1998-2024
The Early Care and Education Research Scholars (ECERS): Head Start Dissertation Grant program is designed to build the capacity in the field for effective research that will inform early care and education policy and practice for low-income children and families. The grant program provides support for dissertation research conducted by graduate students working in partnership with a university mentor and local Head Start or Early Head Start programs. Many former grantees are now leading researchers whose work continues to inform policy and practice for Head Start/Early Head Start and other early childhood settings.
The immediate goals of the grant program are to:
- conduct rigorous research that has the capacity to inform Head Start/Early Head Start policies and practices;
- build capacity in the early care and education research field by supporting high-quality dissertation research and student-faculty collaboration and mentorship;
- support active two-way communication, collaboration, and a dynamic partnership between early career researchers and Head Start/Early Head Start programs; and
- foster the exchange of current research, ideas, and information among research scholars, policymakers, and practitioners.
This grant program contributes to the knowledge base about Head Start/Early Head Start programs, and the staff, children, and families they serve. All projects must reflect the potential for improving the quality of services and informing policy. The Head Start population offers a unique opportunity for conducting research on effectively tailoring services and interventions for programs, staff, children, and families with different characteristics and needs. The grant program also emphasizes the importance of developing working partnerships with Head Start and Early Head Start programs and other relevant entities within the community, which are expected to benefit both the researchers and the programs. Program voices are expected to contribute to projects from the design through the interpretation and dissemination. Developing successful researcher-program partnerships under the guidance of experienced mentors strengthens the graduate student’s capacity to conduct ethical, innovative, and thoughtful research relevant to the staff, families, and children participating.
Please review the abstracts from previous Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Dissertation grants to explore the range of projects previously funded.
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Point(s) of contact: Wendy DeCourcey, Tamarie Willis, and Jazlyn Nkeita.