Population: Families

Children 0-5

MDRC is conducting the national evaluation of home visiting programs for families with young children as well as creating and studying programs to enhance the quality of child care and preschool settings.

The Latest

Issue Focus

Supporting Families with Young Children

Many families with young children experienced severe strains during the pandemic—unemployment, increasing poverty, and increased anxiety and depression. State program administrators can help by strengthening home visiting services and using pediatric visits to reach families. This brief offers recommendations based on evidence of promising strategies, and insights from MDRC’s work.

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Brief

Summer Learning in Early Childhood

This brief summarizes recent findings that show how a lack of access to high-quality summer programs may contribute to disparities in children’s learning and development during the transition to kindergarten. It identifies future research needed to ensure that equity-focused investments in summer learning pay off for children from underserved groups.

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Key Documents

Issue Focus

Seeking Answers to Big Questions

MDRC’s Portfolio in Early Childhood Education

Today, leaders from across the political spectrum are calling for new investments in early childhood education. But many important questions remain about how to make the most of the promise of preschool and related interventions. MDRC’s portfolio of research and demonstration projects is tackling some of the biggest ones.

The Impact of Family Involvement on the Education of Children Ages 3 to 8

A Focus on Literacy and Math Achievement Outcomes and Social-Emotional Skills

This report reviews 95 studies on how families’ involvement in children’s learning and development through activities at home and at school affects the literacy, mathematics, and social-emotional skills of children. The review also offers recommendations for additional lines of inquiry and discusses next steps in research and practice.

The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation

Early Findings on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program — A Report to Congress

This report presents the first findings from MIHOPE, the legislatively mandated national evaluation of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program. It includes an analysis of the states’ needs assessments, as well as baseline characteristics of families, staff, local programs, and models participating in the study.

Building and Sustaining the Early Care and Education Workforce (BASE) Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Job Retention and Advancement Population: Children and Schools Low-Income Populations Families	Variations in Implementation of Quality Interventions (VIQI): Examining the Quality-Child Outcomes Relationship in Child Care and Early Education Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Population: Children and Schools Families	Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs (SIRF) Focus Area: Family Relationships Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Intervention: Relationship Education, Parenting Skills Programs, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral Interventions
Head Start Connects Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Work Support and Asset Building Population: Children and Schools Families Populations with Barriers to Employment Low-Income Populations Intervention: Case Management	Get Ready Guilford Initiative Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Children and Schools Low-Income Populations Intervention: School Readiness, Case Management, Coordinated Care/Care Management, Home Visiting Locations: North Carolina	Child First Focus Area: Health Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Home Visiting Locations: Connecticut, North Carolina
Understanding Poverty: Childhood and Family Experiences Focus Area: Family Relationships Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Population: Low-Income Populations Families	The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation, Long-Term Follow-Up Focus Area: Health Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Home Visiting	The Expanding Children’s Early Learning (ExCEL) Network Focus Area: Preschool Elementary and Middle School Child Care and Early Education Population: Children and Schools Intervention: School Readiness, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: Massachusetts
Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency-Next Generation Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Low-Income Populations Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions	Center for Applied Behavioral Science (CABS) Focus Area: Child Support Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Work Support and Asset Building Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Low-Income Populations Children and Schools	The High 5s Project Focus Area: Preschool Elementary and Middle School Child Care and Early Education Population: Children and Schools Intervention: School Readiness, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms
Making Pre-K Count Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Population: Children and Schools Families Intervention: School Readiness, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services Locations: New York	The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE)-Strong Start Focus Area: Health Family Relationships Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Home Visiting Locations: California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin	Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE) Focus Area: Health Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Home Visiting
Head Start CARES Project Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Population: Children and Schools Families Intervention: School Readiness, Professional Development/ Teacher Training, Classroom Services, Curricular/Instructional Reforms Locations: California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas	Design Options for Home Visiting Evaluation Focus Area: Health Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Low-Income Populations Intervention: Home Visiting	Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency Project Focus Area: Child Support Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Barriers to Employment Families Low-Income Populations Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions

MDRC

Population: Families

Children 0-5

Supporting Families with Young Children

Summer Learning in Early Childhood

Seeking Answers to Big Questions

The Impact of Family Involvement on the Education of Children Ages 3 to 8

The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation

Building and Sustaining the Early Care and Education Workforce (BASE)

Variations in Implementation of Quality Interventions (VIQI): Examining the Quality-Child Outcomes Relationship in Child Care and Early Education

Strengthening the Implementation of Responsible Fatherhood Programs (SIRF)

Head Start Connects

Get Ready Guilford Initiative

Child First

Understanding Poverty: Childhood and Family Experiences

The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation, Long-Term Follow-Up

The Expanding Children’s Early Learning (ExCEL) Network

Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency-Next Generation

Center for Applied Behavioral Science (CABS)

The High 5s Project

Making Pre-K Count

The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE)-Strong Start

Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE)

Head Start CARES Project

Design Options for Home Visiting Evaluation

Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency Project

Childhood Asthma Scan

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