National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education (NCRCE)

Project Manager

Carollee Howes

Timeline

Ongoing

Center Description

The National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education’s (NCRECE), based at the University of Virginia and directed by Robert Pianta, conducts research, disseminates research findings, and conducts leadership activities aimed at improving the quality of early childhood education across the United States. Researchers at the University of Virginia; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; the University of California, Los Angeles; and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro lead the Center’s work.

Major activities of this Center include:
  • Leadership – Providing leadership in field of early childhood education through: 
    • Capacity-building partnerships with regional and state higher education institutions with a mission of teacher-training that focus on research and professional development;
    • Annual national leadership conferences, a working paper series, and book series focused on key topics in the field;
    • Interdisciplinary partnerships with research organizations and investigators aimed at linking early childhood education and the basic sciences.
  • Research – National studies of early education programs and supports for early education teachers, such as the Multi-State/SWEEP study of state pre-k programs.
  • Dissemination – Producing and distributing peer-reviewed research and an assortment of consumer-friendly reports and publications.

Project Support

Institute of Education Sciences
U.S. Department of Education











Multi-State Study of Pre-Kindergarten and School-Wide Early Education Programs (SWEEP) Research Question:

  • What are the best practices for serving young children’s educational needs?
  • What are the long-term effects of pre-k initiatives in the United States?
  • Identifying best practices in pre-kindergarten settings, linking early childhood practices to literacy, mathematics concepts, and social-emotional competencies.
Project Summary

Schools are increasingly involved in providing services for children and families prior to kindergarten entry, and the public investment in formal, school-related programs for young children has soared.

From 2001 to 2005, the National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL) conducted a study of pre-kindergarten services in six states that had made significant investments in the education of four-year olds.  This study provided the first systematic look at the nature and quality of experiences offered to children in these settings and the extent to which variation in experiences relates to child outcomes. The SWEEP project expanded the work of the Multi-State study into five additional states.  This expansion will provide necessary data to analyze the efficacy and influence of variations in state-level pre-kindergarten policies.

For this study, "pre-k” included center-based programs for 4-year olds that were funded fully or partially by education agencies and that were operated in schools or under the direction of state or local education agencies.  This was the first multi-state study to include extensive classroom observations and child assessments and to follow children into their kindergarten year, thus generating new data about the nation’s early childhood education programs. This study will greatly expand what is known about the nation’s pre-kindergarten programs and how they relate to children’s success in school.