Resource Library

There is growing emphasis placed on evidence-based interventions, and opportunities to make programmatic decisions based on evidence reflect progress in promoting positive outcomes. However, some populations (e.g., ethnic and cultural minority communities, marginalized groups) may be left behind in efforts to build evidence, if they are more difficult to study. Over time, as evidence builds for the populations...

While many efforts to improve the quality of early care and education (ECE) have focused on increasing teachers’ and caregivers’ competencies and knowledge specific to the teaching of young children, a small body of research suggests that an ECE workforce that is mentally healthy can provide the best-quality care for children.

The American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey 2015 (AI/AN FACES 2015) is the first national descriptive study of children and families enrolled in Head Start programs operated by federally recognized tribes. These programs incorporate communities’ unique histories, traditions, and beliefs into their operations. AI/AN FACES 2015 reflects advice from the AI/AN FACES Workgroup, comprising Region XI Head Start directors, researchers, and federal officials.

Historically, tribal communities have used storytelling to share language, traditions, and beliefs from one generation to another. Tribal social service programs and other human service programs can build on this rich tradition by using stories within a qualitative research framework. This report explores opportunities, considerations, and methods for using storytelling to understand and communicate information about social service programs in tribal communities...

This report and accompanying materials summarize the state of the field on in-service professional development methods for early childhood caregivers. This comprehensive literature review draws on empirical studies, reviews, and meta-analyses conducted within the past 10 years and websites of leading organizations to identify the most promising methods and practices for improving caregiver interactions with young children...

This report summarizes research about development during the first 3 years of life. It highlights research in domains that are foundational for later school readiness and success, including...

Promoting the quality of early care and education (ECE) is a central goal of state and national initiatives aimed at supporting children’s early learning and healthy development. Given these investments, program administrators, policymakers and researchers alike are interested in understanding how quality improvement activities can best target changes in practice that will support children’s development and can be sustained over time across a wide range of programs.

Advances in the science of improvement offer ECE a new framework for thinking about approaches to quality improvement. While some of the specific methods derived from improvement science have generated dialogue and investments in pockets of the ECE field, these methods are not yet widespread in practice.

This research snapshot describes work schedules of parents of young children during a reference week in 2012. We describe how work schedules differ for households of different income levels; between one-parent and two-parent families; and in households where neither, one, or both parents work...

In the fall of 2014, OPRE organized an Innovative Methods meeting to explore cutting-edge applications of methods and analytic techniques that can inform social program practice and policy. This brief summarizes the meeting and includes..

This report summarizes findings of a literature review and research syntheses in three areas — implementation science, early care and education quality, and costs. The goal of this effort was to create a draft conceptual framework to guide development of measures for the implementation and costs of early care and education in center-based settings that serve children from birth to age 5...