[PDF] Early Child Development From Measurement To Optimal Functioning And Evidence Based Policy eBook

Author : Verónica Schiariti
Publisher : Mdpi AG
Page : 254 pages
File Size : 40,61 MB
Release : 2021-09-13
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9783036516011

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In the early years of life, the environments that interact with a child-including families, schools, and communities-play a key role in the child's brain development. Early child development and overall children's developmental trajectories have long-term implications for health, happiness, and earning potential as these children become adults. Importantly, failing to reach developmental potential contributes to global cycles of poverty, inequality, and social exclusion. There is little public understanding of the importance of a child's first years and the critical developmental opportunity to reach optimal functioning. As such, global data on early child developments are crucial to inform the public and demand evidence-based policies and high-quality programs for children around the world. This book includes initiatives assessing the impact of programs and interventions related to children's health, education, and participation that inform evidence-based policies worldwide. Importantly, this book raises global awareness of the importance of children's first years of life and the crucial role of child-environment interactions where the child lives, plays, and grows. The culturally diverse content comprises international representation of studies and classifications tools. International experts contributed high-quality reviews that collate valuable information and guide the adoption of a rights-based approach in early child development globally.

Author : Mary E. Young
Publisher : World Bank Publications
Page : 326 pages
File Size : 32,22 MB
Release : 2007
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 0821370871

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Prosperity in the world today depends on societies' nurturing of young children. Quality care (stimulation, health, and nutrition) during ages 0 - 5 has a decisive and long-lasting impact on a person's development, ability to learn, and capacity to regulate emotions. Cognitive and noncognitive (social and emotional) skills, set early in life, determine later success. New research in neurobiology and the behavioral and social sciences is converging to enhance this understanding of early child development. Recently, researchers noted epigenetic effects in brain development - that is, the interaction of environment (early experiences) with genetics to shape brain structure and function - that with proper nurturing would enable people to have competence to create prosperous, sustainable, tolerant, nonviolent, and democratic communities. The World Bank recently hosted a symposium on the priority of early child development for economic growth and equity. The participants urged application of population - based tools and measures to assess the outcomes of children's early years and children's readiness for school. This approach, which shifts the focus from measures of disease, dysfunction, and mortality, is already yielding essential data for designing intervention programs, identifying children at risk, and leveraging policy and investment - to improve the possibilities for all children globally.

Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 587 pages
File Size : 25,42 MB
Release : 2015-07-23
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0309324882

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Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Author : National Research Council
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 610 pages
File Size : 44,25 MB
Release : 2000-11-13
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0309069882

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How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

Author : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 621 pages
File Size : 14,7 MB
Release : 2019-12-27
Category : Medical
ISBN : 0309493382

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Children are the foundation of the United States, and supporting them is a key component of building a successful future. However, millions of children face health inequities that compromise their development, well-being, and long-term outcomes, despite substantial scientific evidence about how those adversities contribute to poor health. Advancements in neurobiological and socio-behavioral science show that critical biological systems develop in the prenatal through early childhood periods, and neurobiological development is extremely responsive to environmental influences during these stages. Consequently, social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors significantly affect a child's health ecosystem and ability to thrive throughout adulthood. Vibrant and Healthy Kids: Aligning Science, Practice, and Policy to Advance Health Equity builds upon and updates research from Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity (2017) and From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (2000). This report provides a brief overview of stressors that affect childhood development and health, a framework for applying current brain and development science to the real world, a roadmap for implementing tailored interventions, and recommendations about improving systems to better align with our understanding of the significant impact of health equity.

Author : Institute of Medicine
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 61 pages
File Size : 45,67 MB
Release : 2000-05-22
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 030917189X

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On June 24-25, 1999, the Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development of the Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine convened a workshop for researchers and practitioners to examine the underlying knowledge base that informs current best practices in early childhood services, from the prenatal period to school entry. Early Childhood Intervention discusses the diversity of working assumptions, theories of change, and views about child development and early intervention that currently shape a wide variety of social policies and service delivery systems for young children and their families.

