January 20, 2023 – Volume 22, Issue 3 - National Institute for Early Education Research

HOT TOPICS

Integrated Efficient Early Care and Education Systems: Revisiting a State-by-State Analysis

States vary considerably in their approaches to and organization of early care and education (ECE) programs; the Bipartisan Policy Center has revisited an initial 2018 report ranking states on their coordination and integration of ECE programs. The new report, Integrated Efficient Early Care and Education Systems: Revisiting a State-by-State Analysis, includes new rankings, and incorporates how states responded to the rollout of pandemic relief funding. Read the report and see how your state ranks here.

Impact Project Recruitment 2023

The Office of Child Care (OCC) and Child Care State Capacity Building Center invite states and territories to apply for long-term, intensive technical assistance with the Impact Project 2023. Selected states and territories will receive consultation and assistance for 2-4 years; additional consideration will be given to projects that focus on OCC priorities. Applications are due March 28; a webinar on Jan. 31 will give more information about the opportunity and can be registered for here.

Re-imagining Early Childhood Education and School Readiness for Children and Families of Color in the Time of COVID-19 and Beyond

Families of color in disinvested neighborhoods in the U.S. were disproportionately harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the need for early childhood and education programs serving these families to be strengthened and supported, researchers at New York University wrote in a new paper in the American Journal of Health Promotion. They called for more research to examine how the pandemic affected children’s development, especially in communities of color, and what supports are needed for families and educators to support children’s growth. Read it here.

NIEER ACTIVITY

The 2023 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings

NIEER Senior co-Director Steve Barnett has been included on the list of Education Week’s 2023 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings. The list comprises the top 200 university-based scholars in the United States who shaped educational policy and practice in the previous year. Rankings are based on influence in categories including Google Scholar rating, book publications, and times mentioned in newspaper, web, and education press, among others. Read the full list here.

Bright Spots: Strategies and Success Stories on Building a System for Full Access to ECE for Birth to Five

New America and NIEER hosted a webinar on Jan. 18 with panelists from three states addressing how they are building an equitable and aligned early learning system for children birth through age five. NIEER Senior Research Fellow Lori Connors-Tadros moderated the webinar, which was recorded and is now available here.

ECE RESEARCH

Early Childhood Education Attendance and School Readiness in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Moderating Role of Family Socioeconomic Status

Early childhood education (ECE) attendance in 58 low- and moderate-income countries was positively associated with total and domain-specific school readiness, researchers found. Associations between ECE attendance and school readiness outcomes was moderated by

socioeconomic status (SES), but moderation effects varied by school readiness domain. Read the abstract here.

Do Neighborhood Resources Mitigate Family Risk to Preschool Children’s Executive Function Skills Growth?

Neighborhood resources in the areas of education, health and environment, and social and economic opportunity did not moderate the relationship between family cumulative risk and preschoolers’ growth trajectories in executive function (EF) skills, although they were related to children’s initial EF skills, researchers at the University of Virginia found. Family cumulative risk was related to both initial EF skills and their growth over time. The longitudinal study involved data from 767 predominantly low-income pre-kindergarteners in the Southeastern U.S. Access the study here.

Early Childhood Education: A Text Messaging Approach to Supporting Enrollment

Families who expressed interest in a preschool program and received text notification “nudges” about it were more likely to enroll their children, researchers found. Fifty-five percent of families who received an enrollment text, welcome video, and appointment text enrolled their children in the preschool, which is higher than typical interest to enrollment rates. Read the abstract here.

Exploring the Causal Effects of Outdoor Play on School Readiness of Preschoolers in the Klang Valley, Malaysia

Outdoor play in preschool had “a favorable, considerable impact on academic learning and school readiness,” according to researchers who surveyed leaders of private preschools in Klang Valley, Malaysia. All 84 respondents agreed having a well-designed outdoor play area is key; the 72 from schools with play yards reported outdoor play helps school readiness. Read the study here.

OPPORTUNITIES