Child Care

The Impact of Child Care Subsidies on Low-Income Single Parents
This March 2009 report finds that low-income parents who receive child care subsidies spend only a little less of their own money  on child care than what they did before receiving the subsidy, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues.

Child Care Assistance in 2006: Insufficient Investments
This November 2008 report from CLASP examines spending and assistance levels related to child care for 2006, finding a lack of support for families for an essential expense which for many families is greater than their food, car payments, and in some cases, rent or mortgage expenses.

Policy Brief: Infants and Toddlers in Child Care
This informative Policy Brief from CLASP and Zero to Three highlights infants and toddlers in child care, examining elements of high quality child care, and includes  several recommendations for better support of early child care systems.

Charting Progress for Babies in Child Care: Policy Framework Summary
A policy framework developed by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and Zero to Three sets forth four key principles that establish the foundation of supports that all babies and toddlers in child care need, as well as 15 recommendations that state child care licensing, quality, and subsidy policies should address.

All Together Now: State Experiences in Using Community-Based Child Care to Provide Pre-Kindergarten.  
The Center for Law and Social Policy's  report examines states’ experiences using private child care programs to provide publicly funded preschool.

Rhode Island Child Care Partnership Reports 
The Rhode Island Child Care Policy Research Partnership (RI CCPRP) is a collaboration among the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS), researchers from the Wellesley College Child Care Research Partnership, and Rhode Island Kids Count. RI CCPRP facilitates research and data collection that are critical to supporting and improving Rhode Island’s child care system.

Pre-Kindergarten

The State of Preschool 2008
This April 2009 report from NIEER (National Institue for Early Education Research) has become the pinacle resource for nation-wide data on prekindergarten program progress. This issue is sixth in a series of annual reports profiling state funded prekindergarten programs in the United States.

A Center Piece of the PreK Puzzle: Providing State Prekindergarten in Child Care Centers
A report from the National Women’s Law Center documents the benefits of allowing child care centers to operate state pre-kindergarten programs. It recommends strategies to support child care center participation in a diverse delivery network of high-quality pre-kindergarten programs.

Funding the Future: States’ Approaches to Pre-K Finance 2008 Update
A report from Pre-K Now provides an up to date analysis of the ways states are funding pre-k and the pros and cons of various funding strategies.

 Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future
The report provides an overview of some of the obstacles Latino families face in accessing early learning opportunities for their children and offers strategies for increasing Latino participation in pre-k. The report also looks at pre-K in light of demographic and socio-economic trends, patterns of access and attendance, language issues and obstacles to effective outreach to Latino families. Download the of the Executive Summary in Spanish.

Literacy and Language Acquisiton

Developing Early Literacy
This January 2009 report synthesizes research of educational policy and practice and the effect of early literacy and development to determine how teachers and families can best support young children's language and literacy development.

Dual Language Learners in Early Care and Education
This factsheet from Zero To Three examines language development, language mixing, concerns about losing home language, relationships and what they mean for parctitioners working with families and young children in multilingual families.

Challenging Common Myths about Young English Language Learners 
A report from the Foundation for Child Development challenges six commonly held beliefs about the development of young children who are learning English as their second language. It presents research from a variety of disciplines that can shape better informed education policies for all children.

Early Care and Education Policy

Glossary of Policy and Advocacy Terms in Early Care and Education
A guide to the ABCs and acronyms of the infant toddler policy process. This informative guide includes federal legislative terms, state legislative terms, advocacy terms, as well as a guide to infant-toddler programs and policies.

Early Learning Standards Project: What Parents Should Know About Standards-Based Education for Preschoolers in English and in Spanish.
This brochure was developed based on Rhode Island's Early Learning Standards to help parents identify standards-based preschools. Rhode Island's Early Learning Standards were developed to provide guidance to parents, teachers and administrators on what children should know before they enter Kindergarten.

School Readiness

Getting Ready: Findings From the National School Readiness Indicators Initiative A 17 State Partnership
The National School Readiness Indicators Initiative has released the national report detailing the findings from the work of the three year 17-state National School Readiness Indicators Initiative. Read the Executive Summary.

Ready or Not: Preparing Rhode Island’s children to Succeed in School and Benchmarks for Progress.
This report, released by Rhode Island's School Readiness team, focuses on key indicators used to determine the health development and well-being of young children. Rhode Island KIDS COUNT heads the 17-state National School Readiness Indicators Initiative.

Rhode Island's Early Learning Standards were developed to provide guidance to parents, teachers and administrators on what children should know before they enter Kindergarten. Created by representatives from early care and education, Head Start, parents, and private and public schools, The Standards are divided into eight domains which early learning is based upon. Read the Early Learning Standards in English and in Spanish.

How Ready Is Providence? Advancing a Community Conversation about School Readiness in Providence. 
The report released Ready to Learn Providence presents data on 24 indicators of children’s readiness for school

NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Performance Criteria  
The criteria were approved by the NAEYC Governing Board in April 2005. They will take effect in September 2006, replacing the current (“1998”) Accreditation Criteria.

The Future of Children, School Readiness: Closing Racial and Ethnic Gaps 
The latest volume of The Future of Children Journal, examines the preschool origins of the achievement gaps and proposes educational programs for parents and children that could significantly narrow disparities.

Effective Preschool Curricula and Teaching Strategies, a report by the National Center for Children in Poverty, identifies ways to strengthen early education programs in order to close the persistent achievement gap separating low-income children from their more affluent peers.

After School Care

Youth Who Are "Disconnected" and Those Who Then Reconnect: Assessing the Influence of Family Programs, Peers and Communities
Research suggests that participation in out-of-school time programs and activities can lessen the likelihood that youth will engage in negative behaviors, such as using drugs and alcohol, dropping out of school, and practicing unhealthy eating habits.

Programs for Children and Youth in a Community Context
This ChildTrends brif provides insight from a recent Child Trends Roundtable with leaders of community initiatives that incorporate evidence-based programs. Insights include recognizing the value of using data to guide and shape programs, taking both program implementation and sustainability seriously; and being sure that missions are well aligned across programs, community initiatives and education systems.

Massachusetts After School Research Study
The United Way of Massachusetts Bay funded a study to examine the linkages between after school program quality and youth outcomes. The study focuses on after school programs serving elementary and middle school youth from 10 communities across Massachusetts, including urban, suburban, and rural areas. The study is one of the first in the nation to identify key quality indicators that help produce positive outcomes for youth.