Research Connections News and Resources

This edition of Research Connections includes resources on the following topics:

• The effects of positive, caring relationships between families and providers
• An English-Spanish vocabulary inventory for assessing dual-language learners
• A home-visiting intervention to improve parental engagement with children’s early learning experiences
• The relationship between Montessori programs and children’s creative expression
• Tools for examining the effects of child care subsidy policies

This month’s critical topic showcases resources on?science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in child care and early education.

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Most of the research resources in this newsletter are available to the public for free. We also link to some publications that require a fee or additional steps to access (such as articles in subscription-based journals). Don’t have access? Check out our tip sheet on accessing resources.

Monthly Spotlight

Caring for Whole Families: Relationships between Providers and Families during Infancy and Toddlerhood

Does a positive relationship between families and child care providers affect child and family outcomes? This study uses data from the nationally representative Baby FACES study to examine participants in a two-generation Early Head Start program, which focuses on both the needs of the child and the whole family. Findings indicate positive, caring relationships between families and providers are associated with benefits for children and their families. Providers who reported better relationships with parents rated children as having fewer behavior problems and better language and social skills. Parents who reported better relationships with providers reported less stress related to parenting and fewer family conflicts. The authors discuss implications for future policy and practice.

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Find more?resources on two-generation approaches to involving families in child care and early education in the Research Connections library.

Other Featured Resources

Comparing Apples to Manzanas and Oranges to Naranjas: A New Measure of English-Spanish Vocabulary for Dual Language Learners

This paper discusses an inventory of vocabulary words in English and Spanish used in the Communicative Development Inventory, a widely used tool for reporting infant and toddler language development. The English-Spanish inventory allows users to assess dual-language learners’?early language skills, which research shows predicts language development and social and academic skills later in life. The paper discusses the practical use, challenges, and limitations of the inventory, as well as the results of proof-of-concept interviews with the mothers of dual-language learners. This article is available for a fee or requires additional steps for access.

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Find more?resources on dual-language learners in child care and early education programs in the Research Connections library.

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Little Talks: Building Home Visiting’s Capacity to Promote Communication and Language Skills for Children under Three Years of Age

This study uses a randomized control trial to determine the effectiveness of a home-visiting intervention in Spanish and English. The intervention seeks to promote children’s communication and language skills by helping parents engage with their children’s learning experiences. Results show the intervention significantly improved the quality of home visits and parents’ involvement in their children’s learning experiences. In addition, although parents in the control group showed an increase in depressive symptoms, parents who received the intervention showed no increase in depressive symptoms over the period of the intervention. The study found results were stronger for immigrant families. This article is available for a fee or requires additional steps for access.

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Find more?resources focused on interventions for infants and toddlers in the Research Connections library.

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The Impact of Montessori Education on Creative Expression in Preschoolers

Do Montessori programs promote creative thinking? This study looks at the creative expression of prekindergarten children in Montessori programs compared to children in traditional educational settings. The study uses data from 200 preschool-age children ranging from 3 to 5 years old who were administered a standardized creativity assessment tool. Results indicate Montessori-educated children scored significantly higher in the ability to generate original and detailed ideas categorized as fluency, originality, and elaboration. The authors discuss the results and implications for future research.

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Find more?resources on Montessori programs in the Research Connections library.

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Tools and Strategies for Examining the Relationship between Child Care Subsidy Policies and Trends in Child, Family, and Provider Outcomes

This report summarizes findings from research on the relationship between Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) policies and outcomes for children, families, and providers. It highlights successes, challenges, and lessons learned from a 2019 examination of national CCDF data and two case studies conducted in Minnesota and Oregon. The case studies show complex policy interactions make it difficult to isolate direct effects to a single policy decision and a significant lag exists between when a program or policy change is implemented and when the effects can be detected. The report discusses lessons learned and two conceptual models to guide future state-level analyses of the relationship between CCDF policies and outcomes for children, families, and providers.

Find more?resources on child care subsidy policies in the Research Connections library.

Critical Topic

Critical Topic: STEM in Child Care and Early Education

The role of science, technology, engineering, and math in elementary through higher education is well studied, but what role does STEM play in early education? Young children can be introduced to STEM concepts in child care and early education programs; counting, building, and asking questions are all foundations for STEM learning later in life. The following resources look at how early educators navigate STEM concepts in child care and early education programs:

• Designing Inclusive Computational Thinking Learning Trajectories for the Youngest Learners, published in Education Sciences, looks at how children with and without disabilities use and engage with computational thinking skills, such as identifying patterns and problem-solving.
• Mathematics in U.S. Preschool and Kindergarten Classrooms, published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly, discusses the amount of time children spend doing math activities in prekindergarten and kindergarten classrooms, whether the activities are child- or teacher-directed, and the kinds of math content children engage with. This article is available for a fee or requires additional steps for access.
• Of Ladles and Laptops: Exploring Preschool Children’s Digital Play, published in the Early Childhood Education Journal, explores how children bridge the gap between digital activities and physical, nontechnology play. This article is available for a fee or requires additional steps for access.
• Preschool Engineering Play on Nature Playscapes,?published in the Early Childhood Education Journal, analyzes play footage of young children to understand naturally occurring engineering play.?

Find more?resources addressing STEM in early care and education settings in the Research Connections library.

Opportunities

Grant Opportunities

The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) intends to solicit applications for the following grants:

• Child Care Policy Research Partnerships: Effects of CCDF Provider and Family Friendly Policies: Through this opportunity, OPRE intends to support partnerships between CCDF Lead Agencies and researchers, prioritizing projects that evaluate CCDF provider and family friendly policies in states, territories, or tribes implemented in response to the 2024 CCDF Final Rule, including new flexibilities for Tribes.
• Child Care Policy Research Partnerships: Evaluating Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agencies’ Consumer Education Strategies: Through this opportunity, OPRE intends to support partnerships between CCDF Lead Agencies and researchers, prioritizing projects that evaluate the effectiveness of lead agencies’ consumer education strategies that are designed to help parents make informed choices about their children’s early care and education.
• Tribal Child Care Data and Research Capacity: Through this opportunity, OPRE intends to support partnerships between Tribal (CCDF) Lead Agencies and research and coordinating organizations to develop and improve tribal data systems and strengthen capacity-building of Tribal CCDF Lead Agencies.
• Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Child Care Dissertation Grants: Through this opportunity, OPRE intends to support dissertation research by advanced graduate students working on child care policy issues in partnership with a CCDF lead agency and with faculty mentors.
• Center for Research on Coordinated Services Approaches to Support Whole Families: Through this opportunity, OPRE intends to support a Center for Research on Coordinated Service Approaches to Support Whole Families to conduct and strengthen research on the intentional coordination of human services to support the social and economic well-being of whole families. The center will bring together a team that has experience investigating coordinated service approaches to support whole families, assessing the needs and experiences of families with low incomes and those from underserved communities, developing and testing measures for rigorous research and evaluation, building research/evaluation capacity, and conducting research in partnership with state/territory/tribal agencies that administer the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and CCDF programs.

See the full list of grants for the latest information.

Looking for Research Translation Topics!

Calling all state and territory leaders in the child care and early education field! The CCEEPRA Research Translation project is inviting you to share topic ideas for short, easy-to-use resources that can help make research-informed decisions that support young children and their families. Learn more about the project here and submit your ideas to [email protected].