Early Childhood
At a Glance | Services | Significant Work | Products
Examples of Significant Work
Stepping Stones: SEDL's Texas Comprehensive Center has been working closely with the Migrant Education Program of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to revise an early childhood program for migrant 3- and 4-year olds. A steering committee selected by the TEA is guiding the process, and nominated practitioners from across Texas have developed program units and lessons. The home-based component of the Stepping Stones program is scheduled to be piloted in Spring 2011.
Past Work
Bright Futures Early Reading First Project: SEDL worked with the Madison Parish Public Schools and the Delta Community Action Association-Tallulah Head Start on the Bright Futures Early Reading First project to develop, test, and refine strategies for creating family-friendly preschools that support language and literacy development. The project involved 250 preschoolers from low-income families in Tallulah, Louisiana. SEDL staff worked to increase parental involvement in children's language development and provided training on research-based literacy instruction for young children. In addition, SEDL researchers conducted a quasi-experimental study to evaluate the project's effectiveness. Significant gains were found for children’s receptive vocabulary, letter recognition, and print awareness skills, and instructors showed significant increases in their literacy and language knowledge.
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Survey Design: Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this multiyear project involved developing a national study design to gather periodic information on the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) programs and participating families. The project was led by the CDM Group, Inc., and partners included Abt Associates, Inc.; the National Center for Latino Child and Family Research; Social Dynamics, LLC; and the Catholic University of America. SEDL had a staff person on the design team, which planned MSHS sampling, worked closely with the MSHS programs, and collected and analyzed data.
Infant/Toddler Training Care: During the 1990s, SEDL early-childhood specialists participated in a nationwide pilot program designed to enhance professional services for both center-based caregivers and family-based childcare providers for at-risk infants and toddlers.
