Population: Families

Children 0-5

MDRC conducted the national evaluation of home visiting programs for families with young children as well as creates and studies programs to enhance the quality of child care and preschool settings.

The Latest

Report

Using Learning Cycles to Strengthen Fatherhood Programs

This report summarizes activities in a study designed to build evidence on promising strategies to improve enrollment and participation in fatherhood programs. Participating programs iteratively implemented and assessed three approaches to addressing implementation challenges—outreach, peer mentoring, and coaching—and the use of rapid learning cycles to implement those approaches.

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Brief

Young Children's Resilience in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

There is a lack of consistent evidence on the extent to which the pandemic affected preschool-age children. This brief summarizes the initial results from a study led by MDRC that is examining the post-pandemic language, literacy, math, and executive functioning skills of children enrolled in Acelero Learning programs.

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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.

Research-Practice Partnership with Acelero Learning, Inc. Focus Area: Preschool Child Care and Early Education Population: Families	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 Populations with Low Incomes 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 Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Case Management	Guilford Readiness of Children for School (ROCS) Study Focus Area: Child Care and Early Education Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Children and Schools Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: School Readiness, Case Management, Coordinated Care/Care Management, Home Visiting Locations: North Carolina
Child First Focus Area: Health Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Populations with Low Incomes Intervention: Home Visiting Locations: Connecticut, North Carolina	Understanding Poverty: Childhood and Family Experiences Focus Area: Family Relationships Two-Generation Programs Welfare Reform Population: Populations with Low Incomes Families	The Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation, Long-Term Follow-Up Focus Area: Health Two-Generation Programs Population: Families Populations with Low Incomes 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 Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions	MDRC 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 Populations with Low Incomes 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 Populations with Low Incomes 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 Populations with Low Incomes 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 Populations with Low Incomes 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 Populations with Low Incomes Children and Schools Intervention: Behavioral Interventions

MDRC

Population: Families

Children 0-5

Using Learning Cycles to Strengthen Fatherhood Programs

Young Children's Resilience in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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

Research-Practice Partnership with Acelero Learning, Inc.

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

Guilford Readiness of Children for School (ROCS) Study

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

MDRC 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

Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) Training and Technical Assistance

Childhood Asthma Scan

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