Voices from College Student Mentors: Implications for Extension Programming with Latino Youth

Changing demographics and unique cultural factors relevant to Latinos have prompted the need for culture-specific programming. This article draws on a qualitative study of six college student mentors (M age = 22; four women) and serves as a basis for discussing improved programming with Latino youth. Mentors\u27 comments are presented, followed by recommended practices for Extension staff

College Student Mentors and Latino Youth: A Qualitative Study of the Mentoring Relationship

This phenomenological study describes the meaning of mentoring relationships from the perspectives of six purposefully selected mentors involved in the Latino Achievement Mentoring Program (LAMP), and investigates underlying themes regarding the mentors’ relationships. Clusters of themes pertaining to the mentors’ relationship with the mentee, the relationship of the mentor with the mentee’s family, and the mentors’ personal and professional development contributed to the meaning of the mentoring relationship for LAMP mentors. Mentors highlighted challenges that characterized the mentoring relationships at various points in time: However, relations hip strengths outweighed potential obstacles. Findings are useful for programs that target Latino youth, and have implications for the recruitment and retention of mentors. Findings bring to light the need for future rese arch that considers the quality of the mentoring relationship and its influence on outcomes for mentoring participant

Parent Engagement during Home Visits in Early Head Start and Head Start: Useful Strategies for Practitioners

This study explores strategies used by early childhood professionals (ECPs) involved in a school readiness intervention to support parent engagement in young children’s learning. In this study, we used video recordings to understand the ECP-parent interactions during Early Head Start and Head Start home visits. We coded the videos for the number of parent engagement strategies that were used by ECPs as well as the quality of parent engagement during visits, including the amount of parent-child interaction that took place during the visits. Findings have implications for the implementation of the Head Start Parent, Family and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework, and the professional development of early childhood professionals

Stabilizing Developmental Language Trajectories in Infants/Toddlers: A Preliminary Study

Parents’ interactions with their children can have influential effects on children’s language outcomes. Special supports may be needed however, when young children live in poverty and show developmental delays early in life. This study analyzed data for a subset of children enrolled in Early Head Start programs and participating in a randomized trial of the Getting Ready intervention (Sheridan, Marvin, Knoche, & Edwards, 2008). These 41 children had standard scores below 85 on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II when the EHS and intervention services began. Statistically significant benefits were observed for the 28 children in the treatment group compared to the 13 children in a comparison group on children’s scores on the Preschool Language Scale-4. These preliminary findings suggest that the Getting Ready intervention may provide added value to Early Head Start programs and stabilize children’s developmental trajectory for language skills for children experiencing the dual challenges of poverty and developmental delays early in life

Decreased deposition and increased swelling of cell walls contribute to increased cracking susceptibility of developing sweet cherry fruit

Main conclusion: During fruit development, cell wall deposition rate decreases and cell wall swelling increases. The cell wall swelling pressure is very low relative to the fruit’s highly negative osmotic potential. Abstract: Rain cracking of sweet cherry fruit is preceded by the swelling of the cell walls. Cell wall swelling decreases both the cell: cell adhesion and the cell wall fracture force. Rain cracking susceptibility increases during fruit development. The objectives were to relate developmental changes in cell wall swelling to compositional changes taking place in the cell wall. During fruit development, total mass of cell wall, of pectins and of hemicelluloses increases, but total mass of cellulose remains constant. The mass of these cell wall fractions increases at a lower rate than the fruit fresh mass—particularly during stage II and early stage III. During stage III, on a whole-fruit basis, the HCl-soluble pectin fraction, followed by the water-soluble pectin fraction, the NaOH-soluble pectin fraction and the oxalate-soluble pectin fraction all increase. At maturity, just the HCl-soluble pectin decreases. Cell wall swelling increases during stages I and II of fruit development, with little change thereafter. This was indexed by light microscopy of skin sections following turgor release, and by determinations of the swelling capacity, water holding capacity and water retention capacity. The increase in cell wall swelling during development was due primarily to increases in NaOH-soluble pectins. The in vitro swelling of cell wall extracts depends on the applied pressure. The swelling pressure of the alcohol-insoluble residue is low throughout development and surprisingly similar across different cell wall fractions. Thus, swelling pressure does not contribute significantly to fruit water potential. © 2020, The Author(s)

“More time. More showing. More helping. That’s how it sticks”: The Perspectives of Early Childhood Coachees

Coaching is a form of consultation used in early childhood settings to support positive outcomes for young children and families. While some research shows the effectiveness of coaching on practice and outcomes, little information is available on the experiences and perspectives of “coachees” as recipients of coaching support. The purpose of this study was to understand, from the coachees’ point of view, the benefits and challenges of participating in an early childhood coaching relationship. Twenty-one parents, preschool teachers and childcare providers who had engaged in coaching relationships participated in interviews and completed surveys regarding their experiences and perspectives. Data were thematically analyzed. Five overall themes, and sixteen subthemes, emerged as salient to the experiences of these coachees: (1) qualities of the coach; (2) resources provided by the coach; (3) qualities of the coach-coachee relationship; (4) coachee transformation; and (5) challenges to the coaching process. This in-depth, qualitative examination of coachees’ experiences revealed a powerful story of the transformative nature of their partnerships with their coaches. The study has implications for hiring early childhood coaches, planning professional development activities for EC coaches, and implementing models of early childhood coaching

