Website: http://www.ncrece.org
NCRECE is improving early childhood education by
• Testing specific approaches to training early childhood educators
• Producing and distributing peer-reviewed research, research and policy briefs
• Connecting the field of early childhood education with institutions of higher education
• Sponsoring annual conferences, a working paper series and a book series
• Developing partnerships aimed at linking early childhood education and the basic sciences
Visit the complete NCRECE website.
Funded by the US Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences.
NCRECE Briefs
The Feasibility of a Common Course in Early Childhood Teacher Preparation Programs
Home-School Differences: What It Means for Kindergarten Readiness
Promoting Children’s School Readiness: Rethinking the Levers for Change
Learning How Much Quality is Necessary to Get to Good Results for Children
Readiness for School Involves an Array of Skills: Let’s Not Forget Fine Motor Development
Expanding School Readiness Gains in Prekindergarten
Maximizing Classroom Time to Promote Learning
NCRECE Publications
Hamre, B. K., Pianta, R. C., Burchinal, M. Field, S. Locasale-Crouch, J.L., Downer, J. T…Scott-Little, C. (2012). A Course on Effective Teacher-Child Interactions: Effects on Teacher Beliefs, Knowledge, and Observed Practice. American Education Research Journal, 49, 88-123.
Scott-Little, C., La Paro, K. M., Thomason, A. C., Pianta, R. C., Hamre, B., Downer, J., Burchinal, M., & Howes, C. (2011). Implementation of a Course Focused on Language and Literacy within Teacher-Child Interactions: Instructor and Student Perspectives across Three Institutions of Higher Education. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 32(3), 200-224.
LoCasale-Crouch, J., Kraft-Sayre, M., Pianta, R., Hamre, K., Downer, J., Leach, A., Burchinal, M., Howes, C., La Paro, K., & Scott-Little, C. (2011). Implementing an Early Childhood Professional Development Course Across 10 Sites and 15 Sections: Lessons Learned. National Head Start Association Dialog, 14(4), 275-292.
Partners
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Frank Porter Graham is a multidisciplinary institute at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The institute’s mission is to cultivate and share the knowledge necessary to enhance child development and family well being. Through a variety of grants and contracts, we conduct research and provide outreach services. Most of the institute’s work addresses young children ages birth to 8 years. We have a special focus on children who experience biological or environmental factors that challenge early development and learning. “Advancing Knowledge. Enhancing Lives.” is the philosophy that guides our daily work. Sam Odom directs the institute’s 64 researchers, a staff of 225 and 49 students working on more than 56 projects. Disciplines affiliated with FPG include anthropology, audiology, biostatistics, education, epidemiology, nursing, occupational therapy, pediatrics, physical therapy, psychiatry, psychology, public health, social work, sociology, and speech and hearing sciences. We believe that research should make a difference, encompass a wide range of child and family topics, address cultural perspectives and practices, and embrace collaboration with the society it seeks to impact.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
The Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service regarding human development and close relationships across the lifespan. The Department has a vibrant undergraduate program with over 450 students, and a highly respected graduate program with approximately 60 masters’ and doctoral students from around the world and across the nation. HDFS faculty research focuses on early care and education, child and adolescent development, and family studies, and is aimed at examining the biological, psychological, social and cultural foundations of development and their implications for families. The department has over 4 million dollars in external funding a wide range of research interests, as well as 8 research programs and centers including the Family Research Center, Child & Family Research Network, North Carolina Rated License Assessment Project, Right (Research Investigating Growth and Health Trajectories) Track focusing on developmental trajectories of early disruptive behavior, the STAR Project, a joint effort by the Psychology and HDFS to learn more about preschool children and their transition into kindergarten, C.A.P. UNCG which looks at the development of attention and memory in young children, and the Early Childhood Leadership and Policy Network.
University of California at Los Angeles
http://gseis.ucla.edu/~ciccq/ [4]
The Center for Improving Child Care Quality (CICCQ) in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies conducts high-quality, policy-relevant research focusing on improving the early care and education environments of young children. The Center is directed by Dr. Carollee Howes, a nationally and internationally recognized early childhood expert who has been an advisor on several national studies, including the National Head Start Families and Children’s Experiences project, and a collaborator in several others, including the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project and the Multi-State Study of State Pre-K programs. The research staff at CICCQ utilizes expertise in the areas of child development, professional development, child care quality, attachment, and observational and survey research methodology to conduct basic applied research and policy-driven research at the local, state, and national levels. CICCQ takes a collaborative approach to the local evaluation process, building relationships with community partners to inform research, practice, and professional development. The Center has assisted numerous community-based agencies in evaluating the effectiveness of their programs to improve the quality of early care and education programs. CICCQ also works with local government and policy groups, including the Los Angeles County First 5 Commission, the Los Angeles County Office of Child Care, and the newly launched Los Angeles Universal Preschool.
For a full listing of the NCRECE team, visit the NCRECE website.
