Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

Early childhood experiences from birth to age 8 have an enormous impact on children's lifelong learning.  This will also have a positive contribution to their health and development and is an advantage for a greater readiness and success in school. Highly quality staff interactions with children; an environment providing lots of books and written material and where children could select from a variety of learning activities; the child’s starting age and the total length of early childhood education; and the socio-economic mix of the children attending the centre. These programs enabled children to make a positive contribution to their own learning.

Early Head Start programs produced statistically, significant, positive impact on standardized measures of children’s cognitive and language development.  Program children at age 3, scored 91.4 on the Bayley Mental Development Index, compared with 89.9 for children who did not attend Head Start.  Early Head Start children were less likely versus none Head start children to score in the at risk range of developmental functioning in these areas.  By preventing children from scoring in the lowest functioning group, Head Start may be reducing their risk of poor cognitive, language, and school outcomes later on in life (Overall Impact, 1999).

Author Unknown. Child Care Bureau. Administration for Child and Families <http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/progams.htm>

Your Personal Research Journey

Will getting ready for my application 2 for this week I was able to follow the steps of finding relevant literature. It gave me a better understanding of how to look at online database. It gave me helpful hints on how to keep all of my literature in line so that I don’t lose track of my review at the end of my research.

From doing the research chart I was able to better understand the meaning of terms used will doing research. It also allowed me to pull out my weakness in doing effective and meaningful research. Will doing the chart I learned how important it is for use as educators to conduct research that is relevant to the field of early childhood. Finally, how to spot out good resources when conducting meaningful research.

What good advice can you give me on keeping track of my literature review?

National Black Child Development Institutehttp://nbcdi.org/
(Newsletter: http://nbcdi.org/support/sign-up-for-nbcdi-newsletters/ )

National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/
(Newsletter: http://nieer.org/resources/newsletter/index.php )

The National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/ 
(Review also the position statements: http://www.naeyc.org/positionstatements )

Pre[K]Now: A Campaign of the Pew Center on the States
http://www.preknow.org/ (Newsletter: http://www.preknow.org/signupform.cfm )

Harlem Children’s Zone
http://www.hcz.org/  (Newsletter: http://support.hcz.org/site/PageServer?pagename=signup )

National Head Start Association
http://www.nhsa.org/  
(Newsletter: http://www.nhsa.org/news_and_advocacy/advocacy/legislative_eupdate )

National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators
http://www.naecte.org/ (Newsletter: http://www.naecte.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=29 )

The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/  (Review also the position statements: http://www.dec-sped.org/About_DEC/Position_Statements_and_Concept_Papers )

Children’s Defense Fundhttp://www.childrensdefense.org/ 
(Newsletter: http://www.childrensdefense.org/newsroom/enewsletters/ )

Center for the Child Care Workforcehttp://www.ccw.org/
(Newsletter: http://www.ccw.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=78&Itemid=72 )