Expertise Area
Early Childhood Education
RFA is engaged in a variety of research, evaluation, and policy analyses focused on issues related to child care and early childhood education. Children’s early experiences provide a foundation for learning both socially and academically throughout their lives. Through our research, we hope to improve early childhood programs and systems for children, families, and the early childhood workforce.
Some projects we have worked on include assessing the feasibility of a National Lead Teacher Certification for Early Childhood Educators; understanding the cost of quality child care and examining that status of non-traditional child care in Pennsylvania; and evaluating Children’s Literacy Initiative’s pre-k curriculum and coaching model, Blueprint for Early Learning. To learn more about our early childhood education projects visit the projects and publications below.
Related Projects
Assessing the Feasibility of a National Lead Teacher Certification for Early Childhood Educators
Read More Early Childhood EducationEvaluation Planning and Technical Assistance for the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Learning’s Preschool Development Grant
Read More Early Childhood EducationEvaluation to Measure Impact of Detroit Wolf Trap’s Early Learning through the Arts on Teacher Growth in Instructional Ability
Read More Early Childhood EducationExamining the Status of Non-Traditional Child Care in Pennsylvania
Read More Early Childhood EducationEvaluation of Children’s Literacy Initiative’s Curriculum and Professional Development Model for Kindergarten Readiness
Read More Early Childhood EducationA Detroit-Area Early Childhood Education Workforce Study to Support Head Start Agencies in Recruiting and Retaining High-Quality Teachers
Read More Early Childhood EducationDetroit-Area Early Childhood Workforce Report
Read More Early Childhood EducationExamining Cross-Sector Collaboration in Pittsburgh: A Mixed-Delivery System for Pre-K Education
Read More Early Childhood EducationEarly Literacy Instruction and Pre-K Curriculum in Philadelphia
Read More Early Childhood EducationExamining Child Care Funding and Finance in Pennsylvania
Read More Early Childhood EducationAn Evaluation of Children’s Literacy Initiative’s Blueprint for Early Literacy
Read More Early Childhood EducationImproving Early Literacy: An Evaluation of Early Reading Matters
Read More Early Childhood EducationAn Evaluation of Science All Around Us: Please Touch Museum
Read More Early Childhood EducationRelated Publications
Publication
Understanding Increases in Head Start Teacher Turnover During COVID-19
This report explores the dramatic increase in Head Start teacher turnover during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from the Head Start Program Information Report (PIR) from 2010 to 2022, the study investigates trends in teacher…
Publication
Children’s Literacy Initiative’s Blueprint for Early Learning: Evaluation Report
In partnership with Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI), Research for Action conducted a year-long study of the impact and implementation of CLI’s Pre-K Intervention. Thirty-five district-operated and community-based Pre-K programs from Broward County Public Schools and…
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Top 5 Insights from RFA’s Community Research Partnership: Becoming a Community-Engaged Research Organization
We at Research for Action are committed to becoming a community-engaged research institution, with the goal of having our work be grounded in principles of community empowerment, collaboration, and social change within K-12 education. We’re…
Publication
Boosting Children’s Language and Literacy Skills Through Blueprint: An Evaluation of Children’s Literacy Initiative’s Blueprint for Early Literacy 2017 – 2019
RFA’s three-year mixed methods evaluation of Children’s Literacy Initiative’s language and literacy supports found positive impacts despite higher-than-typical teacher turnover. In pre-K centers receiving CLI supports, teachers were more able to implement effective instructional practices…
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Making It Work: Bibliography and Technical Appendix
A bibliography and suggestions for further reading, as well as the technical appendix to accompany Making It Work: Examining the Status of Non-Traditional Child Care in Pennsylvania.
Publication
Making It Work: Examining the Status of Non-Traditional Child Care in Pennsylvania
As the number of jobs that require non-traditional work schedules (evenings, weekends, and overnight) increases, families’ need for child care during non-traditional hours has also grown. An estimated more than 150,000 Pennsylvania families with young…
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Trauma-Informed Schools in Pennsylvania: Aligning Expansion with High-Quality Implementation
Recent momentum to develop a trauma-informed education system provides an important opportunity for Pennsylvania schools. About two out of every three school-age children are likely to experience at least one traumatic event, such as abuse, neglect,…
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Detroit-Area Early Childhood Workforce Study
Research shows that process quality in early childhood education (ECE) programs—specifically teacher–child interactions—is the strongest predictor of children’s gains in learning and development. Due to a number of factors associated with the city’s early childhood…
Publication
Partnering for Pre-K: Opportunities to Scale-Up Pittsburgh’s Collaborative Early Learning Model
Extensive research points to the positive impact of high-quality early childhood education. Unfortunately, demand continues to outpace investment: Today, 64% of Pennsylvania children eligible for publicly-funded slots remain unable to access them due to lack…
Publication
Executive Summary: Child Care Funding and Finance in Pennsylvania: Budgeting for Survival or Paying for the Cost of True Quality?
Efforts underway to expand access to high-quality child care and pre-K programs in Pennsylvania are aimed at improving school readiness for low-income children and mitigating the wide achievement gaps plaguing them in the later grades.…
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Full Report: Child Care Funding and Finance in Pennsylvania: Budgeting for Survival or Paying for the True Cost of Quality?
Efforts underway to expand access to high-quality child care and pre-K programs in Pennsylvania are aimed at improving school readiness for low-income children and mitigating the wide achievement gaps that plague them in the later…
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Case Study: Montgomery Early Learning Centers
Efforts underway to expand access to high-quality child care and pre-K programs in Pennsylvania are aimed at improving school readiness for low-income children and mitigating the wide achievement gaps plaguing them in the later grades.…
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Case Study: Bullfrogs and Butterflies
Efforts underway to expand access to high-quality child care and pre-K programs in Pennsylvania are aimed at improving school readiness for low-income children and mitigating the wide achievement gaps plaguing them in the later grades.…
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Case Study: Children’s Village
Efforts underway to expand access to high-quality child care and pre-K programs in Pennsylvania are aimed at improving school readiness for low-income children and mitigating the wide achievement gaps plaguing them in the later grades.…
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Case Study: Seton Center
Efforts underway to expand access to high-quality child care and pre-K programs in Pennsylvania are aimed at improving school readiness for low-income children and mitigating the wide achievement gaps plaguing them in the later grades.…
Publication
Quality Ratings and Improvement Systems in Early Childhood Education: Promising Approaches for Pennsylvania
Policymakers are recognizing that Pennsylvania has fallen behind in providing equitable access to high quality early childhood education. Gov. Tom Wolf ran on a campaign promise of universal pre-k access and proposed an unprecedented budget…
Publication
Parent Education in an Urban Neighborhood: An Evaluation of the McKinley Family Center for Child Development
The McKinley Family Center for Child Development, located in a poor multicultural urban neighborhood, is one of several programs in the Philadelphia School District designed to help parents be their child’s first teacher. This report…
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Home to School: Numeracy Practices and Mathematical Identities
Drawing on a perspective of mathematics as situated social practice, we focus on 4 children in an urban preschool classroom and follow those children between home and school sites to shed light on urban children’s…