Publicly funded prekindergarten (pre-K) has received substantial investments in recent decades. A robust literature base has shown that pre-K, in general, tends to be associated with shorter-term rather than longer-term impacts. Yet, these findings are not definitive across varying state contexts and student demographic groups. The current study examined state administrative literacy and absence data

Parental psychological distress is a commonly examined risk factor for the emergence of child problem behaviors, but the factors that may influence that relationship—like parental social support satisfaction and coping skills—have not been adequately explored. The current longitudinal study examined the association between maternal and paternal psychological distress in relation to subsequent perceived

The cultivation of positive attitudes toward reading is an important goal in early childhood education. This study examined the developmental trajectories of reading attitude in institutional contexts (IRA) and global reading attitude (GRA), their antecedents, and their associations with later literacy outcomes including word reading and vocabulary. One hundred and ninety-seven children (mean age =

High-quality interactions in early childhood education settings support children's cognitive and socioemotional development. However, little is known about what explains variability in how educators interact with different children in these settings and how this variability relates to quality metrics. This study was based on data from 470 primarily low-income, preschool-aged children (mean age = 46

Addressing inequalities in childhood and intergenerational mental health requires a holistic understanding of the interplay of multiple complex socio-contextual factors and their impacts on families and caregivers. Mellow Babies (MB) is a group-based parenting program that aims to improve both parent and child wellbeing by addressing barriers for parents facing multiple adversities. Although there

Drawing on data from the Early Learning Network (n = 4,807; 47 % Hispanic; 25 % White; 14 % Black; 9 % Asian; 4 % Multiracial; 1 % Other) along with the Stanford Education Data Archive, Civil Rights Data Collection, and Common Core of Data, this study examined the associations between several aspects of elementary school characteristics and children's math, language, and literacy learning from kindergarten

As states have increased prekindergarten (PreK) opportunities over the last two decades, most have chosen to implement a mixed delivery system in which programming is offered in both school districts and in community-based organizations (CBOs). How the provision of PreK programming has varied across the school- and community-based parts of the mixed delivery systems in different locales and over time

Coaching in early childhood (EC) settings (birth-8 yrs) is a commonly used tool for supporting EC teachers. Yet, research regarding the effectiveness of coaching is mixed, and the “active ingredients” or coaching processes associated with change are understudied. In this study, we examined the effects of coaching on EC teachers’ practice, knowledge, and beliefs and child outcomes and the contributions

Many teachers view African American English (AAE) as unacceptable for classroom discourse, yet few studies have investigated teachers’ perceptions of children's use of AAE within the context of oral storytelling nor the effect of children's gender and narrative quality. The current study addressed this gap in the literature by using mixed methods to examine the extent to which White teachers’ judgments

Caregiver math talk is an important mechanism for young children's math learning. The present study examined the amount, content, and pragmatic intent of math talk used by U.S. Latine caregivers with low incomes and explored concurrent associations to child math outcomes. Seventy-three caregivers were asked to teach their preschool-aged children to set the table and share a wordless picture book. Caregivers

Although phonics knowledge and decoding skill are important for academic and life success, there is little research that examines the effects of home-based, family-implemented instruction on the development of these early literacy skills. The purpose of this multiple baseline across participants single case experimental design study was to evaluate the effects of a family-implemented decoding instructional

Previous research has documented the importance of early childhood home visiting programs in promoting healthy parent and child functioning among families living in poverty. However, it remains unclear which aspects of home visiting are most critical in driving change. This study helps fill that gap by examining the extent to which five key therapeutic mechanisms accounted for differences between families

Executive function (EF) skills are important for a wide-range of outcomes, including academic achievement and socio-emotional development. Previous research with adolescents and adults provides support for a connection between physical activity and improvements in EF, though less is known about the impact of physical activity on EF for preschool children. Additionally, not all physical activity has

