Child Care View all reports on this topic
Topic Overview
Research in this area furthers our understanding of child care as a support for parental employment and for children’s developmental well being, and of the role of child care subsidies in allowing low-income working parents to balance work and family obligations.
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Projects on this Topic
American Indian and Alaska Native Early Childhood Needs Assessment (AI/AN EC Needs Assessment) Design Project, 2014 – 2017
The American Indian and Alaska Native Early Childhood Needs Assessment Project (AI/AN EC Needs Assessment) seeks to lay the foundation for understanding the need for early childhood services in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The project outlines a series of designs for future studies that will inform a national assessment of the unmet need for early childhood care, education, and home visiting services (prenatal to age 5) in tribal communities...
American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (AI/AN FACES)
The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) is a major source of information on Head Start programs and the children and families they serve. Since 1997, FACES has conducted studies in a nationally representative sample of Head Start programs, but has historically not included Region XI, whose programs are designed to serve predominantly AI/AN children....
Assessing Models of Coordinated Services for Low-Income Children and Their Families, 2018 - 2021
Project Overview
Through this project, awarded to Mathematica Policy Research, ACF seeks to learn more about how states and communities coordinate early care and education, family economic security, and/or other health and human services to most efficiently and effectively serve the needs...
Assessing the Implementation and Cost of High Quality Early Care and Education Project (ECE-ICHQ), 2014-2019
The goal of this project is to create an instrument to measure implementation and costs of providing ECE services at centers for children from birth to age 5. The project has two focuses:...
Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) Capstone Project, 2015 - 2018
The Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency Capstone project, led by MDRC, will produce a final synthesis report on the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project and conduct related dissemination activities. While several reports will be produced under the BIAS contract, including a report describing findings from the knowledge development phase and a site specific report for each of the eight sites where behavioral interventions are tested...
Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) Next Generation, 2015 - 2022
The Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project demonstrated that applying behavioral insights to challenges facing human services programs can improve program operations and outcomes at relatively low cost. The Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency-Next Generation (BIAS-NG) project continues ACF’s exploration...
Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) Research Portfolio
Many human services programs are designed such that individuals must make a series of decisions and take a number of active steps in order to realize a benefit. From deciding which programs to apply for, to completing forms, attending meetings, showing proof of eligibility, and arranging travel and child care, program designers often assume that individuals make decisions about how to proceed based on careful consideration of their options and what is best for them...
Center For Research on Hispanic Children & Families, 2013-2018
The National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families generates new research and translates research across three priority areas—poverty reduction and self-sufficiency, healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood, and early care and education—to build knowledge and inform ACF programs and policies to better serve Hispanic children and families. The Center has three primary goals: 1) advance a cutting-edge research agenda; 2) build research capacity; and 3) translate emerging research. Lina Guzman at Child Trends and Michael Lopez at Abt Associates lead the Center, in collaboration with university partners (University of Maryland-College Park; University of North Carolina at Greensboro; and New York University's Institute for Human Development and Social Change). In 2014, the Center launched a Fellowship program supporting emerging scholars studying issues relevant to low-income and vulnerable Hispanic children and families.
Center for Supporting Research on Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Implementation, 2016 - 2021
The Urban Institute was awarded a contract that will support the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in learning from high-quality, rigorous research, to be conducted by Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) lead agencies in partnership with researchers, on the implementation of policies responding to the goals of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014...
Child and Family Development Research – Annual Report
OPRE’s child and family development work includes research and evaluation projects primarily concerned with child care and child welfare. This portfolio additionally examines the culturally diverse experiences of children and families served by ACF programs.
Research focuses on five major areas, including: Child Care, Head Start and Early Head Start, Child Welfare, Cultural Diversity, Cross-Cutting Early Childhood Research...
Child Care Administrative Data Analysis Cooperative Agreements, 2013-2016
The overall purpose of the Child Care Administrative Data Analysis Cooperative Agreements is to support Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) Lead Agencies in conducting rigorous, policy-relevant research that primarily involves the analysis of child care...
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Policies Database, 2008-2018
The CCDF Policies Database is a source of information on the detailed policies used to operate child care subsidy programs under the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). Since 2008, The Urban Institute has collected, coded, and disseminated the CCDF policies in effect across the 50 states, the District of Columbia...
