HOT TOPICS
Bold on Early Educator Compensation Learning Community 2022: Lessons from State Actions
The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California, Berkeley convened 20-plus advocates and policymakers from seven states for the Bold on Early Educator Compensation Learning Community to address how policymakers design and implement equitable compensation solutions for the early childhood workforce. Read more here.
NIEER ACTIVITY
Research Release: Paths 2 Play Competence: Teacher’s play facilitation in Colombia
Teachers in a large-scale early childhood education program in Colombia that emphasizes experiential learning understood Learning Through Play concepts, but researchers from NIEER and the Universidad de los Andes found a disconnect in educators’ application of them. Designed to explore the play-based practices of teachers and professional development supports in the aeioTU program, the study was conducted against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic, when a combination of remote, hybrid, and in-person learning occurred. “Child-centered perspectives were emphasized by coordinators and teachers, but some respondents tended to focus on the structured role of the teacher in facilitating play (e.g., games with rules) while others emphasized the teachers’ role in child-driven play,” the researchers wrote. The study, funded by the Lego Foundation, is available here.
We’re Hiring, Join the NIEER Team!
NIEER is looking for passionate data collectors to train in and administer child and classroom assessment instruments for pre‐K to third grade classrooms in New Jersey and the Philadelphia area. Please apply here and then email your letter of interest, curriculum vita/resume, transcript (if currently a student) and contact information for two references to Carol Contreras at ccontreras@nieer.org. Include the phrase “Data Collector” as well as where you live and where you want to work in the email subject line.
Example: Subject: Data Collector–New Jersey–Trenton NJ.
Though it often may seem that all the news about early care and education is bad news, much new research is positive and gives early childhood educators reasons to be proud. Panelists, including NIEER Senior Co-Director and Founder Dr. Steven Barnett will consider ways ECE impacts life today and what can be done to expand the field’s important contributions nationwide. The webinar begins at 4 p.m. EST on Thursday, March 2. Register here.
ECE RESEARCH
Researchers in Portugal identified accelerometers they found to be best for tracking in-school physical activity (PA) of preschoolers and school-age children based on a meta-analysis of 21 studies. Other wearable devices showed promise, but results were based on a limited sample of studies. Read the study here.
Indigenous families in urban settings in Canada seek early learning and child care centers that are flexible, family focused, culturally relevant, and employ educators who value diversity and decolonization, a scoping review revealed. “Both mainstream programs and those catering to Indigenous children and families can achieve positive outcomes despite divergent approaches,” the Canadian researchers wrote. “What remains critical is center leadership support and broader policy support for developing educator dispositions, such as co-learning with families, seeking a practice of relationships with children and families, and educator reflexivity.” Read the study here.
Black children enrolled in a high-quality early learning program connected to an elementary school they then attended for kindergarten and first grade maintained literacy and language gains made in early childhood into first grade, Georgia State University researchers reported. However, the 185 Head Start-eligible children lost the advantages they held in kindergarten over children in a comparison group by first grade. The researchers called for “creating clear academic pathways for young learners that prioritize instructional opportunities designed to maintain positive learning trajectories.” Read the abstract here.
Refugee children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experienced emotional recovery and social-emotional learning through early childhood education and care (ECEC), according to researchers who reviewed 15 studies conducted in camps and resettlements in seven different countries. The studies’ findings “all point straight in the direction of ECEC benefitting refugee children’s wellbeing and developmental outcomes,” they wrote. The small number and low rigor of the studies posed limitations on the research. A lack of resources in LMICs challenge the provision of high-quality ECEC to refugee children, the researchers noted. Successful strategies derived from their review include “play-based approaches, interactions that focus on socio-emotional support and recovery, the engagement of communities and families, and the provision of culturally responsive environments,” they wrote. Access the review here.
OPPORTUNITIES