Uses of Technology to Support Early Childhood Practice: Full Report

The purpose of the Use of Technology to Support Head Start Practice project was to review the knowledge base related to the use of technology to support the practice of early childhood professionals who work directly with children and families. The results were intended to fill a knowledge gap regarding what technologies are currently available to early childhood programs; how practitioners are using these technologies; and the barriers to and facilitators for practitioner use. The review examined three topic areas of interest: 1) instruction and assessment; 2) parent, family and community engagement (PFCE); and 3) professional development and informal learning. It also outlined both the facilitators and barriers to effective technology use in early childhood settings.

The report, linked below, provides detailed descriptions of technologies and sample uses within each of the three topic areas, reviews of the evidence-base for each of the technologies, and a discussion about the opportunities and obstacles associated with increasing the use of technology among early childhood programs. The review is purely descriptive of the technologies that are currently available and makes no recommendations or endorsements of individual technologies, products, or programs.

Note: Two versions of the full report are available below: One is formatted for on-screen reading and printing, while the other is fully accessible. The content of the two versions is identical.