This piece from the Center on the Developing Child, bridges the disconnect between science and policy in the realm of early childhood development.

A new white paper from the Early Childhood Data Collaborative makes the case for why states should build longitudinal data systems for early care and education, describes the ten fundamentals of a coordinated system with state examples, and provides guidance on how to ensure appropriate access to data, which includes building the capacity for stakeholders to use the data for continuous improvement.

This working paper from Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child examines how executive function skills, such as self-regulation, develop during the early childhood years and continue to benefit children throughout their academic careers and lives. The paper is accompanied by a 5-minute video providing an overview of scientific findings about executive function skills.

A study from CCSSO and Child Trends that explores the developmental disparities between young children ages 0-5 with a low socioeconomic status and their peers.

Find out how toxic substances can stunt a child’s development in this paper from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.

Negative stress at an early age can have a lasting impact on a child’s brain development according to this paper from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.

“From Crib to Classroom: Developing Language and Skills for Reading”, is a fact sheet based on a presentation by Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Temple University Lefkowitz Professor of Psychology and Director, Infant Language Laboratory.

This brochure highlights the importance of coordinated and longitudinal data systems and what states can do to start building them to inform continuous improvement in early care and education. 

This brief from the Center on the Developing Child, NCSL and NGA examines the science of a child’s developing brain and discusses the policy implication of the findings.

Find out how stress and adversity can have a negative impact on early childhood development and how this can be addressed with effective state policies, from the Center on the Developing Child, NCSL and NGA.

An interactive site that provides videos and other resources on the economic benefits of investing in high quality early education programs.

Find out why early childhood development programs should be at the top of state governments' economic development lists.

From Jim Heckman with support from Committee for Economic Development, this paper argues for publicly funded investments in disadvantaged children.

Learn how early education can improve economic outcomes for states and the nation from the Committee for Economic Development.

The National Center for Children in Poverty is pleased to announce the release of their latest publication, Practices for Promoting Young Children’s Learning in QRIS Standards.  This brief provides an examination of the strength of supports for children’s early learning in Quality Rating Improvement System standards based on an analysis of QRIS standards in 23 states.

A recent report from Child Trends examines 80 evaluations of initiatives to lengthen the school day or year or offer learning opportunities outside of school hours.

The report emphasizes that most of the evaluations lack the rigor needed for firm evidence of the impact of expanded time efforts on children. But the slim evidence available suggests that extending school time can help raise academic achievement, while out-of-school opportunities can boost "precursors" to achievement, such as educational expectations. In all cases, program quality and implementation "matter a great deal."

CLASP and the National Women’s Law Center are pleased to announce the release of our collaborative report: A Count for Quality: Child Care Center Directors on Rating and Improvement Systems, based on interviews with a diverse group of child care center directors participating in QRIS in several states. 

CLASP is pleased to announce a new resource on promoting access to comprehensive screenings. Promote Access to Early, Regular and Comprehensive Screenings is one of CLASP’s 15 policy recommendations in our “Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care” project, an ongoing effort by CLASP to link research to policy ideas to help states make the best decisions for infants and toddlers in child care.

The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) announces the release of this new research report which draws upon a case study of two early childhood B.A. completion cohort programs in order to illuminate the limitations of current ways of conceptualizing and studying early childhood teacher education.

Quality Rating Improvement Systems (QRISs) commonly offer on-site technical assistance (TA) and coaching to help early care and education settings achieve quality improvements and a higher QRIS rating. In surveys of administrators overseeing statewide QRISs, almost all states reported the use of on-site TA and coaching in both center-based and home-based settings.

According to the latest annual report released by the Data Quality Campaign, while states have made strong progress increasing their capacity to build and use data systems, they are not yet helping teachers, parents, and other education stakeholders use the data to inform decisions to improve student achievement.

From the classroom to the legislature, stakeholders can use data about young children, early childhood programs and the workforce to improve the effectiveness of early care and education.

This report from NCCP presents findings from an interview study that investigated features of the professional development and on-site assistance available to center-based staff and home-based providers who participate in states’ Quality Rating Improvement Systems.

This study from the Center for the Study Child Care Employment examines the career backgrounds and professional development needs of those working in child care resource and referral programs, local First 5 commissions, and child care coordinators across the state.