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🥇 CityHealth’s 2025 medals are out — learn how your city rates

CityHealth’s 2025 Policy Assessment is here evaluating cities across 12 policy areas. One area is high-quality pre-K, assessed using NIEER’s quality benchmarks—research-based standards linked to stronger teaching, better learning environments, and improved child outcomes. Explore the 2025 CityHealth Annual Policy Assessment

Don’t miss the 2025 Policy Assessment Webinar on Dec. 16 at 12 p.m. ET featuring a bipartisan panel of local government leaders who will break down this year’s results and share what cities can expect in 2026. Register today!

Effective Reading Instruction in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: What the Evidence Shows

A new report synthesizes research from 111 studies across more than 100 languages to clarify what works in helping young children learn to read in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The report draws on evidence from cognitive psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and education to show that—despite linguistic differences—children’s brains learn to read in fundamentally similar ways. Effective reading instruction consistently relies on three core principles: explicit teaching of key skills, systematic sequencing, and comprehensive coverage of foundational components.

The Impact of Increased ICE Activity on the Child Care Workforce and Mothers’ Employment

A new report from the Better Life Lab at New America by Chris M. Herbst and Erdal Tekin examines how escalated immigration enforcement — measured by increased ICE arrests — is affecting the child care workforce and mothers’ employment in the United States. Their analysis finds that heightened enforcement activity has contributed to a decline in foreign-born child care workers, especially those with higher education, and has also reduced employment among U.S.-born care workers: roughly 39,000 fewer foreign-born child care workers and 77,000 fewer U.S. mothers of preschool-aged children in the workforce since early 2025. 

Early education and care and the private sector: what does the reliance on private providers mean for young children?  

Since the expansion of funded childcare in autumn 2025, over 85,000 new early education places have been created in the UK. On the surface, this is a victory for access. But a new analysis from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) asks a critical question: At what cost to quality?

Their latest brief, "Early education and care and the private sector," reveals that this rapid expansion relies almost entirely on private providers—many of which are part of large chains. The data uncovers worrying trends when comparing these settings to maintained nursery schools:

• Higher Staff Turnover: 16% in private settings vs. 6% in maintained schools.
• Fewer Qualifications: Only 11% of staff in private settings hold a Level 6 qualification, compared to 41% in school-based providers.
• Less Experience: Over a quarter of the workforce in private settings is under 25.

Read the full analysis to understand the implications for the future of Early Childhood Education.

NIEER Activity

Advancing Child Care Research: The Rutgers Child Care Research Collaborative

The Rutgers Child Care Research Collaborative uses a range of research approaches and community conversations to deepen understanding of New Jersey’s child care landscape. Funded by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, the Collaborative—comprising the Center for Women and Work, the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, and NIEER—examines family needs, workforce dynamics, and the sector’s capacity to meet demand across the state. Learn more about the Collaborative’s work

Read our newly published analysis of center-based ECE in New Jersey using 2019 NSECE data. This pre-COVID snapshot documents program schedules, capacity, revenue sources, and participation in quality improvement—offering a baseline for understanding how the field has evolved and where policy can support program stability and effectiveness. Read the brief

IJCCEP

Analyzing of Educator-Child-Interaction in Austrian Early Childhood Education: Insights from a Meta-Study

This meta-study synthesizes data from 234 observations of early childhood settings in Austrian crèches and kindergartens to assess everyday educator–child interaction quality using the Graz Interaction Scale (GrazIAS). The analysis shows that many interaction dimensions fall in the minimal to good range, with crèches generally scoring higher on relationship and well-being indicators and kindergartens showing relatively stronger support for learning. However, frequent instances of insufficient quality were observed across both sectors, especially in areas like emotional regulation support, conflict resolution strategies, and engagement in learning activities.

Research

De Facto Suspensions: Informal Exclusionary Discipline Practices in Public Preschool and Early Elementary Settings

 A qualitative study published in AERA Open explores how informal exclusionary discipline practices—actions that limit children’s access to learning opportunities outside of formal suspension or expulsion—are emerging in public preschool and early elementary schools following reforms that curb formal exclusion. Drawing on interviews with parents, teachers, administrators, and behavior specialists, the research documents classroom, within-school, and out-of-school practices that effectively remove children from instructional time. 

Contribution of Peers’ Self-Regulation to the Development of Preschoolers’ Self-Regulation, Language, and Literacy Skills in Early Education Classrooms

A new study by Renee Gallo, Thomas Weiss, and Jason Downer examines how the self-regulation skills of classroom peers contribute to individual preschoolers’ self-regulation, language, and early literacy development. Using observational and assessment data from early education classrooms, the authors find that children’s interactions with well-regulated peers are associated with stronger self-regulation and emergent language and literacy abilities, suggesting classroom social dynamics play a meaningful role in early learning. 

The Effect of Child-Appropriate Play with Various Types on Preschoolers' Executive Function

A recent study explored how different forms of play influence executive function (EF)—including working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility—in 4- to 5-year-old children. The research compared structured movement play, puzzle play, and language-focused play to assess their immediate and short-term effects on key cognitive processes that support self-regulation and early learning. 

The Effect of Virtual School Tour on Preschool Children’s School Adjustment

A study published in Education and Information Technologies examined how a brief interactive 360° virtual school tour affects preschoolers’ adjustment when entering kindergarten. In a sample of 359 children, those who experienced a 6–10 minute virtual tour of their school before the start of the year showed significantly lower school avoidance, higher school liking, and greater cooperative participation three weeks after school entry compared with peers who did not receive the virtual tour. 

Behavioral Patterns in Preschool and School-Aged Children with Snoring and Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A Scoping Review

A systematic scoping review mapped evidence from the past five years on behavioral patterns associated with snoring and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children, including preschool-aged populations. The review found consistent associations between snoring/SDB and a wide range of neurobehavioral difficulties, such as externalizing behaviors (e.g., hyperactivity, aggression) and internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, depression). 

Jobs

Head Start Early Childhood Specialist, ICF

Parent Leadership Development Lead, ZERO TO THREE

Director, Children and Family Learning, American Museum of Natural History

Contracted Senior Research Associate, MA Dept of Early Education and Care

Research Scientist, Child Development Outcomes, NYU Grossman School of Medicine