News

Researchers have found a surprising way to help boost the skills of children with language impairment: Pay their parents to read to them. A new study tested four techniques to get parents or other caregivers to complete a 15-week literacy intervention for their children with language impairment. Only one of those techniques – paying parents 50 cents for each reading session – led to children showing significant gains in reading test scores, findings showed. “We were somewhat stunned to find that paying parents had this strong effect. We didn’t anticipate this,” said Laura Justice, lead author of the study, and professor... Read More

The new Weinland Park Collaborative Report summarizes the vital role that programs in early childhood education, quality child care and kindergarten readiness are playing in preparing young children for educational success within the context of a revitalized neighborhood. The report also recommends important public policy changes needed to sustain this progress for young children in Weinland Park and other neighborhoods with high levels of poverty. Read: The Role of Early Education in Neighborhood Revitalization Read More

A new $3.4 million 5-year grant from the Institute of Education Sciences to researchers Justice, Purtell, Logan, and Jiang will examine impacts of specific kindergarten-transition practices on children's academic and social-behavioral development during preschool, their adjustment to kindergarten, and their trajectories from preschool to the end of first grade. Over 1,000 preschool children will be followed from preschool to the end of the kindergarten year, and research results will fundamentally improve our understanding of how preschool and kindergarten teachers can facilitate children's kindergarten transition. CCEC researchers are actively recruiting Ohio-based preschool programs to serve as partners in this project, and will... Read More

When you support Ohio State's College of Education and Human Ecology's Day of Giving, you support kids like 5-year-old K’Shawn and his younger brothers. K’Shawn was barely verbal when he began attending the A. Sophie Rogers School for Early Learning, in the Schoenbaum Family Center. Quality instruction from teachers, language therapy and interaction with lots of kids changed that. But federal and state budget reductions mean that K’Shawn and others might not attend school this summer. Your gift will ensure that he and others continue to progress, and that the lessons that changed K’Shawn’s world won’t be disrupted. The 24-hour... Read More

The Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy’s Spring Distinguished Speaker Series event is Thursday, (3/8) at The Ohio Union Cartoon Room (3rd floor) from 2:30-4:00 p.m. with reception to follow. Now through Monday, (2/19), we invite poster submissions on topics related to enhancing the well-being of young children. We encourage students to consider this year's event theme, Factors that Promote or Impede Early Brain and Child Development, when crafting their poster. Event Details Date: Thursday, Mar. 8, 2:30 – 4 p.m. with reception to follow Venue: The Ohio Union Cartoon Room, 1739 N. High St, Columbus, OH Theme:... Read More

Our 2017 Symposium on Children began a year-long conversation on ways we can collectively help close the achievement and opportunity gap in early childhood education in Columbus and throughout Ohio. Our roundtable panelists (left) gave insights into how our policymakers are fighting for issues and investments that drive better outcomes for all Ohioans. Watch the videos below to capture the inspirations of the day if you missed them, or to recap the research presented by our guest speakers. Dr. Angel Harris Group Differences in Achievement - Are We Ready for True Dialogue Dr. Oscar Barbarin Promoting School Readiness of African... Read More

Crane Center Writing Group start up Interested in receiving constructive feedback from peers on your research paper? The Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy’s Writing Group provides an open forum for CCEC members to share empirical results and works in progress to further their dissemination skills. Meetings are Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. at the Schoenbaum Family Center. Sign up at the first fall meeting this Wednesday (8/23). Read More

The first national analysis of preschool absences has found that 12 percent of children in Head Start programs are chronically absent, a surprising fact usually overlooked by those interested in Head Start. The researchers also found that those children who miss 10 percent or more of the school year have fewer gains in academics, specifically math and literacy, than their peers who attend the same Head Start more regularly. Many researchers see high-quality preschool programs as a way to reduce long-term disparities in education. And many large investments are being made in early childhood programs such as Head Start, the... Read More

With the considerable interest in increasing access to quality early education and care to the young children of Columbus, CCEC researchers are studying the need and availability of these programs in the city. Their study examines the types and locations of available child care in terms of the quality, capacity, and location of programs within Franklin County. In total, they identified 630 early childhood education and care programs in neighborhoods served by Columbus City Schools. Each Figure 1. colored dot represents a child care program. The size of the dot represents the capacity of that particular program, with child care... Read More

Laura Justice, (middle) Educational Studies, received the 2017 Distinguished Scholar Award from the Office of Research. The university award recognizes faculty members whose scholarly activities and research have brought distinction to Ohio State. Justice will receive a $20,000 research grant and a $3,000 honorarium to pursue her research focused on young children struggling with language and literacy acquisition. She will receive her award at a spring ceremony. Read more. Read More