MDRC is conducting the Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project under a contract with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As part of the multisite Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project, MDRC,…

A separate full report also was published. Austin Independent School District served 5,450 pre-K students in 2009-2010. Approximately 70% of sampled English-speaking pre-K students and 74% of sampled Spanish-speaking pre-K students had faster than the expected growth rate on an assessment of receptive vocabulary.

Preschool children (n=194) with special needs enrolled in the Model Preschool Program for Children with Down Syndrome and Other Developmental Delays exhibited significantly higher rates of development during intervention than when the children entered the program. Effects were mixed for the 92 children with Down syndrome, with higher rates of…

In February 2007, First 5 LA contracted with Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (MPR) and its subcontractors, Juarez and Associates, American Institutes for Research (AIR), and Berkeley Evaluation and Assessment Research (BEAR) Center, to conduct the First 5 LA/LAUP Universal Preschool Child Outcomes Study (UPCOS). The authors conducted the study…

Through a synthesis of 15 research studies, this report profiles parenting information needs and attempts to increase understanding of potential sources of parenting information. It is suggested that the synthesis may assist (1) needs-assessment for program planning and design, (2) development of information strategies or products for parents, and…

The purpose of the Learning to Learn Project was to ascertain if a comprehensive, early-childhood intervention program could effectively break the cycle of educational disabilities and inadequacies generally associated with the public school careers of poverty children, and insure their long-term educational success. Major findings of the…

Research Findings: Integrated services for young children and families are part of the new policy landscape in early childhood, but there is limited evidence of the effectiveness of these programs and how they develop on the ground. This study examined the use of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) as both a summative program evaluation tool…

Reported are the recommendations resulting from a review of the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment Program (EPSDT). The concept of developmental assessment, as used in the EPSDT, is explained. The introduction provides a summary of the recommendations. Areas covered and for which recommendations are discussed include the role…

The papers in these proceedings focus primarily on features of the Head Start Program, contributions made to its research and its future direction. The first part of the proceedings contains presentations from the nine symposia, dealing with the following topics: (1) Head Start demonstration projects; (2) issues relating to education and the…

This paper presents guidelines for developing programs for the early detection of physical, behavioral, and educational problems of young children. The purpose, definitions of terms and roles, procedures for organization and implementation of the screening programs are briefly outlined. The paper consists primarily of supporting information: (1)…

End of budget period reports are presented for an experimental and demonstration program aimed at increasing the learning process and achievement of K-4 children and to effect internal and external change in teachers' attitudes and behavior. The program, instituted in a rural, low income area, consists of an Orff music program and a theater…

An evaluation was conducted to examine the structure and design of the Continuous Progress Report (CPR), an observation scale used to measure students' early developmental skills in the District of Columbia public schools. Item construction and the relative consistency of measurement constructs in the CPR were the specific focus of the evaluation.…

This study examines parenting in 290 of the 2,322 families studied in the New Chance Demonstration, a national research and demonstration program operated between 1989 and 1992 in 10 states. The demonstration project sought to improve the economic prospects and overall well-being of low-income young mothers (ages 16 to 22) and their children…

This is an executive summary of the interim report on National Home Start Evaluation. Home Start, a federally-funded 3-year (1972-1975) home-based demonstration program for low-income families with 3- to 5-year-old children was designed to enhance a mother's skills in dealing with her own children and to provide comprehensive social-emotional,…

Presented is the final report of the Day Care and Child Development Council of America's Georgia Outreach Project, a home-based program of services for welfare families with children up to 6-years-old. The home-based service delivery design is described in terms of advantages over agency-oriented service delivery systems; the roles of staff…