For more than two decades EDC has led efforts to improve the quality and availability of child care by supporting the professionals who care for young children. For a profession that is historically underpaid and undervalued, we develop programs that enhance the stature, improve the professional opportunities, and raise the expectations of those who care for the very young. Partnering with local, regional, and national child care providers, we develop resource centers, design professional development courses, offer on-site consultation, and conduct research in such areas as curriculum and materials development, literacy enhancement, special education, parent involvement, performance assessment, and management and supervision.
Nancy Clark-Chiarelli works with West Virginia preschool teachers to improve language and literacy learning among their students.
A new professional development program developed by EDC assists teachers in boosting language and literacy acquisition among low-income children ages 3 to 5.
A two-year study by EDC evaluates a mathematics curriculum developed for pre-K and kindergarten that introduces basic math concepts through games and play.
EDC is studying the impact expanded pre-K programs have on the availability and quality of full-day child care programs.
In response to the pressing need in the Boston metropolitan area for access and opportunity for Latina early childhood educators, CC&F and its partners are designing and implementing a professional development model that (1) advances the knowledge, skills, and career status of entry-level Latinas working in Head Start programs, particularly through support for the attainment of a college degree; and (2) increases the cultural and linguistic responsiveness of Head Start programs to better support and integrate the strengths of Latino families and staff.
CC&F is collaborating with Head Start partners to design and evaluate a credit-bearing professional development program, Foundations of Science Literacy. Foundations will help teachers master science content and inquiry-based methods through a combination of mentoring and face-to-face instruction. An emphasis will be placed on developing effective strategies for English language learners and low-income children who demonstrate lower levels of science proficiency than their peers.
CC&F is examining the efficacy of two approaches to implementing its empirically-based early literacy professional development. Over four years, CC&F will implement and research two credit-bearing, content-rich, professional development programs in West Virginia. While Literacy Environment Enrichment Program (LEEP) uses a traditional face-to-face mode of delivery, Technology-Enhanced Literacy Environment Enrichment Program (T-LEEP) is delivered through interactive television, Web-based instruction, and face-to-face instruction.
CC&F is working with early childhood education leaders from across the state of New Hampshire, supporting them in devising and implementing a statewide plan. The plan will promote the use of newly published New Hampshire Early Learning Guidelines with child care, Head Start, and public school programs for young children birth through entrance into kindergarten, as well as with parents and local and state policymakers and decision-makers.
The primary goal of this project is to improve the language and literacy skills of at-risk children and their families though four mechanisms: (1) Early Childhood Education: A specific language and literacy curriculum, Building Language for Literacy, will be added to the Head Start preschool classrooms;
Project RENEW is an Early Reading First grant from the U.S. Department of Education. This three-year project will provide an intensive professional development program in early childhood literacy for staff in the Worcester Child Development Program through credit-bearing coursework, instructional coaching, and adoption of a research-based literacy curriculum.
