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Child Wellbeing and Education Research
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    INFORMATION FOR

    Early Childhood

    Partnership for Early Education Research (PEER)

    Much of our early childhood work occurs in the context of the Partnership for Early Education Research (PEER), directed by Mike Strambler and Joanna Meyer. PEER is a research-practice partnership focused on improving early child education practices across three regions in southern Connecticut. We established PEER in 2014 with funding from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to build capacity in Connecticut for conducting high-quality, policy-relevant research that can inform early childhood education policy and practice. One of the key goals of this grant was to create a collaborative agenda with practitioners, which PEER has completed and is now in the process of pursuing. The PEER research agenda focuses on four areas: (1) Program Quality (including Pedagogy & Curriculum and Teacher Training & Professional Development), (2) Preparing for the Kindergarten Transition, (3) Dual Language Learners, and (4) Family & Community Services. PEER has had projects funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, Spencer Foundation, The Connecticut Project, and the CT Office of Early Childhood.

    Current Projects

    Home Visiting Continuous Improvement Project.

    Evaluation of CT Childcare Subsidy Policy. In partnership with the Education Development Center (EDC) and the CT Office of Early Childhood (OEC) this project evaluates the implementation and impact of a Connecticut State childcare subsidy program called Care 4 Kids designed to offset childcare costs for low-income families and increase the supply of quality care. Policy implementation questions focus on how subsidy payment policies are administered at the state level and how providers and families experience them. Impact questions focus on whether OEC’s subsidy payment policies increase the number of providers serving families utilizing Care 4 Kids subsidies and whether they increase families’ equitable access to affordable, high-quality childcare. This work is supported by a federal grant from the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), which is a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).

    Evaluation of Early Childhood Workforce Development. PEER is conducting a mixed-method evaluation of the early child education workforce pipeline pilot developed by the CT Office of Early Childhood (OEC). We are engaging leaders and participants from the nine OEC workforce pipeline pilot grantee programs to promote shared learning about the benefits and challenges of with the goal of improving early childhood care and education in Connecticut. This work is supported by The Connecticut Project.