The major goal of the North Carolina Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Project is to strengthen the abilities of early childhood educators to promote the development and school readiness of young children, birth through five years of age, living in high-need communities in western North Carolina. Early childhood educators are provided professional development related to child learning opportunities, child literacy learning, classroom organization, instructional practices, parenting supports, family and community resources, and family-centered practices. Professional development strategies follow an evidence-based adult learning approach that includes opportunities for early childhood educators' active involvement in planning, practicing, and gaining deeper understanding about early childhood practices supporting young children's early language and literacy development and school readiness. Professional development is offered through a partnership between the Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute, Asheville and Morganton, North Carolina, and the Family, Infant and Preschool Program, J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center, Morganton. The project is funded, in part, by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The major goal of the Child Care Quality Enhancement Project is to improve child-care program practices in two western North Carolina counties by promoting the abilities of child-care providers to (a) make improvements in their child-care settings and (b) improve the quality of their child-care practices. The projects promote the adoption of high quality practices in child-care centers and family child-care homes by conducting assessments of child-care settings and practices and by providing on-site training in techniques known to promote positive outcomes in children. The projects are funded, in part, by Smart Start of Buncombe County and Smart Start of Madison County.
The major goals of the Kith and Kin Child Care Project are to develop and demonstrate an approach to promoting the caregiving abilities of individuals (parents, relatives, neighbors, friends, etc.) who provide informal care for young children from birth to five years of age. The interests, abilities, strengths, and capabilities of children and caregivers are used as the foundation for enhancing the development of young children. Project staff promote caregivers' abilities to (a) increase children's participation in activities that have development-enhancing qualities, (b) respond to children's engagement in activities that promote child learning, and (c) mobilize family and community resources needed or desired to enhance caregiving skills. The project is funded, in part, by Smart Start of Madison County.
The major goal of Project SUNRISE Outreach is to promote the adoption and use of early childhood classroom practices that are associated with optimal child outcomes. Project staff provide training and technical assistance to early intervention and early childhood education program personnel to promote the use of practices that enhance children's engagement with the social and nonsocial environment and positive outcomes for infants, toddlers, and preschool children. Outreach activities are based upon a classroom model that focuses on the influence of the classroom ecology on child and caregiver behavior. Adoption of the classroom model is promoted by providing outreach training in seven areas: program foundations and philosophy, management and training, environmental organization, staffing patterns, instructional contexts, instructional techniques, and program evaluation. The project is funded, in part, by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Research-to-Practice Division.
The major goal of this initiative is to prepare practice-based research syntheses of studies investigating the characteristics and consequences of effective preschool classroom practices. The syntheses involve systematic analysis of studies investigating different characteristics of classroom ecologies that are associated with child engagement and other positive outcomes for young children. Synthesis preparation is guided by a framework that focuses on examining how variations in the characteristics of a practice are related to variations in their outcomes.
The major goal of this initiative is to develop user-friendly practice guides for promoting the adoption and use of evidence-based preschool classroom practices by early childhood practitioners. The practice guides' focus is the characteristics of classroom ecologies that promote child engagement and other positive outcomes for young children. Practice guides include descriptions of how classroom practices can be implemented to produce desired consequences. Related practice guides are assembled into Tool Kits for promoting the adoption of evidence-based preschool classroom practices.
The major goal of the PACES Study is to determine the reliability and validity of the Preschool Assessment of the Classroom Environment Scale, which is a 35-item scale assessing seven major components of preschool classroom ecologies. The seven components include program foundations and philosophy, management and training, environmental organization, staffing patterns, instructional contexts, instructional techniques, and program evaluation. The study includes data collected in more than 350 infant, toddler, and preschool classrooms. The study is funded, in part, by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
The major goal of the SUNRISE Delphi Study is to validate checklists of preschool classroom practices using an approach that solicits input from a pool of knowledgeable and experienced respondents. The checklists delineate the specific behaviors a practitioner needs to perform in order to implement particular preschool classroom practices. This study involves seven primary checklists corresponding to the major components of the SUNRISE classroom model and six supplemental checklists that further delineate the characteristics of specific practices. Checklists are used as training tools for promoting the adoption and use of evidence-based preschool classroom practices by early childhood practitioners.
The major goal of this study is to investigate the manner in which variations in preschool classroom practices are related to variations in child engagement and other behavioral outcomes for young children (e.g., cognitive style, social responsiveness). This study involves over 200 classroom settings serving infants, toddlers, and preschool children, both with and without disabilities. This study is guided by a framework that considers the different dimensions of classroom ecologies influencing child behavior and development. The study is funded, in part, by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