Child Care and Early Education Policy and Research Analysis Project, 2005-2018
The Child Care and Early Education Policy and Research Analysis Project is a contract awarded by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation to Child Trends...
Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Implementation Research and Evaluation Grants 2016 - 2022
In 2016, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) began the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Implementation Research and Evaluation Grants program. The goal of this grant program is to provide CCDF Lead Agencies the opportunity to plan for and evaluate the initiatives and policies that they intend to implement in response to the goals of the CCDBG Act of 2014.
Child Care Interstate Background Checks (CC-IBaCs), 2018 - 2021
The Child Care Interstate Background Checks (CC-IBaCs) project seeks to fill gaps in knowledge to inform states’ and territories’ implementation of interstate background checks mandated by the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014. The project will identify...
Child Care Research Partnerships, 1995-2014
The Child Care Research Partnership grants support research on child care policy issues conducted by state agencies, researchers and other organizations in partnership. Partnerships must include the State agency that administers the Child Care and...
Child Care Research Scholars, 2000-2019
Funds for Child Care Research Scholars grants are available to support dissertation research on child care policy issues in partnership with State Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) lead agencies.
Since 2000, CCDF discretionary funds for child care research and evaluation have supported projects that add to our knowledge about the efficacy of child care subsidy policies and programs in supporting employment and self-sufficiency outcomes for parents, and providing positive learning and school readiness outcomes for children. Previously funded Child Care Research Scholars have made significant contributions to the child care policy research field.
Culture of Continuous Learning (CCL) Project: A Breakthrough Series Collaborative for Improving Child Care and Head Start Quality, 2016 - 2019
The purpose of this project is to explore how child care and Head Start programs can improve the quality of services received by young children, while institutionalizing continuous quality improvement activities. The project will design and assess the feasibility of implementing a specific approach to continuous quality improvement (CQI), the Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC),...
Design Options for Home Visiting 2, 2016 - 2021
The Design Options for Home Visiting Evaluation (DOHVE 2) project provides technical assistance related to data, research, and evaluation to Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program awardees...
Design Options for Home Visiting Evaluation (DOHVE), 2010-2016
The Design Options for Home Visiting Evaluation (DOHVE) project supports the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program and includes two key components...
Development of a Measure of the Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT), 2010-2014
The goal of this project was to develop a new measure that will assess the quality of child care settings, specifically the quality of caregiver-child interactions for infants and toddlers in non-parental care. The new measure is sensitive to the...
Early Care and Education Data Archive, 2018 - 2023
Project Overview
The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) within the Administration of Children and Families (ACF) funds numerous data collection efforts through research studies on a wide-range...
Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS), 2018-2023
Project Overview
Leadership is widely recognized as an essential driver of organizational performance and improvement, but little is known about its role in driving quality of early childhood programs and outcomes for staff and children. In launching the Early Care and Education Leadership Study (ExCELS), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) seeks to fill the definitional and measurement gaps to help the early childhood field understand how effective leaders can improve quality experiences for families in early care and education (ECE) settings.
OPRE contracted...
Early Care and Education Scholars: Head Start Graduate Student Research Program, 1998-2017
The Head Start Graduate Student Research grant program is designed to build research capacity in and knowledge of effective early childhood interventions with low-income children and families. The grant program does this by providing support for dissertation research conducted by graduate students working in partnership with local Head Start or Early Head Start programs. Many former grantees have become leading researchers who continue to conduct research that informs and improves Head Start/Early Head Start, other early childhood intervention practices, and our understanding of low-income populations.
Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), 1997-2022
In 1997, the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) was launched to provide descriptive, nationally representative information on the characteristics, experiences and development of Head Start children and families, and the characteristics of the Head Start programs and staff who serve them...
Hispanic Research Work Group, 2011-2014
ACF’s Hispanic Research Work Group brings together experts in a wide range of content areas relevant to ACF’s mission to assist ACF/OPRE in identifying research priorities concerning low-income, Hispanic families.
Human-centered Design for Human Services (HCD4HS), 2018 - 2021
Project Overview
Human-centered design (HCD), also known as “design thinking,” is an applied research and design framework for organizational innovation. Though specific definitions vary, HCD typically involves...
