Research Brief
Big Lift Participation and School Entry Indicators: Early Findings
This brief summarizes results from RAND's descriptive analysis of participation rates and school readiness outcomes for children served in the first year of the Big Lift collective impact initiative.
Nov 28, 2017
Report
Big Lift Participation and School Entry Indicators: Findings for the 2016–2017 Kindergarten Class
The Big Lift is a preschool-third grade early learning initiative in San Mateo County, California. This report provides descriptive analyses of participation in Big Lift programs along with measures of kindergarten-readiness at school entry.
Nov 28, 2017
Research Brief
Decades of Evidence Demonstrate That Early Childhood Programs Can Benefit Children and Provide Economic Returns
An updated comprehensive review of rigorous evaluations of early childhood programs confirms and strengthens RAND researchers' findings from previous syntheses showing that many early childhood programs can improve a range of outcomes for children.
Nov 16, 2017
Report
Investing Early: Taking Stock of Outcomes and Economic Returns from Early Childhood Programs
This report synthesizes evidence on the outcomes, costs, and benefits of early childhood programs, including those that provide early care and education, home visiting, parent education, government transfers, and combinations of approaches.
Nov 16, 2017
Report
Quality Rating and Improvement Systems for Early Care and Education Programs: Making the Second Generation Better
This perspective explores ways in which states can be more strategic about the allocation of funds for and within quality rating and improvement systems to achieve their goals of expanding access to and improving the quality of ECE programs.
May 1, 2017
Journal Article
Home Visiting and Use of Infant Health Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Home visits delivered by a nurse-parent educator team reduced children's health care use in the first year of life.
Jan 27, 2017
Journal Article
Independent Evaluation of California's Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Quality Rating and Improvement System: Cumulative Technical Report
This final comprehensive report highlights key findings from the half-term report and presents additional results related to the implementation of the system, quality improvement (QI) supports provided through the system, program quality and children's developmental outcomes, and perceptions of quality and the rating system.
Dec 5, 2016
Journal Article
Independent Evaluation of California's Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Quality Rating and Improvement System: Cumulative Technical Report Executive Summary
These findings can be used to make revisions to improve the QRIS as a measure of program quality and to identify promising ways to support QI efforts among early childhood programs.
Dec 5, 2016
Journal Article
Independent Evaluation of California's Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Quality Rating and Improvement System
Implementation of the RTT–ELC QRIS was in an early stage at the time the study began, but significant progress has been made over the course of the system's development, from 2012 to 2015.
Dec 5, 2016
Report
Parenting Programs in Shelby County, Tennessee: A Brief Review of the Research Literature
This report presents an overview of outcomes associated with rigorously evaluated parenting programs currently operating in Shelby County, Tennessee.
May 16, 2016
Report
Professional Development for the Early Care and Education Workforce in Shelby County, Tennessee
This report examines how early care and education caregivers with licensed providers in Shelby County, Tennessee, gain through ongoing professional development the relevant knowledge for working with infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children.
Apr 13, 2016
Journal Article
Independent Evaluation of California's Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Quality Rating and Improvement System: Half-Term Report
This half-term report presents findings which focus on the Validity and Reliability Study of California's RTT-ELC quality and improvement system (QRIS).
Nov 19, 2015
Journal Article
Home Visiting Start-Up: Lessons Learned from Program Replication in New Mexico
Growth in federal, state, and private funding is fueling the initiation of home visiting programs around the country.
May 18, 2015
Tool
Off To A Good Start: Social and Emotional Development of Memphis' Children
Drawing on national, state, and local data, the Urban Child Institute partnered with RAND to explore the social and emotional well-being of children in Memphis and Shelby County, Tenn.
Jan 15, 2015
Tool
Programs That Work, from the Promising Practices Network on Children, Families and Communities
This document includes summaries of all of the programs that were reviewed by the Promising Practices Network (PPN) and met the criteria for either a Promising or Proven program, as listed on the PPN website at the time it was archived in June 2014.
Sep 26, 2014
Report
Process Evaluation of the New Mexico Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Competitive Development Grant
This report describes the evaluation of the New Mexico Home Visiting Competitive Development Grant, which aimed to pilot test the use of implementation supports to improve the development and implementation of home visiting in high-need communities.
Jul 23, 2014
Journal Article
Local Quality Improvement Efforts and Outcomes Descriptive Study: Final Report: Executive Summary: A Governor's State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care Project
Quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) constitute an ambitious policy approach to improving early care and education practices and child outcomes.
Jul 1, 2013
Journal Article
Local Quality Improvement Efforts and Outcomes Descriptive Study: Final Report: A Governor's State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care Project
Quality rating and improvement systems (QRISs) constitute an ambitious policy approach to improving early care and education practices and child outcomes.
Jul 1, 2013
Draft
Factors that Influence Successful Start-Up of Home Visiting Sites: Lessons Learned from Replicating the First Born® Program
Proposes measures of successful home visiting program implementation and identifies factors that promote successful implementation or serve as barriers to program initiation based on lessons learned from the replication of the First Born® Program.
Nov 7, 2011
Journal Article
The Effect of Attending Full-Day Kindergarten on English Learner Students
A significant and growing English learner (EL) population attends public schools in the United States.
2011
Research Brief
The Promise of Preschool for Narrowing Readiness and Achievement Gaps Among California Children
This research brief summarizes an evaluation of the potential of preschool to make a difference in the achievement gaps among California children in order to assess the potential expansion of public funding for preschool education.
Dec 12, 2007
Report
Who Is Ahead and Who Is Behind? Gaps in School Readiness and Student Achievement in the Early Grades for California's Children
Describes which groups of California's children are falling short of proficiency in English-language arts and mathematics in the early elementary grades and evaluates the potential for well-designed preschool programs to close achievement gaps.
Oct 27, 2007
Draft
Is Full Better than Half? Examining the Longitudinal Effects of Full-day Kindergarten Attendance
This paper uses the Early Child Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 to evaluate the efficacy of the full-day kindergarten policy.
Nov 11, 2005
Report
Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise
Presents a review and synthesis of current research that addresses the potential for various forms of early childhood intervention to improve outcomes for participating children and their families.
Oct 18, 2005
Research Brief
Children at Risk: Consequences for School Readiness and Beyond
This research brief describes work documented in Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise (MG-341-PNC).
2005
Research Brief
Proven Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions
This research brief describes work documented in Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise (MG-341-PNC).
2005
Periodical
RAND Review: Vol. 29, No. 3, Fall 2005
Outlines the wisdom of bearing the up-front costs for publicly funded high-quality early childhood intervention programs so that society can reap the plentiful returns over time; also reviews energy security, obesity, and national security issues.
2005
Report
Meeting Decision Makers’ Needs for Evidence-Based Information on Child and Family Policy
Describes the rationale behind the Promising Practices Network on Children, Families and Communities.
2003
Report
Assessing Costs and Benefits of Early Childhood Intervention Programs: Overview and Applications to the Starting Early, Starting Smart Program: Executive Summary
The authors identify the conceptual and methodological issues associated with the analysis of costs and outcomes of early intervention programs and review the prior application of these methods to several programs.
2001
Report
Assessing Costs and Benefits of Early Childhood Intervention Programs: Overview and Applications to the Starting Early, Starting Smart Program
The authors identify the conceptual and methodological issues associated with the analysis of costs and outcomes of early intervention programs and review the prior application of these methods to several programs.
2001
Report
Directions for Cost and Outcome Analysis of Starting Early Starting Smart: Summary of a Cost Expert Meeting
In August 2000, RAND convened a meeting of national experts to discuss issues surrounding cost-benefit and related analyses of Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS).
2001