Early Childhood Education Commons^™

Racial Equity In New York State Early Childhood Programs: Infographic, Center For Human Services Research, University At Albany

Education & Early Childhood Development Reports and Research Briefs

Across New York State, early childhood programs responded to local and national racial injustices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Integration Of Early Childhood Data In New York State: Formation Of Goal Nine Work Group And Unique Identifiers, Center For Human Services Research, University At Albany

Education & Early Childhood Development Reports and Research Briefs

One of the initial successes of the New York State Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five (NYSB5) was the 2019 creation of a “Birth Through Five Strategic Plan” by the New York State Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC). The plan included ten goals to guide the work of the ECAC in strengthening and building early childhood systems. The ninth goal of the plan specifically relates to the development of a statewide ECIDS. The goal will be achieved when: “An Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) is created for tracking service delivery, outcomes and system improvements to drive accountability, policy development, …

Outdoor Early Intervention Services: Current Practices And Future Directions, Tiffany Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Outdoor play is a crucial in supporting child development, resiliency, social skills, creative thinking, adaptability, family growth, and family engagement. Unfortunately, children are spending less time outside because of technology, parent fears, and other factors. Parents who have a child with a disability have even more challenges when it comes to playing outside. Thus, children with disabilities are spending even less time in outdoor environments. Early Intervention (EI) is a program that is designed for infants and toddlers between the ages of zero to three that have developmental delays and/or disabilities. EI uses a family-center approach in natural environments to …

International Conflict, Pamela Schuetze Ph.D.

Sample module-themed coursework with Sesame Street examples

In this module, students will consider how international conflict and associated traumas impact children.Using clips from versions of Sesame Street that air in countries experiencing violence and other children’s media, students will consider the impact of violence/trauma on neurological, cognitive and socioemotional functioning.

Incarceration, Pamela Schuetze Ph.D.

Sample module-themed coursework with Sesame Street examples

In this module, students will consider how having an incarcerated parent impacts children. Using clips from Sesame Street, students will consider how children cope with and understand having an incarcerated parent. Students will also how having an incarcerated parenting impacts socioemotional development.

Sesame Street Seminar – Autism Spectrum Disorders, Kathy R. Doody Ph.D

Sample module-themed coursework with Sesame Street examples

This module will provide an overview of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The module will also provide insight into how Sesame Street has raised awareness and acceptance of ASD through a Muppet named Julia who is on the spectrum.

Death & Dying, Jill M. Swirsky Ph.D

Sample module-themed coursework with Sesame Street examples

In this module, students will consider how to discuss the difficult topic of death and dying with children. Using clips from Sesame Street and other children’s media, students will consider children’s cognitive capacity related to their ability to understand the concept of death. They will also learn about the role of parents in using children’s media as a teaching tool.

Fine And Gross Motor (Physical Domain), Kathy R. Doody Ph.D.

Sample module-themed coursework with Sesame Street examples

This module will provide an overview of the physical domain in early childhood, specifically, fine motor(small muscles such as those found in the hands and fingers) and gross motor (large muscles such as those found in arms, legs,and core) and its development. The module will also provide insight into how Sesame Street has stressed the importance of physical activity to young children, as well as how they have provided age appropriate activities,songs, and video segments to teach fine and gross motor skill development.

Parenting, Pamela Schuetze Ph.D.

Sample module-themed coursework with Sesame Street examples

In this module, students will consider various aspects of parenting impact children. Using clips from Sesame Street, students will consider how parenting decisions and communication may impact child development. Students will also explore parenting resources developed by Sesame Worksheet to support and educate the parents of young children.

Language Development, Susan Geffen Ph.D.

Sample module-themed coursework with Sesame Street examples

This module will explore the various aspects of language development (phonetics, syntax,semantics and pragmatics). Using topical readings and clips from Sesame Street, students will consider the steps involved in learning language (e.g., learning word-object pairings), cues available in daily language, and techniques that parents and teachers can use to help children acquire language.

Executive Function, Susan Geffen Ph.D.

Sample module-themed coursework with Sesame Street examples

This module will explore the various aspects of executive function (inhibition, cognitive flexibility, working memory). Students will use topical readings and Sesame Street video clips to explore how executive function develops throughout childhood and adolescence, common methods for studying executive function (e.g., Stroop task, marshmallow task), and techniques that parents and teachers can use to help children develop executive function skills.

School Readiness (Behavior), Kathy R. Doody Ph.D.

Sample module-themed coursework with Sesame Street examples

This module will provide an overview of the social-emotional and adaptive skills required for kindergarten success. The module will also provide insight into how Sesame Street has prepared children for their first days of preschool or kindergarten and all that entails: following the rules, playing with others, taking turns, etc.

