Provides direct links to reports, guidebooks, and other online publications on child care partnerships and collaboration.
http://www.headstartinfo.org/infocenter/guides/cc_repor.htm
 

A carefully controlled scientific study on the potential benefits of early childhood education for low-income children.
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~abc/index.htm
 

Describes the experiences of nine states where comprehensive community initiatives are underway to strengthen and expand programs for children birth to five years, focusing on school readiness and success in school.
http://www.childrensdefense.org/cc_report_bringtogether.htm
 

This update on state actions involving child care and early education issues ? published in 2000 ? examines changes in funding, eligibility, payment rates, quality initiatives, licensing, pre-kindergarten and Head Start programs.
http://www.childrensdefense.org/pdf/cc_statedev01.pdf
 

Summarizes recommendations from the National Education Goals Panel for defining and assessing school readiness, and presents a framework for community investments based on an ?ecological? view of child development. This brief updates an earlier version that Child Trends published in 2000.
http://www.childtrends.org/PDF/schoolreadiness.pdf
 

Perhaps the most well known research from High/Scope, this study examines the lives of 123 young African Americans, born in poverty, from 1962 ? 1967. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: One group attended quality preschool based on High/Scope?s active learning approach; the other group did not attend preschool. Ninety-five percent of the study participants were interviewed at age 27.
http://www.highscope.org/Research/PerryProject/perrymain.htm
 

An analysis of research provided by the Institute for Research on Poverty (University of Wisconsin at Madison) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The report discusses the economic justification for public intervention in order to improve the quality of non-parental child care, especially for children of lower-income families.
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/ccquality00/ccqual.htm#intro
 

Informs policymakers and the public on current initiatives that link professional development to increases in compensation for early childhood educators.
http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/CCW.pdf
 

Adopted by the Governing Board to state the Association's position on issues related to early childhood education practice, policy, and/or professional development.
http://www.naeyc.org/resources/position_statements/positions_intr
o.asp
 

Examines the influence of typical center-based child care on children?s development during their preschool years and as they moved into formal elementary education.
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncedl/PDFs/CQO-tr.pdf
 

The formalization of child care has prompted the need to better understand the contribution this sector makes to the economy. This study shows how the current economic situation is impacting child care across the country.
http://www.nccanet.org/NCCA%20Impact%20Study.pdf
 

A study by St. Joseph College in West Hartford has found that low-income children attending preschool alongside more affluent children learned vocabulary and language skills six times faster than if they were schooled exclusively with other low-income children.
http://nieer.org/news/index.php?NewsID=141
 

Dr. James J. Heckman, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences, explores the assumptions and foundations of current policies toward skill formation in young children. He emphasizes the importance of using available funds to improve the quality of early learning.
http://www.ounceofprevention.org/downloads/publications/Heckman.p
df
 

As babies grow, their abilities to understand language, solve problems, and get along well with other people are strongly influenced by what they experience as infants and young children. There is mounting evidence that while early experiences help the brain develop, poor early experiences can cause a genetically normal child to develop serious mental and emotional difficulties.
http://www.ounceofprevention.org/downloads/publications/Starting_
Smart.pdf
 

There is strong evidence that the propensity for violent behavior is influenced by many factors in early childhood. Safe Start explores these factors, examines the evidence that early childhood programs work to reduce crime, and spotlights a number of promising interventions designed to support a child's healthy development while reducing the risk of later violent behavior. These interventions include voluntary home visiting, early childhood care and education, and community-based programs for children who witness or are victims of violence.
http://www.ounceofprevention.org/downloads/publications/99SAFSTRT
.pdf
 

Research shows that in order to be successful, violence prevention must start in the first five years of life. The First Steps report, funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and done in collaboration with Action Alliance for Children and Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, synthesizes this research, presents best practices, and offers a comprehensive strategy to start effective violence prevention efforts at an early age.
http://www.preventioninstitute.org/firststeps.html
 

This article strengthens public understanding of the importance of healthy social and emotional development in the first few years of life, and raises awareness of the characteristics of young children experiencing behavioral difficulties. The publication identifies promotion, prevention, and targeted intervention strategies for addressing the unique mental health needs of children under five and also provides important policy recommendations.
http://www.ounceofprevention.org/downloads/publications/Towards_t
he_ABCs.pdf
 

This Action Plan sets forth a ?gold standard? that the Task Force feels every southern state should achieve on behalf of all children in early care and education. The Action Plan addresses child care for children from birth through age 12.
http://www.kidsouth.org/pdf/childcare_action_plan.pdf
 

While America's kindergarteners are taught by professionals with at least a 4-year college degree, fewer than half of preschool teachers hold a BA.
http://nieer.org/resources/policybriefs/2.pdf
 

This document presents a breakdown of data for Georgia's children in a number of categories including child poverty, child care and early education, health and youth at risk in the state.
http://www.childrensdefense.org/states/ga.pdf
 

By age three, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from poor families. By kindergarten the gap is even greater. The consequences are catastrophic.
http://www.aft.org/american_educator/spring2003/catastrophe.html
 

This report shows that quality educational child care for preschool-aged children and after-school programs for older kids lead to lower rates of crime and higher rates of high school graduation.
http://www.fightcrime.org/
 

This policy brief examines the ways in which low-income parents rely on informal child care arrangements in their efforts to balance the dual demands of working and raising a family.
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/353/policybrief.html
 

According to the Perry Preschool Study, released yesterday, low-income children who attend high-quality preschool are more likely than their peers to be high school graduates, have higher incomes as adults and engage in less criminal activity. Beginning in 1962, the Michigan study followed 123 blacks from the time they were three or four years old until they turned 40.
http://www.highscope.org/Research/PerryProject/perrymain.htm