Best Beginnings believes research and study increase our awareness and understanding of the value of investing in young children. We provide links to a variety of related reports below, including Kindergarten Readiness.
Early Learning Defined
Mind in the Making – The Science of Early Learning has created a document that helps explain what early learning is, some misconceptions about it, and more.
Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development presents evidence about "brain wiring" and how children learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It also examines the effect of the climate--family, child care, community--within which the child grows.
The Baby Brain Mapreveals the secrets of how early care enriches development. Organized in an easy to use Q & A format, this is a great resource to learn more about brain development.
Economic Impact of Early Childhood Development
Long-Term Economic Benefits of Investing in Early Childhood Programs- In two separate reports for the Partnership for America’s Economic Success, William Dickens and Charles Baschnagel of the University of Maryland, and Timothy Bartik of the Upjohn Institute, estimate the long-term economic impacts of publicly funded early childhood development programs.
Parenting Education is Economic Development– This brief sets out the ways that parenting education programs can help give parents the tools to start their kids down a path to be the future workers and citizens that businesses and communities need. View the full report.
Early Childhood Development: Economic Development with a High Public Returnbyeconomists Art Rolnick and Rob Grunewald makes the case that for any proposed economic development list, early childhood development should be at the top. The return on investment from early childhood development is extraordinary, resulting in better working public schools, more educated workers, and less crime.
Economic Impact of Early Education and Child Care Services in Alaska,is a 2006 report prepared for the System for Early Education Development (SEED)that measured the economic impact of businesses, organizations,
and individuals that provide early education and child care services to Alaskan
children under 6 years of age.
Kindergarten Developmental Profiles, district-by-district results of assessments of children as they enter kindergarten, compiled by the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development.
Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Plan represents the past, present, and future. It incorporates the thinking from several past planning efforts as well as new ideas and solutions; recognizes the needs of today’s young children and their families; promotes “best practices,” those proven to be most successful; and gives Alaskans a vision for the future.
Kids Count Alaska presents a broad picture of the well-being of Alaska children, providing parents, policymakers, and others interested in the welfare of children with information they need to improve life for children and families. The report is prepared annually by the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER),University of Alaska Anchorage, as part of a nationwide program to collect and publicize information about children’s health, safety, and economic status.
Parenting
ZERO TO THREE National Parent Survey, conducted by Hart Research Associates, identifies what information and support sources parents turn to when facing parenting challenges, echoing some of the findings of a Best Beginnings study conducted in 2007.
Early Childhood Program Evaluations: A Decision-Maker’s Guide is a clear, concise guide from the National Forum on Early Childhood Program Evaluation helps prepare decision-makers to be better consumers of evaluation information by posing five key questions that address both the substance and the practical utility of rigorous evaluation research.
Taking Stock: Assessing and Improving Early Childhood Learning and Program Quality is a report from the National Early Childhood Accountability Task Force that was formed in April 2005 by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Foundation for Child Development, and the Joyce Foundation. Their charge was to “develop recommendations for a state accountability system for early education programs for prekindergarten children and for linking such efforts to standards-based assessment efforts in kindergarten and the primary grades.”
Effective Early Childhood Education Programs: A Systematic Review - Early education programs are not all the same, nor do they have the same outcomes. This report systematically reviews research on the outcomes of programs that teach young children in a group setting before they begin kindergarten. Of the 28 different programs that were evaluated on specific criteria, six showed strong evidence of effectiveness and five had moderate evidence of effectiveness.
Child Trends’ A Review of School Readiness Practices in the States outlines key policy considerations for developing and utilizing school readiness assessments at the state level. Researchers analyzed state approaches to school readiness assessments in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. NOTE: Alaska is featured in this report as one of only seven states to administer a school readiness assessment to children upon school entry to monitor statewide readiness. View summary >>
Here Comes Kindergarten, writtenby kindergarten teacher Francie Alexander for Scholastic Parents, provides five recommendations for helping prepare children for school.
Count Down to Kindergarten from Scholastic.com is a collection of resources for kindergarten readiness, covering everything from when to start kindergarten and how to prepare children to choosing a program and teacher.
The Carolina Abecedarian Project was a carefully controlled scientific study of the potential benefits of early childhood education for poor children.
The Chicago Longitudinal Studyis in its 16th year of operation. It investigates the short and long-term effects of early childhood intervention, as well as traces the scholastic and social development of participating children and the contributions of family and school practices to children's behavior. The CPC program provides educational and family support services to children from preschool to third grade. It is funded by Title I and has operated in the Chicago Public Schools since 1967.
The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study examined the lives of 123 African Americans born in poverty and who were at high risk of failing in school. The study found that adults at age 40 who participated in this preschool program had higher earnings, were more likely to hold a job, had committed fewer crimes, and were more likely to have graduated from high school than adults who did not participate.
