The District of Columbia boasts the greatest access to public prekindergarten for 3- and 4-year-old children in the United States, offering a full-day, school-year universal preschool program. High participation rates indicate that public investments in prekindergarten are supporting working families and helping DC's children thrive. However,…

Chile was one of the OECD member countries where schools stayed closed the longest during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides information about the type of relationship constructed between families and preschools and the conditions under which parental involvement occurred in distance learning experiences during the interruption of…

In 2023, Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative developed and conducted a statewide survey from their position as evaluators of the Illinois Preschool Development Birth through Five Planning Grant (PDG B-5). The survey queried families (with small children) and community members (with and without small children) about three key…

In this article, the authors use narrative inquiry methodology to engage with one Prekindergarten teacher and three newcomer parents in a Western Canadian school. Interested in addressing the unique learning and social needs of these particular parents and family members, as a way of strengthening parents and families as well as enhancing…

The transition from early intervention to preschool is a major early milestone for children with multiple disabilities and their families and the first of many transitions they will experience across the lifespan. However due to the low-incidence nature of multiple disabilities, this group has been largely left out of the literature surrounding…

Child development science has not fully realized its mission to improve population outcomes for children and eliminate disparities across race and income groups. One domain with great need but also great potential is the challenge parents face in raising a young child. A system of universal primary psychosocial care is proposed, with three…

This article employs the comparative case study (CCS) approach to examine how four public pre-kindergarten (pre-K) teachers in Michigan enacted a state-mandated parent involvement policy. Using CCS, we trace policy enactment from the policy text, through mid-level administrators, and into the classroom context. We demonstrate how teachers used…

New Hampshire families have not been exempt from the disruptions and challenges associated with an enduring pandemic, including disruptions to their children's care and education arrangements, pressure on household budgets due to rising inflation, and challenges of meeting children's emergent social, emotional, and physical needs amid persistent…

The 2021-2022 Study builds on the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES). This report includes information on the 2021-2022 Study design and presents key findings from the study's spring 2022 data collection on Head Start children and families. The tables in this report describe children and families in spring 2022 as COVID-19…

Although discussions around family support in early intervention and early childhood special education have often been framed to include all caregivers, recent research suggests that, in practice, professionals most often interact with children's mothers, and that fathers have been left feeling like the "odd man out" (Mueller &…

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…

In the last decade, the number of public school students in the United States experiencing homelessness has more than doubled. Research shows that school enrollment processes are particularly onerous for families experiencing homelessness; yet, school choice and enrollment policies are rarely designed with the type of flexibility needed to be…

With an average annual salary of just over $16,000, the work of early childhood education professionals is grossly undervalued and leads to high turnover rates. And yet, the quality and consistency of the care they provide to infants and young children has a lasting impact on their brain development and social-emotional well-being. This article…

This paper analyses the differences in understanding the transition from the perspective of all those involved in the process (children, parents, teachers), as well as their role in the transition processes. This paper approaches transition as a process of changing educational settings, not just as preparation for school. Approaches to the concept…

Evidence of the short- and long- term benefits of Pre-K is so compelling that K-12 districts, state education departments, and even federal officials have considered offering universal Pre-K at no cost to children and families. In Chicago, a plan published in March 2019 aimed to provide free Pre-K for all Chicago four-year-olds, regardless of…