Collaborative groups, collaborative chairs, and community coordinators in the Discovery Initiative as of mid-2007
An examination of the roles and activities of community collaborative groups and their participants in Discovery, a Connecticut initiative to build the capacity of communities and state advocacy organizations to influence early childhood policy and practice, based on 45 interviews with community collaborative group representatives
Reports & Papers
Kindergarten transition practices: Changing "the way we do things here" in Discovery communities
An exploration of changes in kindergarten transition practices and policies in communities participating in Discovery, a Connecticut initiative to build the capacity of communities and state advocacy organizations to influence early childhood policy and practice, based on surveys from 30 community coordinators, intensive site studies in 6 communities, and observations and comments from a community workshop session
Reports & Papers
Supporting community change: Lessons from the Discovery Initiative on the role and contributions of community liaisons
An examination of the experiences of the liaisons assigned to facilitate community-funder interactions in Discovery, a Connecticut initiative to build the capacity of communities and state advocacy organizations to influence early childhood policy and practice, based on observations of, written materials from, and interviews with community liaisons, and on interviews with community representatives and initiative funders
Reports & Papers
Navigating the "perfect storm": Moving from plan to action during an economic downturn: The experiences of four Discovery communities that received 2008-2009 partnership planning grants
An examination of the role of Discovery, a Connecticut initiative to build the capacity of communities and state advocacy organizations to influence early childhood policy and practice, in the development and implementation of community early childhood planning efforts, based on group interviews held in the Connecticut communities of Meriden, New Britain, Torrington, and Waterbury
Reports & Papers
The Discovery Initiative: 2004-2009: Final summative evaluation report
An evaluation of Discovery, a Connecticut initiative to build the capacity of communities and state advocacy organizations to influence early childhood policy and practice, that examines initiative outcomes related to community and state collaborative infrastructure and to parent and stakeholder engagement, and that also explores initiative contributions to community and state policies and practices and to public support for early childhood issues, based on data from multiple sources, including Discovery staff, grantees, and stakeholders, as well as initiative documents, events, and activities
Reports & Papers
The state of preschool 2011: State preschool yearbook
An annual review of access to, quality in, and resources devoted to state-funded preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-old children in all 50 states and the District of Columbia during the 2010-2011 program year, based on a survey of administrators of state-funded preschool programs
Reports & Papers
Building partnerships between Early Head Start grantees and family child care providers: Lessons from the Early Head Start for Family Child Care project: Final report
An evaluation of Early Head Start (EHS) for Family Child Care, a project to support partnerships between EHS grantees and family child care providers, that examines the characteristics of participating grantees and providers, the implementation, types, and sustainability of the partnerships, and lessons learned, based on project administrative data, interviews with 13 partnership teams, descriptive quality indicators and Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) data, and project documents
Reports & Papers
The Wellness Child Care Assessment Tool: A measure to assess the quality of written nutrition and physical activity policies
An analysis of the reliability and validity of a 65-item measure to evaluate five areas of child care center policies--nutrition education, nutrition standards for foods and beverages, promoting healthy eating in the child care setting, physical activity, and communication and evaluation--and an examination of the total scale and each subscale's comprehensiveness and strength, based on data from 221 Connecticut child care centers participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program
Reports & Papers
Welfare policies and adolescents: Exploring the roles of sibling care, maternal work schedules, and economic resources
A study of the relationship between adolescent school performance and participation and maternal employment and changes in families' reliance on sibling care due to welfare reform, based on data from three longitudinal experimental evaluations of: (1) the Jobs First Evaluation conducted in New Haven and Manchester, Connecticut; (2) the Family Transition Program conducted in Escambia County, Florida; and (3) the statewide Indiana Welfare Reform Program
Reports & Papers
State early childhood advisory councils: An overview of implementation across the states
An examination of developments and variation among state early childhood advisory councils, based on a review of state applications for grants provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), as well as updates provided by council leadership
Reports & Papers
Assessing the economic impact of the AOK family child care licensing program
A study of the economic impact of the All Our Kin (AOK) child care licensing program, which supports licensing for family child care providers in New Haven, Connecticut, in terms of participant workforce outcomes and gross product, as well as a cost-benefit analysis of the program and an examination of its role in supporting parent labor force participation and improving program participants' quality of life
Reports & Papers
A report of school readiness need and the costs to serve all 3- and 4-year-old children in 19 priority school districts
An examination of the number of center-based school readiness program slots needed to serve all 3- and 4-year-old children in 19 high-priority school districts in Connecticut and of the cost of providing those slots, based on a survey of school readiness councils in the 19 districts
Reports & Papers
A report to the Connecticut General Assembly: Connecticut's state-funded after school programs
An evaluation of Connecticut state-funded after school programs that examines program and participant characteristics, program implementation, and student performance, based on an analysis of state and program administrative data from the 2009-2010 school year
Reports & Papers
State child care assistance policies 2011: Reduced support for families in challenging times
A study of changes to state child care assistance policies between February 2010 and February 2011 and between 2001 and February 2011, including changes to income eligibility limits, waiting lists, parent copayments, reimbursement rates, and assistance to parents searching for a job, based on a survey of state child care administrators
Reports & Papers
Municipal leadership for afterschool: Citywide approaches spreading across the country
An examination and profiles of city-led efforts to build comprehensive out-of-school time systems, based on surveys and interviews with representatives from 27 cities
Reports & Papers
Validity of a measure to assess the child-care nutrition and physical activity environment
A comparison of outsider observers' and center directors' ratings of nutrition and physical activity environments and policies in 200 Connecticut child care centers receiving Child and Adult Care Food Program subsidies
Reports & Papers
Early care and education state budget actions FY 2011
A study of state appropriations of state funds for early care and education programs in fiscal year 2011, based on a survey of legislative fiscal offices in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories
Reports & Papers
Parents and the high cost of child care: 2011 report
A state-by-state study of the prices of center-based and family child care for infants, preschool-age children, and school-age children in 2010, based on a national survey of state child care resource and referral networks and local child care resource and referral agencies
Reports & Papers
Achieving a state of healthy weight: A national assessment of obesity prevention terminology in child care regulations 2010
A study of the extent to which state child care regulations meet standards related to obesity prevention in the areas of infant feeding, nutrition, and physical activity
Reports & Papers
We can do better: 2011 update: NACCRRA's ranking of state child care center regulations and oversight
A ranking of state regulation and oversight of child care centers, based on an analysis of state child care licensing regulations
Reports & Papers