This study investigates inequalities in early childhood education (ECE) attendance and mathematics and science competencies in Kosovo, a small country in south-east Europe that has been significantly impacted by war, unrest, and economic instability over recent decades, forcing people to migrate. The present research examines to what extent parents who experienced war-related migration as children

Although childcare instability has been the focus of a large body of research, daycare instability (i.e., instability related only to the daycare center itself) has yet to receive adequate empirical attention. In the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, this study examines longitudinal associations between daycare instability throughout the first 12 months of the pandemic (T0; retrospectively reported)

Caregivers are essential to children's growth and development and are now being recognized as important stakeholders in academic interventions (e.g., mathematics). Although researchers are making strides to involve caregivers in implementing interventions, there is still work to be done to improve the overall study reporting related to the development and implementation of caregiver training. We developed

Mixed evidence over whether public preschool – Head Start and school-based public pre-k –confers an academic advantage beyond kindergarten has given rise to several explanations of variation in findings across studies. The “sustaining environments” hypothesis posits that for preschool attenders to maintain an advantage over preschool non-attenders, they must experience kindergarten classrooms of sufficiently

The first years of life are crucial for children's concurrent and subsequent development in various domains. Given the recognized importance of high-quality adult-child interactions for promoting young children's development during this vulnerable phase, supporting such interactions is essential. This study examines the impact of a 9-week domain-specific mathematical interaction training for early

The persistent gendered pattern in academic achievement, whereby girls outperform boys in language while boys excel in mathematics, is evident as early as primary school. The literature highlights parental input as a key predictor of child development, yet less is known about its role in the context of gender differences in early academic skills. The present study investigated variability in parental

In this research, we examine the understandings of early childhood teachers who are deeply committed to their work with refugee children and families in Türkiye. Using teacher interview data collected over two years as part of a four-year longitudinal ethnographic study, we draw on philosophical hermeneutics as a theory of understanding to analyze how this process unfolds for educators working with

Michigan's state-funded prekindergarten (pre-K) program seeks to overcome socioeconomic disparities by providing free education to low-income four-year-olds. This study uses geographically weighted regression to assess equity by examining program locations in relation to two measures that demonstrate local needs: Child Opportunity Index (COI), which is a composite measure of community resources tied

The ways that parents respond to their children's initiations and guide their learning are associated with subsequent language development. Responsive parenting interventions have shown positive impacts on parent behaviors and child outcomes. However, less is known about how intervention effects vary for families from different linguistic and ethnic backgrounds. This secondary analysis of a randomized

Skills acquired during early childhood are believed to lay the foundation for development into adulthood, but this issue has not been carefully examined empirically. Using the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, we asked which school readiness skills predict which adult outcomes. The study followed 814 participants to 26 years of age (81 % White, 9 % Black, 5 % Hispanic, 53 % female:

This longitudinal study examines the predictive role of early literacy on subsequent literacy outcomes in Turkish-speaking children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Following 292 children from preschool to first grade, it highlights early literacy proficiency as a strong predictor of later reading ability. Regarding writing skills, phonological awareness, expressive language, listening comprehension

This study examined how transition supports (i.e., school or classroom activities intended to support children and families during the transition to kindergarten) cluster within schools and how schools’ use of transition supports are consequential for children's transition challenges (i.e., psychological adjustment during the transition to kindergarten) and academic and socioemotional well-being across

Coaching has become prevalent in early childhood educational settings and has been shown to support teachers’ use of evidence-based practices. However, coaching includes many practices, and it is not known which practices are necessary for affecting change. We developed a model of coaching quality, the Coaching Quality Framework, and a quantitative measure, the Coaching Quality Checklist (CQC). The

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impacts of different types of block play (free play and semi-structured play) on children's math, executive function (EF), and spatial skills in a low-income sample. We hypothesized that children assigned to either of the block play conditions would demonstrate greater gains on math, EF, and spatial skills compared to children in a business-as-usual

