Center for Children &amp; Families

CC&F Research Briefs

Partnership Impact Study Series

Our first series of briefs presents the findings of the Partnership Impact study. This series was funded in part by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, Child Care Bureau.

Note: The briefs are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. For a free copy of the reader, go to the Adobe Acrobat download page.

Early Care and Education Partnerships: State Actions and Local Lessons (Vol. 1, No. 1). Click here

Authors: Diane Schilder, Ellen Kiron, and Kimberly Elliott

Summarizes the qualitative research findings provided in a comprehensive report about the nature of partnerships among child care, Head Start, and prekindergarten providers.

Blending Early Care and Education Funds—Finance Issues, Opportunities, and Strategies (Vol. 1, No. 2). Click here

Author: Ellen Kiron

Describes the study's finance-related findings. Profiles the sources of resources, strategies used to manage funds, and issues in managing funds from different sources.

State Strategies to Support Early Care and Education Partnerships (Vol. 1, No. 3) Click here

Author: Diane Schilder

Highlights actions states take to support the creation and continuation of partnerships. Includes a detailed bibliography and a list of organizations that provide state early care and education data.

Partnering Programs More Likely to Provide Comprehensive Services (Vol. 2, Number 1) Click here

Author: Diane Schilder

Describes the screenings, referrals and services offered by child care centers in partnership with Head Start and comparison centers not involved in partnership. Researchers found that centers in partnership are more likely to provide screenings, referrals, and services.

CC&F Publications

Collaboration in New Hampshire: A Look at Service Integration Between Early Head Start and Family-Centered Early Supports and Services

Author: Margaret C. O'Hare and Philip H. Printz

Explores how Early Head Start and early intervention programs are creatively implementing service integration strategies to support services for children and families across systems.

Note: This report is available in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. For a free copy of the reader, go to the Adobe Acrobat Reader download page.

Connections and Commitments: A Latino-based Framework for Early Childhood Educators

Author: Costanza Eggers-Piérola

Identifies four key values in Latino culture and describes their implications for early childhood practice.

Note: This report is available in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. For a free copy of the reader, go to the Adobe Acrobat Reader download page.

Connections & Commitments: Reflecting Latino Values in Early Childhood Programs

Author: Costanza Eggers-Piérola

Based on the principal that making connections and commitments to the lives of all children enriches and supports the work of teachers of young children, this book provides guidance for anybody who works with young Latino children and their families. Grounded in the daily lives of teachers, hands-on topics draw on cultural understanding as well as the latest and best practices, including building relationships with children and families, bringing in home knowledge, making use of inquiry and multiple ways of learning, and supporting children’s first language and intergenerational literacy experiences.

Published by Heinemann.

Disabilities Services Training Guides

Authors: Peggy Enright, Sharon Grollman, Carol Howard, Joanne P. Brady, Doris Landau Fine, and Andrea Nix

These guides were developed as part of the National Head Start Disabilities Services Training Center project. They are available at no cost to Head Start staff and at minimal cost to other professionals.

Setting the Stage: Including Children with Disabilities in Head Start. Available Online

Leading the Way: Disabilities Services and the Management Team. Ordering Information

Supporting Children with Challenging Behaviors: Relationships Are Key. Available Online

Translating the IEP into Everyday Practice. Ordering Information

Including Children with Significant Disabilities in Head Start. Ordering Information

Discovering Nature with Young Children

Authors: Ingrid Chalufour, Karen Worth, Sharon Grollman, Robin Moriarty, and Jeff Winokur

From indoor terrarium and planting projects to outdoor animal searches and habitat discussions, this step-by-step guide leads you through preparing yourself and your classroom; guiding children through both open and focused science explorations; and observing, assessing, and documenting their learning.

Published by Redleaf Press.

Order bound copies of the report

Early Care and Education Partnerships: State Actions and Local Lessons

Authors: Diane Schilder, Ellen Kiron, and Kimberly Elliott

Explores different ways states and local early education programs have used funding and resources from a combination of child care, Head Start, and preKindergarten to improve early care and education services.

PDF Available for free

This report is available in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. For a free copy of the reader, go to the Adobe Acrobat Reader download page.

NOTE: If you are having trouble accessing this file, we suggest that you check to make sure you have the most recent version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Early Childhood Programming in Developing Countries: Some Policy Considerations

Authors: Joanne P. Brady and Julie Hirschler

Presents an in-depth discussion of the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of children, with special attention to implications for developing countries.

Ordering Information about the Toolkit

Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO) Toolkit

Authors: Miriam Smith, David K. Dickinson, Angela Sangeorge, and Louisa Anastasopoulos

Offers tools that early childhood administrators can use to gather crucial data to strengthen classroom quality and build better literacy programs.