Integrated Approaches to Supporting Child Development and Improving Family Economic Security, 2015 - 2018
ACF launched the Integrated Approaches to Supporting Child Development and Improving Family Economic Security project in September 2015. The goal of the project is to improve understanding of approaches that intentionally combine intensive, high quality, adult-focused services with intensive, high-quality, child-focused programs. Conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, this project will provide options for evaluating these emerging models...
Methods Inquiries, 2013-2021
OPRE plays a central role in advancing understanding and disseminating knowledge about research and evaluation methods and tools that are, or could be, used to enhance knowledge about program and policy effectiveness. The purpose of the Methods Inquiries project is to organize...
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Supplement to the National Agricultural Workers' Survey, 2009-2018
The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation worked in conjunction with the Office of Head Start and the Employment and Training Administration to develop, pilot and implement a Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) Supplement to the National...
Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation – Strong Start (MIHOPE-Strong Start), 2012-2017
The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation-Strong Start (MIHOPE-Strong Start) is evaluating the effectiveness of home visiting for improving prenatal and birth outcomes for families enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)...
National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), 2010-2015
The National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) documented the nation's utilization and availability of early care and education (including school-age care) in 2012...
Network of Infant Toddler Researchers (NITR)
The Network of infant/toddler Researchers (NitR) consortium brings together leading applied researchers with policymakers and technical assistance providers responsible for overseeing and supporting early childhood programs...
Professional Development Tools to Improve the Quality of Infant & Toddler Care (Q-CCIIT PD Tools), 2015 - 2020
The Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) observation tool was developed between 2010-2014 to assess the quality of early care and education (ECE) settings for infants and toddlers in non-parental care—specifically, the support that caregivers provide for the social-emotional, language and literacy, and cognitive development of infants and toddlers. The Professional Development Tools to Improve the Quality of Infant and Toddler Care...
State Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Case Studies, 2018 - 2021
Project Overview
This project will identify promising and innovative employment and training programs for low-income individuals that include TANF recipients and produce case studies of the selected programs. The programs...
Supporting the Sustainability of the Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) Observation Tool: Q-CCIIT FORWARD, 2018 - 2019
Project Overview
The Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) observation tool is a reliable and valid research-based observational tool that measures the quality of interactions between infants and toddlers...
The Study of Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, 2013-2018
The purpose of the Study of Early Head Start-Child Care (EHS-child care) Partnerships is to gain a better understanding of EHS‐child care partnerships aimed at supporting quality improvement, child development...
Toxic Stress and Self-Regulation Reports
OPRE has commissioned a series of four inter-related reports titled Self-Regulation and Toxic Stress from a team at the Center for Child and Social Policy at Duke University. The team is also preparing a brief focused on implications of these reports for adolescence and young adulthood. The first report, Foundations for Understanding Self-Regulation from an Applied Developmental Perspective provides a comprehensive framework for understanding...
Tribal Early Childhood Research Center (TRC), 2016 - 2020
The Tribal Early Childhood Research Center (TRC) seeks to address gaps in early childhood research with American Indian and Alaska Natives through partnerships with tribal Head Start, Early Head Start, child care, and home visiting programs. The goals of the research are:...
Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS), 2010-2016
Many human services programs are designed such that individuals must make active decisions and go through a series of steps in order to benefit from them — from deciding which programs to apply for, to completing forms, attending meetings, showing proof of eligibility, and arranging travel and child care...
Center for Early Care and Education Research: Dual Language Learners, 2009-2014
The Center for Early Care and Education Research: Dual Language Learners (CECER-DLL) is a cooperative agreement awarded by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The primary goal of the Center...
Child Care Policy Research Grants, 2000-2010
Child Care Policy Research Grants have three main goals...
Child Care State Research Capacity Cooperative Agreements, 2001-2011
The Child Care State Research Capacity cooperative agreements have three main goals...
Design Phase for National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), 2007-2010
This project (aka Design Phase for National Study of Child Care Supply and Demand) developed sampling and methodology options for a National Survey of Early Care and Education, with special focus on low-income households with children ages birth...
