Socioeconomic Disparities in North Carolina Communities: Issues of Access and Quality of Licensed Child Care.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between child care program quality and the socioeconomic contexts of the communities in which they operate. The sample, which included nearly all licensed child care providers in North Carolina in 2008, resulted in 6882 programs nested within 619 zip codes and 78 counties. The cross-sectional design integrated data from multiple sources. Child care program characteristics, including rated program quality, were acquired from the North Carolina Division of Child Development. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau was used to measure socioeconomic characteristics of communities at the zip code level. Data from the North Carolina State Head Start Collaboration Office, North Carolina Office of School Readiness, and the North Carolina Division of Child Development were incorporated to examine program funding and subsidy levels from various sources. Data from the North Carolina Partnership for Children were used to identify quality enhancement funds at the county level. Multi-level modeling was utilized to examine the nested data structure of child care programs within communities. Child care quality varied across communities and program quality was modestly correlated when programs were in closer proximity. Program level characteristics, as well as community level socioeconomics were both related to differential quality among child care programs, suggesting that access to high quality child care varies across community contexts

Teachers, Families, and Communities Supporting English Language Learners in Inclusive Pre-Kindergartens: An Evaluation of a Professional Development Model

The purpose of the Teachers, Families, and Communities Supporting English Language Learners (TFC) project was to implement and evaluate a sustainable model of high-quality professional development focused on improving inclusive pre-kindergarten services for English Language Learners (ELL) and their families. The professional development program consisted of three interactive training sessions and on-site classroom coaching visits. The project evaluation consisted of an assessment of the professional development program (i.e., the training sessions and coaching) and teachers' self-assessments of their beliefs and practices. Results indicate that the professional development program supported pre-kindergarten teachers in their efforts to be responsive to ELL children in their classrooms and with their families. Results also indicate that pre-kindergarten teachers are in need of continued support as they work with linguistically and culturally diverse children and their families. Implications for future professional development focused on English Language Learners are discussed

Inequities in Access to Quality Early Care and Education: Associations with Funding and Community Context

The purpose of the current study was to examine program- and community-level characteristics related to total points earned by early care and education programs in North Carolina’s Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System (TQRIS). Multiple statewide data sources, program- and community-level characteristics were combined to better understand associations with total points awarded in the TQRIS. The concentration of state and federal funding at the program level, and the socioeconomics of the communities that programs resided were related to program quality. The current study demonstrated that there are inequities within the system where the highest quality early care and education programs are differentially available based on program funding characteristics, community socioeconomics, and interactions among the program and community variables. Future research and policy implications are discussed.Keywords: Community context, Child care quality, Quality Rating and Improvement System, Socioeconomics, State and federal fundingKeywords: Community context, Child care quality, Quality Rating and Improvement System, Socioeconomics, State and federal fundin

Examining the definition and measurement of quality in early childhood education: A review of studies using the ECERS-R from 2003 to 2010

The field of early childhood education continues to grapple with the issue of understanding quality in classrooms. The lack of clarity in definition (or conceptualization) and related ability to assess (or operationalize) quality has contributed to a reliance on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R), which is often interpreted to be synonymous with the quality of a classroom. Likewise, the ECERS-R (although a measurement tool) is often used to define quality. Because of the widespread use of this measure as an evaluation tool, early childhood programs have strived to achieve high ratings on this measure, and subsequently the item content of the ECERS-R has often become a focus for quality enhancement initiatives. The present study examines the definitions of quality (i.e., how quality is operationalized) in research studies using the ECERS-R over the past 8 years (2003-2010). A content analysis of 76 studies conducted in the United States indicates that studies using the ECERS-R to operationalize quality do not use a consistent definition; instead they conceptualize quality in a variety of ways ranging from quality is ECERs or classroom quality to environmental quality. In light of these varying definitions, implications for research and policy in early childhood education are discussed. © 2012 The Author(s)

Preschool Teachers’ Financial Well-Being and Work Time Supports: Associations with Children’s Emotional Expressions and Behaviors in Classrooms

The current study examined associations among teachers\u27 financial well-being, including teachers\u27 wages and their perceptions of their ability to pay for basic expenses, and teachers\u27 work time supports, including teachers\u27 paid planning time, vacation days, and sick days, and children\u27s positive emotional expressions and behaviors in preschool classrooms. Analyses controlled for teachers\u27 education and experience, as well as classroom quality (as assessed by the CLASS). Results suggest that teachers\u27 financial well-being is associated with children\u27s positive emotional expressions and behaviors in classrooms. Specifically, teachers\u27 wages positively relate to children\u27s positive emotional expressions and behaviors in classrooms, and children in classrooms of teachers who can pay for their basic expenses exhibit more positive emotional expressions and behaviors than children in classrooms of teachers who cannot pay for their basic expenses. Implications of the effects of early childhood teachers\u27 financial well-being on children\u27s emotional experiences in classrooms are discussed