News from PEER

A team of researchers and policymakers is evaluating Connecticut's Child Care Development Fund program, specifically the impact of subsidy payment policies and practices on program participation of early care and education providers and families. The second year of the evaluation focused on understanding the perspectives of child care and early education providers research team and acquiring administrative data the researchers can use to examine the effect of policy changes on participation rates.

The Partnership for Early Education Research (PEER) has released the final report from a collaborative evaluation of an early childhood educator workforce development program administered by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC).

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation (OPRE) has awarded a phase 2 implementation grant to Connecticut through the Coordinated Evaluations of Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Policies and Initiatives project. Dr. Heidi Rosenberg of EDC and Dr. Michael Strambler of YSM, both members of the Partnership for Early Education Research (PEER) management team will lead the study.

An article written by the founding PEER management team is featured in the January 2023 special issue of Education Policy entitled The Politics of Research-Practice Partnerships.

As part of their work on an CCDF evaluation plan grant, PEER management team members are participating in the PROSPR community of practice, a network convened by ACF OPRE.

The Partnership for Early Education Research (PEER) is pleased to announce new members of the management team. Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) is a new organizational member, while Dr. Heidi Rosenberg of Education Development Center (EDC) is a new organizational representative.

Greater Stamford Parenting Partnership (GSPP) formed in 2021 to expand access to home visiting services for the families of young children. PEER is supporting GSPP in the area of continuous quality improvement.

REL Northeast & Islands recently published a study designed to better understand factors associated with turnover in the early childhood educator workforce. The study was initiative by the REL's Early Childhood Workforce Development Research Alliance, a group of state leaders who oversee early childhood workforce initiatives such as certification, training, and ongoing professional development. Alliance members hope the study will inform their agencies’ policies to improve educator retention and guide the allocation of resources to support the educator workforce.

Parents, educators, and primary care doctors can make a great difference in children’s growth by being aware of the milestones associated with language development and signs that a child may benefit from additional resources and assistance in language development.