The 2014 reauthorization of the Child Care Development Block Grant Act required that states and territories set their program eligibility period to be at least 12 months in length. This was designed to address premature program disruptions related to difficulties with the recertification process. Subsidy instability can undermine the multidimensional goal of providing equitable access to childcare

Ample research points to school-based, full-day pre-k as an important mechanism for supporting children's development and laying a foundation for academic success in elementary school. Yet the children who are most likely to benefit from these experiences have historically had the least access. In collaboration with Chicago policymakers, this study investigates whether and for whom patterns of early

Child care subsidies are most beneficial when families receive them for a sustained period, facilitating affordable access to care. As a plurality-Hispanic border state with substantial tribal populations, New Mexico contributes unique insights into how the nationwide move to 12-month recertification periods for child care subsidies affected family enrollment duration for these populations. We hypothesized

This study examined the direct and interactive effects of mothers’ and fathers’ parenting stress in the prediction of child externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Mothers and fathers (predominantly White and generally college-educated) of 157 children reported on their respective parenting stress when children were 18 months old. Both parents also reported on child behavior problems when

In the U.S., licensed child care is funded through a mostly private market, constraining the supply of accessible high-quality care. Child care providers are limited in their ability to offer high-quality early child care that is easily accessible by parents across the economic spectrum. In a mostly private market, there is variation in options for early child care at the community- and provider-levels

Parenting in very early childhood (0-2 years) provides important context for children's socioemotional development. The present study aims to address limitations of extant parenting literature, namely the reliance on white, middle-class samples and use of variable-centered approaches that often mask the rich heterogeneity of parenting styles. Using data from an efficacy trial of a tiered parenting

Research has found demand for child care in the United States outpaces supply. However, the most widely available proxy for child care supply—authorized capacity—likely overestimates care availability in many studies. Authorized capacity represents the maximum children a provider can legally serve based on safety regulations and physical characteristics of the site. However, the slots available across

Utilization rates of early care and education (ECE) programs among young children (ages 0-5) involved with child protective services (CPS) are significantly lower than those of all U.S. children in this age group (39% vs. 74%). Research on factors contributing to this disparity, potentially driven by inequitable access to care, is limited. Expanding access to quality ECE for CPS-involved children depends

The present study examined to what extent children's enrollment in Head Start and public Pre-Kindergarten (PreK) is associated with their absenteeism from kindergarten to fifth grade. Using a cohort of kindergarteners (5-years-old) in the Baltimore City Public Schools District (n = 7,447), Head Start and Pre-K enrollment and school attendance records were analyzed. About half of students were male

The goal of this supplement is to expand the extant literature about racism's toxic effects on the nation's youngest children– infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The supplement contains articles that (a) focus on how racism is manifested in early care and education systems, policies, and programs, (b) demonstrate how racism influences the economic and community contexts children live in, and (c)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-Asian racism intensified in the United States (US), impairing the mental health of Asians and Asian Americans. However, no research has investigated how Asian and Asian American early educators’ experiences of racism affect them and their students in early childhood education (ECE). Thus, this study examined how Asian and Asian American early educators’ racial discrimination

What are the effects of environmental racism on early childhood development? This paper argues that this is a largely unanswered question that reflects more than a research gap, but a research vacuum. This paper reviews the available literature on the intersection of environmental racism and early childhood from a sociological perspective. I rely on Iruka et al.’s (2022) Racism + Resilience + Resistance

Early care and education (ECE) was created to support the social, emotional, and academic development of young children. Yet, there are marked disparities and inequities in how Black children and their families are perceived and treated in ECE. The current review article seeks to document how anti-Blackness in ECE is detrimental to young Black children and their families. Following Black Critical Theory

Efforts to bolster the school readiness of Latine children from low-income and immigrant homes have focused on fostering parent engagement in children's education. In assessing parent engagement, most measures center school-based activities in alignment with middle class, European American dominant norms, missing the multiple ways that Latine families engage with their children to support their educational

