The Urban Child Institute Partnership

A New Vision for Helping Memphis's Youngest Citizens

A young boy coloring

The Urban Child Institute (UCI) works to promote the health and well-being of children ages 0 to 3 in Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee. In pursuit of this mission, UCI conducts research, advocates for public policy, launches early intervention programs and prevention-based strategies, and serves as a trusted community expert.

In 2011, RAND began partnering with UCI in order to develop and execute a new strategic vision for the organization—one that hones in on the social and emotional development of young children. Although the partnership is ongoing, UCI has already leveraged RAND’s expertise in early childhood education policy analysis and data-driven decisionmaking to

  • Refine its organizational priorities
  • Focus its efforts to support the understanding of early childhood issues among key audiences
  • Create new materials like Off To A Good Start, which engages more stakeholders in making a difference on behalf of children in Memphis.

Featured Research

  • A group of preschool children sit with their teacher and play musical instruments
    Caregivers

    How Do Early Childhood Caregivers Gain and Grow Their Skills?

    In a RAND-UCI study, results showed that education and training requirements vary for early childhood educators and caregivers in Shelby County, Tennessee—but the research evidence is mixed when it comes to the benefits of different types of professional development activities.

    Apr 13, 2016

RAND Collaboration with Memphis Leaders

RAND worked side by side with UCI and local leaders to translate research into positive community action. Key activities included:

  • Exploring research questions related to social and emotional well-being of young children: RAND and UCI delved deeper into critical questions about the home and child care environment, how these factors shape social and emotional development, and how to better support providers in nurturing child development.
  • Supporting CANDLE, a large-scale study on early childhood: RAND supported data analysis for UCI’s innovative study on the cognitive, social, and emotional development of young children in Memphis and Shelby County.