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ERIC Number: ED613836
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Oct
Pages: 45
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Quality Early Education System: Year 2 Evaluation Report
Sharp, Diana
RMC Research Corporation
For thousands of young children in Hillsborough County, Florida, this story includes unprecedented changes in the care and teaching they receive from adults, all of whom are impacted by the societal upheaval caused by the pandemic. The changes in young children's experiences that began on March 13--the day the U.S. government declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency--have the potential to impair their social, emotional, and cognitive growth. For this reason the Quality Early Education System (QEES) program--a comprehensive, multiagency effort to support the adults involved in caring for young children aged birth to 5 years and their families--pivoted on the first day of lockdown to developing new approaches to delivering this support to mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic on the program's long-term vision: All children arrive at school with the benefit of high-quality positive life experiences that matter for brain development in all of the areas that play critical roles in school success. The plan for the second year of QEES implementation aimed to sustain and build on the program's achievements aligned to its objectives by strengthening program components. With the onset of the pandemic, however, the QEES story shifted. This Year 2 evaluation report is not the envisioned story of how QEES staff strengthened the established program components described herein. Instead, it is an account of how of a program that provides multiple types of training and coaching rose to the challenge after schools and child care centers closed in mid-March, pivoting quickly to reinvent these services and develop additional supports to meet the avalanche of new and evolving needs of young children. Overall, the data QEES collected toward the original program objectives; the comparison of outcome data from October to March of Year 1 and 2; and the testimonials from parents, teachers, and center directors support the conclusion that prior to the pandemic QEES was on track to meet its Year 2 objectives. A comprehensive look at the Year 2 QEES program and the sheer amount of new development that happened as a result of the grit and determination of QEES leaders and staff merits the following conclusion: QEES leaders and staff creatively pivoted the program to meet pandemic needs and successfully provided strong, high-quality, and comprehensive benefits to those in their circle of care. [This report was produced in partnership with Early Literacy Matters, Conscious Awareness Learning Model (CALM), and Hillsborough County, Florida. For "Quality Early Education System: Year 1 Evaluation Report," see ED613839.]
RMC Research Corporation. 1000 Market Street Building 2, Portsmouth, NH 03801. Tel: 603-422-8888; Fax: 603-436-9166; Web site: https://rmcresearchcorporation.com/
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Children's Board of Hillsborough County
Authoring Institution: RMC Research Corporation; Hillsborough Community College (HCC)
Identifiers - Location: Florida
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A