How Teachers Use Data: Description and Differences Across PreK Through Third Grade

The use of data to inform instruction has been linked to improved student outcomes, early identification of intervention needs, and teacher decision-making and efficacy. Additionally, data are used as a means of accountability within educational settings. However, little is known about data use practices among early grades teachers. The purpose of the current study is to describe the data use of PreK to third grade teachers and to investigate differences in data use and support across grade levels. Participants were 307 early childhood teachers in PreK and early elementary school. Analysis of survey data revealed, overall, most teachers across grade levels collected observational data and direct assessments and data were predominantly used to inform instruction and determine if students are ready to learn new skills. In general, teachers indicated that support for data use is available. Results also indicate significant variation in data types, use, and support across PreK to third grade

Parent-Child Relationships in Early Learning.

Parental behavior during a child’s first five years of life is critical for the development of important social and cognitive outcomes in children that set the stage for life-long adaptation and functioning. This chapter will review some of the key findings about the importance of parent-child relationships in early learning. Three dimensions of parent behavior will be described as “parental engagement”: (a) warmth and sensitivity, (b) support for a child’s emerging autonomy, and (c) active participation in learning. Cross cultural variations in which the styles of these behaviors are expressed are also considered, contrasting physical, social, and cognitive styles of communicating parental care

An exploratory study of early childhood coaches’ practices and professional learning needs

Coaching is increasingly being used as a mechanism to improve the quality of early childhood education. Yet, for coaching outside of researcher-controlled interventions, limited information details coaches’ reports of their practices’ professional learning needs. We addressed this gap via an exploratory study utilizing online questionnaires of 91 coaches working with educators in a Midwestern US state across 12 coaching initiatives. Most participants had less than 5 years of experience working as an early childhood coach. Almost a third coached for multiple initiatives. Coaching occurred via multiple formats and often addressed behavior management and social emotional development regardless of the coaching initiative. Coaches identified challenges regarding scheduling and working with difficult learners and reported that peer support and being coached themselves were the most beneficial learning experiences. Findings suggest that the perspective of the coach is important in informing training and professional learning for both coaches and educators

What Is the Landscape of Early Childhood Coaching in Nebraska?

Background on Early Childhood Coaching in Nebraska Coaches have become an integral component of supporting teachers and adults working with young children and families nationally (Schachter, 2015). In the state of Nebraska, early childhood (EC) coaching has increasingly become important for this type of work (Jayaraman, Knoche, Marvin, & Bainter, 2014). Indeed, multiple initiatives within the state utilize coaches as a mechanism for supporting change in adult learners that leads to positive outcomes for young children and families. In general, coaching is a unique form of professional development that is relationship-based, whereby coaches work one-on-one or in small groups with adult learners to improve knowledge, skills, and dispositions (Aikens & Akers, 2011). Coaching can take place in adults’ immediate context and tends to be ongoing rather than a single, one-time training (Joyce & Showers, 1980; Rush & Shelden, 2005). As such, coaching has the potential to provide high-quality learning experiences for adults to support high-quality experiences in EC. Based on this growing use of coaching across the state, key stakeholders have collaborated to develop mechanisms that support coach training and development. Since this collaborative work began in 2009–10, a semiannual coach training was developed to provide foundational coaching skills and competencies relevant for all coaching initiatives, such as developing relationships and facilitating coaching conversations. The collaborative group also came to understand that coaches needed ongoing support and initiated the offering of regular “booster” sessions to support coaches’ professional development once they are in the field and actively serving coachees. In efforts to better understand who was coaching and perceptions of the training coaches received, stakeholders conducted an initial survey in 2014 (Jayaraman et al. 2014). Results of this survey (n = 35) revealed that coaches liked the work of coaching and, in particular, coaches commented that they enjoyed building relationships with coachees and observing positive changes. Although these coaches were generally positive about the training they received, myriad challenges were also reported, particularly with regards to the coaching process and their own training and professional development needs. Present Study Since the 2014 study, coaching in various EC initiatives has grown across the state. In 2018, the Nebraska Early Childhood Coach Collaboration team was interested in reassessing the process of coaching in Nebraska. This included understanding who is doing the work of coaching, what constitutes the coaching process, how coaches perceive their work, and how coaches were prepared to do their work. Thus, a new survey was created to understand more about coaching in the state of Nebraska. It contained a variety of questions consisting of both fixed-choice and open-response comments. Data collection was led by Dr. Schachter from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and was reviewed by the Institutional Review Board. Participants were invited by email to complete an online survey that took approximately 20 minutes to complete. The survey was emailed to key stakeholders in the Spring of 2018 with requests that the survey be forwarded to anyone doing the work of EC coaching in Nebraska. In total, 101 individuals completed the survey. Importantly, all participants self-identified as a “coach.” Participants were able to enter into a raffle to win one of five iPad minis. Survey responses were analyzed descriptively. Next, we present our findings regarding who are the coaches, what is the content of coaching, how coaches perceive their work, how coaches know that coaching is working, and how coaches were prepared. We conclude with recommendations for advancing the work of coaching in the state of Nebraska