Cognition, Susan Geffen Ph.D.

Sample module-themed coursework with Sesame Street examples

This module will explore various aspects of cognition, including such processes as memory, learning, attention, perception and problem-solving. Students will use topical readings and Sesame Street video clips to learn about the processes by which children acquire, integrate, and understand information about the world around them.

Social-Emotional Development, Lisa Timmons Ph.D.

Sample module-themed coursework with Sesame Street examples

In this module, students will consider the importance of fostering social and emotional skills (e.g., emotion regulation, how to positively initiate and maintain interactions with others) in early childhood and beyond. Students will discuss strategies used to teach social and emotional skills which can be used by parents, teachers, or other child development professionals. Students will specifically reflect on the potential value and impact of focusing on social and emotional skills in child-targeted media, such as Sesame Street.

Impact Teacher Perceptions Of Distance Education As A Strategy For Formal Education During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Monica Morgan

Student Research Poster Presentations 2022

Students cannot be successful if their basic needs are not met. Distance education led to many hurdles, especially for low-income families, including lack of access to the internet and required technology, inadequate home learning environment, and restricted human interaction. These hurdles may negatively impact teacher perceptions of distance education as a strategy for formal education.

Molly And The Mathematical Mysteries: Ten Interactive Adventures In Mathematical Wonderland, B P. Barger, P Bloem, D W. Cueto, A Francis, J Graff, N Johnson, Sara K. Parrish, I Larison, W Stephens

2022 Faculty Bibliography

No abstract provided.

The Therapeutic Benefits Of Children’S Literature: Responding Through Making Art And Writing Stories, Janae Dueck

Art Therapy | Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the use of a children's book followed by the application of the Draw A Story (DAS) art therapy assessment tool by Rawley Silver (1988). The study takes place in three elementary school classrooms located in the greater Bay Area region. Previous literature addresses the historical uses of children’s books and their potential to offer therapeutic benefit to young readers. Through a quasi-experimental, one-group posttest only design, eighteen second to third grade level students were asked to reflect on a children’s book by writing a story of their own. Participants were between the ages of seven and nine, …

Maternal Literacy Practices And Beliefs Impact Infant Development, Deirdre Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

Infancy is a pivotal time in the development of a human’s cognitive ability. There is a lack of research in this area, specifically on mothers and their beliefs about literacy practices and the home learning environment. By utilizing Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, this study explores the beliefs of mothers and how they impact the infants’ preliteracy skills and knowledge, which are paramount to success in kindergarten and beyond. Using a phenomenological study, the researcher interviewed mothers on their views of literacy, their infant’s home learning environment, and how they perceive their culture and mothering style impact their infants.

Social Emotional Learning: Narrative Growth, Christine Alexandra Biskup

Theses and Dissertations

From an early age, we engage in building our narrative language through social interactions. These narrative language skills influence academic success. Many educational establishments focus solely on academic achievement. A focus on supporting emotional intelligence that can support narrative language development is imperative. In this ethnography study, students were taught feeling words lessons from RULER, a social-emotional learning curriculum. Using observations and interviews, I sought to understand how early childhood students apply emotional feeling words into their narrative language. By using inductive analysis and conducting interviews with the students, I coded data to narrate my research question to assist with …

Progressive Virtual Learning For Our Youngest Learners, Erica B. Held

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This study addresses how teachers build a progressive curriculum online for our youngest learners.

Searching For Mental Health Services: Search Strings And Information Acquisition, Antover Tuliao, Natira D. Mullet, Lindsey G. Hawkins, Derek Holyoak, Marisa Weerts, Anthony Inyang

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Based on decision sciences and information processing theories, how information is acquired is the foundation of decisions and choices subsequently made. Adapting the Active Information Search methodology, the aim for this study is to examine what information potential mental health clients look for in a service provider through their use of search strings. College students (N = 519) from a large public university from the southwest USA (data collection from August to December 2018) were asked in an online survey to imagine themselves needing mental health services and list down the search string they would use in a search engine …

Nebline, January/February 2022

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

2021 Extension Highlights

Your Trusted Educational Resource

4-H Programs Engaged 24,313 Youth

A New Year, A New You, A Renewed Community by Emily Gratopp

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Extension’s 2022 Master Gardener Training, Two Sites Available

Upcoming Green Industry Conferences

ProHort Lawn & Landscape Update

2022 Pesticide Applicator Trainings

Crop Production Clinics In-Person and Zoom

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Phil Wharton and Jenny DeBuhr