Author : Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 549 pages
File Size : 40,32 MB
Release : 2017-01-30
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 1118937317

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The first and only comprehensive review of current early childhood development theory, practices, policies, and the science behind them This unique and important bookprovides a comprehensive overview of the current theory, practices, and policies in early childhood development withinthe contexts of family, school, and community, and society at large. Moreover, it synthesizes scientifically rigorous research from an array of disciplines in an effort to identify the most effective strategies for promoting early childhood development. Research into childhood development is booming, and the scientific knowledge base concerning early childhood development is now greater than that of any other stage of the human life span. At the same time, efforts to apply that knowledge to early childhood practices, programs, and policies have never been greater or more urgent. Yet, surprisingly, until The Handbook of Early Childhood Development Programs, Practices, and Policies, there was no comprehensive, critical review of the applied science in the field. The book begins with in-depth coverage of child and family approaches. From there it moves onto a consideration of school- and community-based strategies. It concludes with a discussion of current social policies on health and development in early childhood and their implications. Provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the knowledge base, along with guidance for the future of the field Examines the underlying theory and basic science guiding efforts to promote early childhood development Critically reviews the strength of the empirical support for individual practices, programs, and policies Explores key opportunities and barriers policymakers and practitioners face when implementing various approaches Pays particular attention to socioeconomically disadvantaged and other disenfranchised populations The Handbook of Early Childhood Development Programs, Practices, and Policies is a valuable resource for practitioners, scholars, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students across the social sciences who are interested in strengthening their understanding of current strategies for promoting early childhood development and the science informing those strategies.

Author : Eric K. Duku
Publisher :
Page : pages
File Size : 25,91 MB
Release : 2013
Category : Autism in children
ISBN :

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The measurement of reliable and valid indicators of early child development is necessary for assessing phenomena and is useful in the monitoring of ongoing efforts to eradicate inequalities in the social determinants of health. There is an increasing awareness of the contextual, cultural, and developmental influences on constructs used in early child development (ECD) research. Using a measurement perspective, this dissertation examined the issue of measurement invariance and psychometric validity in early child development research. A construct violates the principle of invariance when two persons from different populations who are theoretically identical on the construct being measured have different scores on it. This dissertation consists of three journal-style manuscripts (published or under review) that were used as examples to address the importance of the issue of measurement invariance and psychometric validity in ECD research using data from two unique areas: autism and executive functioning. The three data sets were collected on pre-school children with parents and or teachers as informants and were chosen to represent different levels of data collection --clinical, community, and population. These data sets allowed for the examination of measurement invariance by type of informant, sex, and age of child. The results from the three studies illustrate the importance of assessing measurement invariance in ECD and whether or not the instruments examined can be used to assess sub-group differences with confidence. A lack of measurement invariance found for two of the studies, suggests that observed group differences in latent constructs could be attributed, in part, to measurement bias. More importantly, bias in the measurement of the constructs of severity of social impairment symptoms in autism, and executive functioning across groups could have an impact on services such as patient treatment. These biases could also influence public policy development, particularly when there may be an underlying need for a cross-group approach where belief systems may affect the meaning and structure of constructs. In summary, measurement invariance should be a prerequisite for making any meaningful comparisons across groups. A requirement of establishing measurement invariance should be included in the guidelines for comparative research studies as a necessary first step before an instrument is adopted for use.

Author : John List
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 396 pages
File Size : 35,87 MB
Release : 2021-05-26
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 1000384314

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This critical volume combines theoretical and empirical work across disciplines to explore what threatens scalability—and what enables it—in the early childhood field. Authors and editors provide specific recommendations to help professionals refine and apply the science of scaling in their programs, research, and decision making. Written by leading experts in early childhood, economics, psychology, public health, philanthropy, and more, chapters and commentaries shine light on how to effectively use experimental insights for policy purposes. The result is a comprehensive and forward-thinking guide to the challenges and possibilities of effective scaling in early childhood and beyond. Essential reading for researchers, practitioners, funders, and policy makers alike, this book raises vital questions and provides a vision for the long-term journey to scalable evidence.

Author : Virginia Buysse
Publisher :
Page : 284 pages
File Size : 29,27 MB
Release : 2006
Category : Education
ISBN :

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The concept of evidence-based practice is helping early educators, special educators, early interventionists, child care professionals, mental health professionals, social workers, health-care professionals, and others work together more effectively to transform the services provided to children and families. This unique book defines the evidence-based practice movement and explains how it is empowering professionals to deliver the most effective interventions available. The authors examine how evidence-based practice is changing the way research is conducted, how research findings can be applied to solve real-world problems, and how research can be used to inform critical policy decisions.