The effects of persistent antiblackness are not without consequence for young Black children. It slowly kills, steals, and destroys the humanity, joy, and spirit of Black children in a phenomenon known as spirit murder. As a consequence, spirit murder is a spiritual problem requiring a spiritual solution. In order for Black children to be whole and well, they need life affirmation and spirit enrichment

Academic and public discourse continues to center discussions of structural racism, its effects, and policy remediation of its lasting impacts on the well-being of racial minorities over the life course. We contribute to this discourse through a research synthesis of scholarship on the health and well-being consequences of vicarious and environmental racism for Black youth. Utilizing a sociological

The long-existing racial/ethnic wealth gaps in the U.S. persist during the COVID-19 pandemic due to income inequalities and other structural racism experiences, which may contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in material hardship experiences. This study examined material hardship disparities and factors that may contribute to racial/ethnic wealth gaps among U.S. families with young children during

To explore the ways that Indigenous Knowledge can inform the field of early childhood development, the current study examines how cultural traditions and relationships support Indigenous children's well-being. Using a participatory approach and Indigenous methods, the study team, which included Michigan-based researchers, community partners from Indigenous early childhood programs, and Indigenous community

Racial disparities in early care education (ECE) utilization and quality continue to persist in the United States and have considerable implications throughout the life course. This study applied a population health framework and an antiracist lens to conduct peer-led qualitative interviews (n = 20) and facilitate community synthesis and design sessions (n = 6) with parents, ECE staff, and thought

Current approaches to identifying the impacts of structural racism on human development focus on downstream consequences or developmental outcomes rather than the upstream processes that create and perpetuate those negative consequences. Yet, the hallmarks of complex problems like structural racism include feedback relationships linking factors, path dependence, dynamics, non-linear effects, time delays

Racial disparities in educational outcomes start early in childhood and persist through adulthood. High quality Early Care and Education (ECE) programs tend to show benefits for Black children, but less is known about how larger contextual inequalities, both historical and contemporary, relate to young children's outcomes in these high-quality settings. Previous work has shown that historical racism

The purpose of this study was to investigate White early childhood educators’ beliefs about the effects of children’s use of African American English (AAE) on children’s academic performance. The study investigated the extent to which educators’ background and training, knowledge of AAE, and perceived competence predicted their beliefs. Two-hundred and nine White early childhood educators, working

The present study examined associations between social, emotional, and behavior (SEB) problems in toddlerhood and social and emotional strengths and difficulties at eight years of age. In addition, we were interested in associations between parental worry about the child´s psychosocial and language development in toddlerhood and social and emotional strengths and difficulties at age eight years. Participants

In the present study, we examine the extent to which demographic factors, including household subsidy receipt, predict child care access among families with low incomes. To operationalize access, we investigate parental decision-making factors that align with multiple dimensions of the family access framework (i.e., reasonable effort, affordability, support of child development, and meeting parent's

Countless studies have highlighted the critical relation between children's vocabulary during the preschool years and their future academic success. Although much of this work has focused on the number of words young children are exposed to, another key aspect of children's vocabulary is their knowledge and use of sophisticated words. However, to date, there has been no systematic tool for capturing

Numerous studies have examined the processes parents use in accessing early care and education (ECE) for their children and the barriers parents face to enroll. To our knowledge, previous studies have not engaged both parents and frontline ECE enrollment staff as co-investigators to examine family perspectives and a systems perspective simultaneously. This qualitative study compiled a research team

Developmental monitoring is an early identification practice essential to identifying a developmental disability in young children. Families play a critical role in developmental monitoring and report greater reliance on community-based programs than on their children's physician to support child development; however, little research has focused on the role of community-based home visitors. We sought

Research on early mother-child relationships have long established the associations between maternal thought processes and their children's thoughts and behaviors; however, the pathways behind this intergenerational transference have not yet been fully clarified. Accordingly, the current study focuses on the potential indirect associations between mothers’ social cognition, that is their thinking about