Early Learning Mentor Coach Study (ELMC), 2011–2014
The Early Learning Mentor Coach Study (ELMC) was a descriptive study of professional development grants awarded competitively to Head Start programs. The Head Start Early Learning Mentor and Coach grants were funded in September of 2010 to 131...
Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies, 2001-2010
The Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies conducted four experiments as part of a study launched in 2001 by the Office of Child Care and the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families, US...
Feasibility Assessment of Studying the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina for ACF Service Populations, 2006-2008
Hurricane Katrina was perhaps the largest single natural disaster in America’s history. Millions of people were on the hurricane’s path. About half a million people in New Orleans were displaced by floods caused by Hurricane Katrina...
Head Start Health Managers Descriptive Study, 2011-2016
The goals of the Head Start Health Manager Descriptive Survey include 1) to describe the characteristics of Health Managers and related staff in Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) programs; 2) to identify the current landscape of health programs and services being offered to children and families...
National Study of Child Care of Low-Income Families, 1997-2007
The National Study of Child Care of Low-Income Families project studied the low-income child care market in 25 communities in 17 states, with a sub-study to examine the family child care market in 5 neighborhoods drawn from these communities...
OPRE Research Dissemination Project, 2010-2012
This contract aims to develop an evidence-informed research dissemination strategy for OPRE to improve the communication and usefulness of research and evaluation findings to targeted audiences...
Quality Features, Dosages and Thresholds and Child Outcomes: Study Design (Q-Dot), 2009-2014
This project examined associations between the quality of early care and education settings and child outcomes, asking whether certain thresholds of quality or dosage need to be met or particular aspects of quality need to be present before linkages are apparent. Interrelationships of these factors and relevance for different age groups of children between the ages of birth and 5-years participating in center-based care settings will also be considered...
Quality Rating Systems (QRS) Assessment Project, 2008-2011
The project will create resources for States regarding the evaluation of child care quality rating systems (QRSs), systems that have been put in place to measure, monitor, and promote high-quality child care. The project has five goals...
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Human Services, 2015 - 2017
This project investigated how existing work on racial and ethnic disparities could inform more accurate identification and interpretation of ethnic and racial differences in programs administered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Through this work, this project...
Secondary Analyses of Data on Child Care, 2009-2011
Since 2000, Congress has appropriated about $10 million per year of Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) discretionary funds to be used for child care research and evaluation. These funds have supported projects that add to our knowledge about the...
Study of Coordination of Tribal TANF and Child Welfare Services Grants, 2011-2016
The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) is undertaking a descriptive study to document the approaches and strategies utilized by tribal organizations awarded cooperative agreements under the Coordination of Tribal TANF and Child Welfare...
Supporting Positive Language and Literacy Development in Young Language Minority Children: Research, Policy, and Practice: Roundtable Meeting, 2008
The Language Minority Roundtable was a working meeting where invited participants engaged in critical dialogue regarding how research can support efforts of policymakers and practitioners to serve the language and literacy needs of young language...
Supporting Quality in Home-Based Child Care, 2007-2010
In 2007, the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation within the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded a research project, Supporting Quality in Home-Based Child Care, to...
TANF and CCDF Research Synthesis, 2009-2012
The purpose of the TANF and CCDF Research Synthesis Project was to inform research planning and support evidence-based decision making related to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) programs...
The Application of Effect Sizes in Research on Children and Families: Understanding Impacts on Academic, Emotional Behavioral and Economic Outcomes
Effect sizes are increasingly applied to describe the magnitude of findings about program effectiveness across a range of policy contexts. Though more researchers are recognizing the importance of including effect sizes in manuscripts, at times these...
The Program Manager's Guide to Evaluation
Good program evaluations assess program performance, measure impacts on families and communities, and document our success. With this information, programs are better able to direct limited resources to where they are most needed and most effective in...
Use of Technology to Support Head Start Practice, 2013-2015
Technology has become increasingly prevalent in early care and education settings, yet little is known about the effectiveness, function, and requirements for technologies that are available to early childhood programs. The purpose of this project was to review the knowledge base related to the use of technology to support the practice of early childhood practitioners who work directly with children and families. The review was conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago...