eNotes
March 13, 2015In this Issue:
- Journal of Early Intervention Abstracts Available Online Source: DEC's Journal of Early Intervention, 36(3) - September 2014
- New! Early Literacy Tools and Resources Source: U.S. Department of Education - March 9, 2015
- Research Brief - Improving School Readiness for Children in Immigrant Families Source: University of California Center, Sacramento - March 4, 2015
- Parents' and Providers' Views of Important Aspects of Child Care Quality Source: Child Trends - March 12, 2015
- Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program - Report to Congress Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation - Retrieved March 13, 2015
1. Journal of Early Intervention Abstracts Available Online
Abstracts of the following articles are available at: http://jei.sagepub.com/content/36/3
The Efficacy of a Home-School Intervention for Preschoolers With Challenging Behaviors: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Preschool First Step to Success.
Edward G. Feil, Andy Frey, Hill M. Walker, Jason W. Small, John R. Seeley, Annemieke Golly, and Steven R. Forness
Preliminary Development of the Parent Involvement in Early Learning Scale for Low-Income Families Enrolled in a Child-Development-Focused Home Visiting Program.
Patricia H. Manz, Amanda L. Gernhart, Catherine B. Bracaliello, Vanessa J. Pressimone, and Rachel A. Eisenberg
Using Rasch Rating Scale Methodology to Examine a Behavioral Screener for Preschoolers At Risk.
Christine DiStefano, Fred W. Greer, R. W. Kamphaus, and William H. Brown
Item-Based Psychometrics of the Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale.
Cynthia J. Cress, Matthew C. Lambert, and Michael H. Epstein
Measuring the Quality of Inclusive Practices: Findings From the Inclusive Classroom Profile Pilot.
Elena P. Soukakou, Pam J. Winton, Tracey A. West, John H. Sideris, and Lia M. Rucker
The Journal of Early Intervention (JEI) is an official publication of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children and SAGE Publications. It offers articles related to research and practice in early intervention for infants and young children with special needs and their families.
2. New! Early Literacy Tools and Resources
The My Brother's Keeper Taskforce has launched a dedicated Early Literacy Website designed to provide educators, administrators, policymakers and community stakeholders with basic information about the importance of effective reading instruction in the early grades. The site focuses on the steps schools might take to ensure that all children in kindergarten and first grade, including children of color and children with disabilities, receive the supports they need to read on grade level by third grade.
3. Research Brief - Improving School Readiness for Children in Immigrant Families
A new research brief from the University of California Center, Sacramento, Improving School Readiness: Formal versus Informal Pre-Kindergartern and Children in Immigrant Families (2015) reviews a decade's worth of research studies examining the effects of formal versus informal prekindergarten programs on measures of academic and socioemotional school readiness for young children in immigrant families. Findings in 90% of the studies reviewed suggest that attending formal pre-kindergarten improved English proficiency and reading and math skills for children from immigrant families. Children in informal settings did not reap the same benefits. In all studies, immigrant children gained social and emotional skills from being in formal pre-kindergarten. The authors discuss the policy and research implications of these findings.
4. Parents' and Providers' Views of Important Aspects of Child Care Quality
A new Child Trends paper, Parents' and Providers' Views of Important Aspects of Child Care Quality (March 2015), summarizes findings from a survey of providers and families in two states (Maryland and Minnesota) regarding their views on quality in child care. Results of the survey showed that parents and providers agree on many aspects of quality, but not all. Over half of parents and providers believed knowing about children's changing needs is most important. However, half of providers felt that caring about the entire family (not just the child) was important, while only 16% of parents did.
5. Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program - Report to Congress
A recently published report, The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation: Early Findings on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) - A Report to Congress (2015), provides information on early results from the federally required evaluation of the MIECHV program. Some key findings include:
- States used initial MIECHV funds primarily to expand the use of four evidence-based home visiting models in at-risk communities.
- MIECHV-funded programs serve a group of mothers with many needs: more than 30% had symptoms of depression when they entered the study, almost 20% had health problems that limited their activities, 92% were receiving public assistance, and more than 75% had no more than a high school diploma.
- MIECHV-funded programs are designed to help parents support the healthy development of infants and toddlers and overcome the problems low income families face.