Early childhood has always been the most critical developmental period of the life cycle. Yet for most of history, that essential early foundation for all subsequent learning and development was laid in the home, largely through full-time maternal care. Today, though, an unprecedented number of American mothers are in the workforce. Almost…

This study modeled the time-dependent nature of pre-academic skills development for a multi-lingual sample of 382 preschoolers attending Head Start. A two-slope latent variable model accurately described the trajectories, which included five assessment points obtained throughout the school year for both pre-literacy and pre-numeracy variables.…

Background: Many programs and interventions are available to support families of young children, yet engagement and participation in these programs is often inconsistent. One explanation for poor engagement is that program parameters may not align with participant preferences. Further, preferred program components may vary across demographic…

In this study, we investigated the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between vocabulary and word reading across Spanish and English. One hundred and seventeen 4- to 5-year-old Spanish-English bilingual children attending Head Start programs in the United States were tested for their Spanish and English word reading twice, 5 months apart.…

Globally, governments as well as international and donor organizations are increasingly emphasizing the need for investment in effective early childhood programmes that can provide an equitable start for all children. Research is scant, however, on the effectiveness of different interventions supporting early language as well as broader school…

Purpose: The purpose was to examine specific linkages between early visual-motor integration skills and executive function, as well as between early object manipulation skills and social behaviors in the classroom over the preschool year. Method: 92 children between the ages of 3-5 years old (mean age 4.31 years) were recruited to participate in…

Early Head Start (EHS) is an evidence-based, federally funded, and community-based program with a two-generation approach to child development for children under age 3 and pregnant women in poverty. The mission of EHS is to support healthy prenatal outcomes; enhance the intellectual, social, and emotional development of infants and toddlers; and…

Head Start promotes school readiness by enhancing the physical, social, and cognitive development of children through educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services. Head Start centers are where services are provided in communities that are generally lacking infrastructures that support early learning. As a result, it is imperative…

State boards of education have authority endowed by state constitutions and statutes to position them as key players in improving early education. Recognizing the importance of early childhood education (ECE), federal and state governments have been investing billions of dollars to serve the nation's youngest children. Yet many children still…

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: (1) perceptual, motor, and physical development; (2) social and emotional development; (3) approaches to learning; (4) language and communication; and (5)…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of a brief and feasible universal screener for kindergarten readiness for predicting follow-up outcomes in first grade. Participants included kindergarten and first-grade teachers and students from 6 urban elementary schools. Students included slightly more males than females (54%;…

This report presents a summary of the findings of fiscal year (FY) 2016 monitoring reviews, fulfilling the reporting requirement in Section 641A(f) of the Head Start Act. It highlights the enhancements made to the FY 2016 monitoring review system, summarizes grantee review outcomes, and describes the types of findings most commonly identified in…

This report presents a summary of the findings of fiscal year (FY) 2018 Head Start monitoring reviews, fulfilling the reporting requirement in Section 641A(f) of the Head Start Act. It highlights the enhancements made to the FY 2018 monitoring review system, summarizes grantee review outcomes, and describes the types of findings most commonly…

A consistent finding across early childhood interventions targeting mathematics and other achievement-related skills that is that initial treatment effects fade over time, with children not receiving the intervention catching up to children who did (Clements et al., 2013; Leak et al., 2010; Puma et al., 2010). One popular explanation for this is…

Poor-quality classroom and school contexts may impede the academic and behavioral adjustment of low-income students when they transition into kindergarten. Several studies have examined the impact of teacher-student interactions on student progress, whereas others have explored the impact of school-level adversity (e.g., student poverty, school…