Child Care and Early Education Research Connections

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The child care & early education glossary defines terms used to describe aspects of child care and early education practice and policy; the research glossary defines terms used in conducting social science and policy research, for example those describing methods, measurements, statistical procedures, and other aspects of research.

A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
Market Rate
The typical listed price for child care in a given geographic area. Market rates will vary due to factors such as location, types of care setting, hours of operation, ages of children they serve, and other features of the providers, such as their educational background. See related: Cost of Care.
McKinney-Vento Act
The primary piece of federal legislation related to the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. The Act authorizes the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program which entitles homeless children and youth to a Free, Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), including a Preschool education.
Mentoring
A form of Professional Development characterized by an ongoing relationship between a novice and an experienced teacher or provider to deliver personalized instruction and feedback. Mentoring is intended to increase an individual's personal or professional capacity, resulting in greater professional effectiveness. See related: Coaching, Consultation.
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Programs
A Head Start program that serves families who are engaged in agricultural work and who have changed their residence from one geographical location to another in the preceding two-year period.
Military Child Care
Regulated child care supported by the Department of Defense (DoD) to children of military personnel.
Mixed Delivery System/Diverse Delivery System
Refers to an integrated system of early childhood education services that are offered through a variety of programs and providers (e.g., Head Start, Licensed Family Child Care, public schools, and CBOs) and are supported with a combination of public and private funding.
Mixed/Multi-Age Grouping
Grouping children or students so that the chronological age span within a group is greater than one year. Multiple age grouping is most prevalent in Family or Home-based child care settings.
Modification
Refers to a strategy that changes or modifies what a child with Special Needs is expected to learn. For example, a child with a cognitive impairment may only be expected to learn and demonstrate comprehension of a portion of the material taught to a Typically Developing Child. Only children with IEPs are entitled to modifications. Compare with: Accommodation.
Monitoring
The process used to enforce child care providers' compliance with licensing rules and regulations. States use "differential monitoring" as a regulatory method for determining the frequency or depth of monitoring based on an assessment of the child care facility's compliance history and other quality indicators.
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