simplified family access, and targeted investments to build a strong, equitable early childhood system.
NIEER Activity
NIEER Co-Director Milagros Nores Speaks to NYU Doctoral Students
On Monday, March 30, NIEER Co-Director Milagros Nores was a featured guest speaker in New York University's Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Training program (PIRT) seminar series. Nores discussed the critical role Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) systems play in children’s development with faculty and students from three schools and eight departments across NYU.
"The question is no longer only how to expand access, but how to build ECCE ecosystems that are resilient to political and funding fluctuations, adaptive to demographic shifts, and capable of sustained quality improvement and of producing meaningful and lasting impacts in children’s development," said Nores.
Check out Nores’ research in the Lancet series, Early Childhood Development And The Next 1000 Days.
Two New Reports Shed Light on Center-Based Child Care in New Jersey
NIEER has released two new reports as part of the Rutgers Child Care Research Collaborative:
- Licensed Center-Based Child Care Providers in New Jersey: Characteristics and Enrollment; and
- Workforce in Licensed Center-Based Child Care in New Jersey: Teaching and Non-Teaching Staff
With funding and support from the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, the Rutgers Child Care Research Collaborative brings together NIEER, the Center for Women and Work, and the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development to conduct research and facilitate community conversations that develop a broad and comprehensive understanding of the state’s child care landscape.
These initial studies of 1300 child care centers find both strengths and challenges. As a group, centers offered a wide range of hours, and 2/3 served infants and toddlers. However, nearly 1 in 3 centers reported a staffing vacancy that kept a classroom closed. Qualifications of teaching staff varied considerably with low levels of education and limited preparation in early childhood, not unexpectedly with average wages below $20 per hour.
Our research aims to increase understanding about the needs and interests of parents in New Jersey, the supply and motivations of the child care workforce, and the capacity of the child care sector to meet demand for child care today and into the future within our diverse state.
Register for the Building Early Learning Latiné Educators (BELLE) Conference
Register for NIEER’s BELLE 2026 Spring Conference now! Join us Friday, June 5 at 8:00 a.m. for a morning focused on biliteracy and bilingualism in early childhood—designed for educators across roles and settings. This year's conference theme is "Strengthening Dual Language Practice: Talk, Play, and Reading to Enhance Children’s Development."
Click here to learn more about NIEER’s research and technical assistance on supporting dual language learners.
International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy (IJCCEP) Weekly Feature
A new study by Branislav Pupala, Dana Masaryková, and Pupung Puspa Ardini traces the history of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Slovakia. Using a historical-descriptive approach, the authors show how ECEC evolved from a health- and care-focused system into a more education-oriented model in the modern democratic context. The study highlights how shifting political regimes shaped professional roles, institutional structures, and policy priorities across time. A key finding is the persistent tension between “care” and “education,” which continues to influence the identity of the ECEC workforce and program design. The authors argue that Slovakia’s trajectory offers important lessons for current policy efforts, particularly under initiatives like the European Child Guarantee (2021) and the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child (2021) to create more integrated, equitable, and developmentally appropriate ECEC systems.
Publish in the International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy (IJCCEP)
- It’s FREE – article processing charges for all articles published in the journal are fully sponsored.
- The journal is indexed by Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) and by Scopus.
- All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 license. Authors will retain copyright.
ECE Research
Uncovering Science Education in Australian Early Childhood Teacher Qualifications
In Research in Science Education, Cristina Guarrella, Caroline Cohrssen, and Naomi Lilley in examine how science education is incorporated into Australian early childhood initial teacher education (ITE) programs using a social research audit of publicly available course handbooks. Despite a national STEM agenda emphasizing the importance of early science learning, findings reveal inconsistent and often limited preparation for teaching science. This variability highlights a lack of clear guidance in both curriculum frameworks and teacher preparation programs. The study underscores the need for stronger policy alignment and more systematic integration of science education in early childhood teacher training to support effective STEM instruction.
In Research in Autism, Jacqueline Wai-yan Tang and Kathy Kar-man Shum found that preschool teachers’ ability to identify early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be significantly improved through targeted training using the Classroom Observation Scale for Autism in Preschool (COSA-P). In their study of 151 preschool teachers from 14 preschools, those who participated in a 120-minute training featuring video case analysis and hands-on scoring practice demonstrated greater ASD knowledge compared to those receiving a brief 30-minute training. Observations of 1,112 preschool children further showed that the intervention group achieved higher predictive accuracy in identifying children at risk for ASD, underscoring the importance of high-quality professional development for early detection and intervention in preschool settings.
In Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Lawrence M. Berger, Lidia Panico, and Anne Solaz analyzed data from 12,000 children in the French Elfe birth cohort to examine whether universal preschool can reduce socioeconomic inequalities in early development. Using variation in preschool duration based on children’s birth months, the researchers found that longer exposure to free universal preschool (ages 3–4) was associated with stronger cognitive skills and overall development at age 3.5, measured by the British Ability Scale and Child Development Index. Importantly, children from disadvantaged backgrounds (lower parental education, lower income, or disadvantaged schools) experienced the greatest gains, suggesting that universal preschool can help narrow early socioeconomic gaps. However, the study found no added benefit from increased daily intensity (hours per day) or extended services (e.g., lunch or after-school programs), indicating that duration, not intensity, drove impact.
Doll play improves false belief reasoning: Evidence from a randomized-control trial
In PLOS One, Sarah A. Gerson, Jennifer Keating,Salim Hashmi, and Ross E. Vanderwert found that playing with Barbie dolls can help reach key milestones in developing empathy and social understanding during childhood. In a randomized control trial (N = 73), the Cardiff University researchers found the first causal evidence that doll play, more so than creative tablet play, improves false belief understanding in 4- to 8-year-old children following a six week long play intervention. Doll play was found to be beneficial for both boys and girls, and particularly valuable for those experiencing problems with their peers.
Opportunities
Development Manager, Alliance for Early Success
Senior Program Specialist, Early Childhood, National League of Cities
Research & Data Analyst, EdTrust-West
State Policy Manager, Child Care Aware of America
Project Director - Education Research, ICF
Director of Early Learning Policy, Texans Care for Children
The Authors
Allison Muhlendorf manages external affairs for NIEER, including communications, earned and owned media, government relations, partnerships, and outreach. Allison and her team at Longleaf Strategies are conducting a communications audit for NIEER and developing a long-term external affairs strategy.
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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