Watch Chicks Hatch on Egg Cam

4-H Rabbit Show, March 19

Dog Club Accepting New Members, Starts Jan. 10

4-H Club Gives Youth With Special Needs Opportunity to Show Lambs

4-H Announcements …

Early Numeracy Development And Instruction, Karise Mace, Michele White

Education Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Embracing The Reggio Emilia Approach To Early Childhood Education, Tarabeth Brumfield Heineman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Each year, hundreds of early childhood educators from the many parts of the world travel to a small town in the northern part of Italy to study the arts-based, project focused, a child-initiated method known as the Reggio Emilia approach. This unique approach focuses on infant-toddler through preschool and primary education. While teachers are engaged in professional learning and growth, it is hard to determine how many early childhood programs and classrooms are truly influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach. The purpose of this study was to explore and examine the experiences of five teachers from West Virginia who have …

The Fusion Between Differentiated Instruction And Social-Emotional Learning In Early Childhood Development And Education, Brianna Perry

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis introduces a novel application of the fusion between Differentiated Instruction (DI) and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) as a needed and reciprocal relationship in the early childhood classroom. DI is an approach to teaching that aims to tailor the teacher’s instruction to the individual needs of each child. Instruction, content, and students' expression of knowledge can each be differentiated. Differentiation itself is a vast topic that begs to be narrowed and balanced. Some teachers experience obstacles to differentiation or struggle to efficiently differentiate their classroom. In an attempt to solve this phenomenon, this thesis explored DI and specifically its …

Risk And Protective Factors For Sexual Aggression Across The Ecosystem: An Overview, Emily A. Waterman, Katie M. Edwards

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Prevention of sexual aggression (which ranges from perpetration of unwanted sexual contact to attempted/completed rape) is a complex public health and safety issue that requires attention to multiple levels of social ecology (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004). The social ecological model provides a framework for understanding how risk and protective factors for sexual aggression exist at multiple levels, with some factors being more proximal such as the individual attitudes, and other factors being more distal such as the broader culture (e.g., laws and policies) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Indeed, research indicates a variety of risk …

How Do Parents Of Typically Developing Children Perceive And Interact With Children With Exceptionalities?, Zurisaday N. Decker

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to examine how parents with children displaying typical development, perceive and interact with children who have exceptionalities or disabilities and explore parents’ openness to having discussions about exceptional children in inclusive classrooms. Given that parents function as foundational sources of knowledge to children in their early childhood years, understanding parents’ perceptions of and interactions with children with disabilities may help to understand how these parents’ children will, in-turn, perceive and interact with classroom peers with disabilities. This line of inquiry is supported by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, which views microsystems such as the family, …

Collaborating In Crisis: A Case Study On The Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Georgia Pre-Kindergarten Program Providers, Arlene Charles

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Utilizing a mixed methods approach, this case study explores the level of resiliency demonstrated by Georgia Pre-kindergarten providers while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic based on surveys, interviews, and a review of publicly available information. Quantitative methods were used to identify the cases and to further assess organizational resiliency based on fiscal and enrollment indicators. Case study methodology was utilized to compare two Georgia Pre-kindergarten providers with different business types within two counties with vastly different socioeconomic poverty. Although the programs have access to similar resources, the non-profit entity was better prepared to continue serving students than the for-profit entity. The …

Trauma-Informed Educational Practices In The Middle School Classroom During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Loralynne Yost

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This collective case study used a mixed methods approach to examine how Trauma-Informed Educational Practices (TIEP) manifest in the middle school classroom. This study is important due to the trauma students experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teacher participants had district training in trauma-informed practices prior to this study.

Teacher participants took an initial survey to capture their conceptualization and perceived usage of the TIEP in the classroom. Teachers then used TIEP in their classrooms for two weeks. Teachers kept a checklist of which of the TIEP they used each day and commented on the context for the use of the …

Informal And Formal Mentoring Of Sexual And Gender Minority Youth: A Systematic Review, Katie Edwards, Jillian R. Scheer, Victoria Mauer

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Research demonstrates that mentoring relationships can promote positive outcomes for youth across numerous domains, a topic of importance to school social workers. Whereas most mentoring research to date has been conducted with heterosexual cisgender youth, there is a growing body of literature that examines mentoring experiences among sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY). The purpose of this article is to conduct a systematic literature review of informal and formal mentoring experiences among SGMY. Results from twelve studies that met inclusion criteria suggested that (1) the majority of SGMY report having a mentor/role model; (2) demographics are generally unrelated to having …