Often, because of low wages for center and family childcare providers, low-income family financial constraints, and sometimes lack of societal awareness and appreciation for the crucial nature of early childhood relationships for later life flourishing, many agencies and decision-makers do not set specific standards for qualifications for training…

Transition to school is recurrently pointed out as key to children's immediate well-being at school start, as well as to their long-term educational endeavors. Aspirations towards continuity during transition is a common denominator across research, policy, and practice, in Denmark as well as internationally. This theoretical-conceptual paper…

There is great opportunity in pediatric primary care to lay the foundation for lifelong health and well-being during the critical period from infancy to early childhood. However, many of these opportunities are missed, particularly for the most vulnerable children. The challenges to equitable, universal developmental and behavioral screening in…

Quality early childhood education and care has been the focus of interest of researchers for over half a century. Approaches to the quality monitoring and quality assurance of early childhood education and care, as well as its conceptualisation and operationalisation, have changed and developed over the decades in line with contemporary…

Access to quality early care and education is particularly important for dual language learners (DLLs), as these years represent an important window for exposure and initial development of both English and their home languages. This fact sheet presents information about children under the age of 6 growing up speaking a language other than English…

Informal STEM education experiences can be invaluable to students as a means of developing their future career goals and career interests. Extracurricular programs in the form of clubs, competitions, teams, and activities provide a platform for these informal education experiences. There are many STEM-focused extracurricular options for students,…

Human development is built on transition. Each progression from infancy to childhood to adolescence to adulthood is a series of smaller developmental transitions that occur in individual minds and bodies over time. Early childhood is particularly full of social and emotional transitions that occur because of external circumstances. Navigating…

This article describes developments in Uruguay in early childhood provision since 2008 and in particular the organization of the curriculum framework for childcare and education from birth to age six. By means of the creation of an interinstitutional body mainly responsible for promoting high-quality education in early childhood and the…

Decisions being made on Capitol Hill and in state capitals may seem remote from the experiences of early childhood professionals, but policymakers have a big impact on babies and families. Early childhood professionals and parents bring key expertise and passion to policy advocacy and have a powerful role to play. This article identifies the…

The COVID-19 pandemic threw a spotlight on telehealth as a mechanism for programs and professionals who provide direct services to young children and families to be able to continue essential supports and services. Providers, agencies, and insurance companies had to rapidly evolve in order to reach families and other caregivers in new ways. This…

A $2.37 billion increase in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) provides an opportunity to address the mental health needs of young children in child care. While the CCDBG increase is the largest ever, states must navigate many legitimate and competing claims for these funds, particularly those set aside to improve quality. One…

The Shaping Futures Together agenda highlights policies and investments that families and practitioners say will ensure all children thrive. This playbook provides recommended policy and research strategies that Start Early believes will help to realize those priorities. Each section includes legislative and administrative policy recommendations…

Children of incarcerated parents may face an increased risk for developmental and behavioral problems. Early care and education can play a positive role in addressing these risks and providing positive support. However, these children are largely hidden when it comes to formal early care and education policy and program initiatives. This article…

This report provides a summary of the full "First Look" report, which presents data on the early childhood care and education arrangements for children in the United States from birth through the age of 5 who were not yet enrolled in kindergarten by 2019. The report also presents data on selected family activities. These data represent…

The early experiences of babies and young children have a profound, lasting impact on the rest of their lives. Too many low-income children today are entering kindergarten so far behind that they can never catch up. High-quality childcare, which helps the country's youngest, most disadvantaged children get a good start while enabling their parents…