Supporting Parent Engagement in Linguistically Diverse Families to Promote Young Children’s Life Success

This paper examines research that can inform policies aimed at building the capacity of early care and education programs to promote parent engagement in linguistically diverse families. The key questions addressed include:1 )What factors affect linguistically diverse families’ access to early care and education programs?; 2)What do we know about linguistically diverse families and how parents in these families support their young children’s learning and development?; 3) What features of early care and education programs appear to contribute to high levels of parent engagement in linguistically diverse families?; and 4) What policies can help increase the capacity of early care and education programs to support parent engagement in linguistically diverse families

Child care and early education for young children experiencing homelessness: Research-to-policy resources

This Research-to-Policy Resource List identifies resources in the Research Connections collection published in 2010 or later that examine access to and utilization of early care and education by children in families experiencing homelessness, early childhood programs and practices that are designed to address their specific developmental needs, and policy options to increase access to high quality care and education for this particularly vulnerable group of young children

Physical activity in early care and education settings

In March 2012, Research Connections published its resource list on child care and obesity prevention. Since then there has been more research on promoting physical activity for young children in early care and education programs. Two major strategies for increasing opportunities for physical activity are through the adoption and implementation of specific practices in early care and education settings and through child care regulations and requirements. This Topic of Interest focuses on research summaries in these two areas--interventions to increase opportunities and caregiver practices promoting physical activity, and regulations for specific facility arrangements, schedules, staff behaviors, and policies to ensure these opportunities and practices in licensed child care settings

Supporting nutrition in early care and education settings: The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

Child care centers, Head Start programs, and family child care providers serving young children--as well as after school programs and homeless shelters that reach older children, adults, and families--are supported in providing healthy meals and snacks by reimbursements through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Administered by the Food and Nutrition Service of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, CACFP provides guidelines to ensure that the food served is nutritious and promotes healthy development, as well as requiring compliance with local health and safety standards. This program--along with several other child nutrition programs--last authorized under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is currently undergoing review by the Congress, a process that occurs every five years. This Topic of Interest includes recently published resources from the Research Connections collection on child care provider participation in the CACFP program and on the effects of CACFP participation on the nutrition of young children

Research-informed policy options for infant and toddler early care and education: Research-to-policy resources

This Research-to-Policy Resource List compiles research-based policy documents published in 2010 and later on the following topics: Early learning guidelines for infants and toddlers; Program standards for settings serving infants and toddlers; Core competencies and credentials for caregivers of infants and toddlers; Use of infant/toddler specialists and networks to support infant/toddler caregivers; Infant/toddler quality improvement strategies and systems. This resource list also includes publications that provide examples of state strategies to use federal funding opportunities to enhance the supply and quality of infant/toddler care, including the Child Care Development Block Grant, Early Head Start, and the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge initiative.The final section lists several publications that provide policy recommendations and state examples for building early childhood systems, including early care and education, for infants and toddlers

Access to early care and education for children in immigrant families: Research-to-policy resources

This Research-to-Policy Resource List focuses on resources in the Research Connections collection published in 2010 or later that focus on access to early care and education for children in immigrant families. The resources on this list are organized into the following categories: research reviews, research based on large-scale national datasets, and research based on smaller-scale, in-depth, and/or localized (state- or community-level) studies. These resources provide information on immigrant status as a factor in access to early care and education, on the benefits that early education experiences offer children in immigrant families, as well as on barriers to access and strategies to address those barriers

Community-based summer learning programs for school-age children: Research-to-policy resources

Summer learning experiences for school-age children can be provided in a variety of ways and settings, including summer school programs (often remedial), community-based programs (often a continuation of afterschool programs), and home-based programs (in which families are provided with information and resources to encourage reading, often run by libraries). Research has indicated that all three types of summer learning programs can have a positive impact on children's retention of key skills when these programs are of high quality, recruit vulnerable children, and engage families in ensuring consistent attendance. Having an impact on a broad scale requires that policies and infrastructure, including funding, are in place to expand effective programs. This Research-to-Policy Resource List compiles publications and documents published in 2010 and later on the following topics related to community-based summer learning programs for school-age children: Effective curricula, best practices and exemplary models; and State policy options

Research-to-Policy Resource List: Early care and education supports for young children experiencing homelessness

Research Connections conducted a comprehensive search of its collection for resources focused on supporting children 0 to 6 years experiencing homelessness through early childhood education programs. Key words used in the search were homeless children and families, homeless children, housing instability, homeless preschool children, children experiencing homelessness, and trauma. This Research-to-Policy Resource List includes an overview and listing of selected resources from the literature from the years 2000-2014. Resources of various types --reports, research articles, and reviews -- are included. Based on the search results, resources are grouped into the following categories: Prevalence of Homelessness among Young Children; Experience and Impact of Homelessness for Young Children; Access to Early Care and Education for Children Experiencing Homelessness; Early Care and Education Programs and Practices that Support Children Experiencing Homelessness; Addressing Trauma Associated with Homelessness for Young Childre

Early care and education in tribal communities: Research to policy resources

There are approximately 390,000 children age nine and under who are identified by their parents as being of American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) heritage alone, while more than 400,000 other children in the same age range share this heritage with that of other race and ethnic groups. The large majority--about 80 percent--of AIAN individuals live outside of tribal lands and reservations and, regardless of where they live, many have incomes below the federal poverty level. While about one-quarter of all individuals who report having some AIAN heritage have incomes below the federal poverty level, the poverty rate among children five and under is 33 percent. Following her visit to two Native American communities in August 2015, Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Secretary of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), wrote, "At HHS, we're committed to ensuring healthy, productive lives for families in all communities, and that is true in Indian Country as well." This commitment is exemplified in the federal government's continuing partnership with tribal governments through several programs within HHS, including the Tribal Early Learning Initiative (TELI), the National Center on Tribal Child Care Implementation and Innovation (NCTCCII), and the Tribal Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (Tribal MIECHV)

Quality improvement in home-based child care settings: Research resources to inform policy

This Topic of Interest provides a comprehensive list of research in the Research Connections collection that was published in 2005 or later addressing issues related to quality improvement specifically in home-based child care. The resources are grouped under the following headings: Overviews, Summaries, and Reviews of Quality Improvement Strategies & Interventions that Included Home-Based Child Care; Evaluations of Specific Quality Improvement Strategies & Interventions that Included Home-Based Child Care; Evaluations of QRIS Quality Improvement Interventions that Included Home-Based Child Care; Measuring Quality in Home-Based Child Care Settings; Factors Affecting Quality and Participation in Quality Improvement in Home-Based Child Care Settings; Characteristics, Interests, Needs, Experiences, and Perspectives of Home-Based Child Care Providers; and Policy Issues and Options for Home-Based Child Care