Published by Brookes Publishing.

Learn more about ELLCO Training Options.

Effective Hiring Practices: A Look at Attitudes, Personality, and Skills

Author: Ingrid Chalufour

Offers early childhood managers suggestions for recruiting and hiring teachers who not only fit the job description but also possess characteristics that are crucial to providing quality services to children and families.

Evaluation of the Step by Step Program

Authors: Joanne P. Brady, David K. Dickinson, Julie Hirschler, and Theodore Cross with Laurette C. Green

An evaluation of Step by Step, an early childhood development program designed to promote learning and encourage democratic behaviors among children and their families in four newly independent countries.

Head Start Moving Ahead

Authors: Patricia Fahey, Cynthia Lang, Susan Washburn, and Denise Crute

A competency-based training program for Head Start staff that addresses such topics as: orienting new staff, program systems, building collaboration, and improving program quality.

Available Online

Kenny's Story: Essential Elements of Early Literacy Learning

Author: Miriam W. Smith

Provides a comprehensive portrait of the features of early literacy learning and offers practical strategies for families and teachers for facilitating early literacy in the classroom, home, and community.

Published by Brookes Publishing.

Lessons Learned: Head Start's Experience with State Activities

Authors: Joanne P. Brady and Irene F. Goodman

Examines Head Start's relationship with state-funded preschool programs, explores the role of state associations in long-range planning, and describes successful strategies that have been implemented.

A Look at Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Screening Tools for Head Start and Early Head Start

Authors: Philip H. Printz, Amy Borg, and Mary Ann Demaree

Provides guidance for choosing a specific screening tool. The centerpiece consists of abstracts of six standardized social, emotional, and behavioral screening tools that meet requirements of the Head Start Performance Standards.

Note: This article is available in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. For a free copy of the reader, go to the Adobe Acrobat Reader download page.

Order bound copies of the report

Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and Child Care Partnerships: A Report from the Field

Authors: Ellen Kiron, Valentina I. Kloosterman, Yvette Sanchez, and Sheila Skiffington

Examines the extent and nature of collaborative efforts between Migrant and Seasonal Head Start and state child care systems; assesses the extent to which migrant and seasonal farmworker families are knowledgeable about the child care system and child care services; and assesses the ability of migrant and seasonal families to access child care services for their children.

PDF available for free in English (Spanish version will be available shortly)

Note: This article is available in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. For a free copy of the reader, go to the Adobe Acrobat Reader download page.

Risk and Reality: The Implications of Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol and Other Drugs

Authors: Joanne P. Brady, Mark Posner, Cynthia Lang, and Michael J. Rosati

Provides administrators and teachers with accurate, up-to-date information about the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol and other drugs on children, and the implication for practice.

Available Online

Strategies to Support the Emotional Wellness of Children, Families, and Staff: Findings from a Head Start Mental Health Task Force

Authors: Amy Borg and Martha Irwin

Describes how Head Start programs across New England implement creative strategies to support the emotional wellness of children, families, and staff.

Note: This report is available in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. For a free copy of the reader, go to the Adobe Acrobat Reader download page.

Supporting Early Childhood Professionals Through Content-Focused Mentoring: A Resource Guide

Authors: Kimberly Elliott, Patricia Fahey, Satu Mehta, Christine Pond, Leslie Ross-Degnan, Carla Seymour, Su Theriault, Susan Washburn, and Karen White

Describes five essential aspects of content-focused mentoring and provides extensive lists of related resources for each topic.

Order bound copies of the report

Note: This report is available in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to open. For a free copy of the reader, go to the Adobe Acrobat Reader download page.

There's Room in My Class: Preschool Children with Chronic and Terminal Conditions

Author: Eleanore Grater Lewis

Provides helpful information on including preschool children with chronic or terminal conditions in regular education classrooms, while offering strategies and resources that teachers and parents can use to answer children's questions about death and dying.

Through My Own Eyes: Single Mothers and the Cultures of Poverty

Authors: Susan Holloway, Bruce Fuller, Marylee F. Rambaud, and Costanza Eggers-Piérola

Documents the experiences of poor single mothers and their struggles to balance work with motherhood and negotiate the maze of social service agencies.

Published by Harvard University Press.

Worms, Shadows, and Whirlpools

Authors: Karen Worth and Sharon Grollman

Represents a new way to think about science education for young children. Based on the growing understanding that even the littlest learners are powerful thinkers and theory makers, this book identifies important science inquiry skills and concepts appropriate for the very young. What's more, it makes a strong case for integrating science into the curriculum right from the start—creating a context for the development of language, mathematical thinking, and social skills.

Published by Heinemann