Support young children during their transition to kindergarten through these resources for researchers, parents, and providers.

Kids in Columbus Study (KICS) investigates how families with young children, specifically those living in low-income households, access and use community resources that are funded each year by the city of Columbus.

A survey taken by early-childhood professionals demonstrated that educators, on average, are moderately racially conscious, meaning they understand that children of color experience racism. The “Don’t Look Away” book study sought to address issues of bias and increase awareness around anti-bias practices within the classroom. This white paper research shows an increase in posttest data from the baseline after participants completed the study.

In this white paper, Crane researchers assessed the effectiveness of the Nemours Bright Start! program on children’s language and literacy skills.

A recent questionnaire surveying kindergarten teachers found that a majority (72%) said children had difficulty in the transition to kindergarten, with boys and children with IEPs more likely to have difficulty. This white paper shares research about children’s kindergarten transitions and key recommendations for policymakers, researchers and practitioners.

This white paper shares valuable insights and perceptions from student parents, documenting their experiences regarding their campus climate, as well as share ideas and recommendations for improving campuses for this growing student population.

Recognizing the potential growing crisis for Ohio families from the coronavirus pandemic, our researchers designed a rapid-response study of family conditions during COVID-19. This white paper shares their preliminary findings offer valuable information about the social, economic, and psychosocial impacts.

With more children attending pre-kindergarten and expectations that children be “kindergarten ready,” concerns have emerged that preschools may be too academic in nature. This white paper attempts to shed light on these questions and offers valuable information in the conversation regarding play and academics in pre-K.

By July 2020, Ohio’s childcare providers who accept publicly funded child care (PFCC) dollars must be star-rated through the state’s quality rating and improvement system, Step Up to Quality. To learn more about these providers’ plans for the future, and to shed light on possible challenges they might be facing, Crane researchers sent out a statewide survey.

By 2020, any Ohio child care provider accepting Publicly Funded Child Care subsidies must enter into Ohio’s quality rating and improvement system. This paper examines the availability of child care and explores how this landscape may change, examining the locations most at risk for losing child care sites and highlighting possible deserts.

Ohio has used the KRA, a statewide measure of school readiness that is aligned to the state’s early learning and development standards, since 2014. The measure is intended to help guide kindergarten teachers as they teach children of varying school readiness levels. Our authors examined whether the KRA predicted later reading success.

For many children, kindergarten is their official entrance into formal schooling. Although many children participate in preschool programs or child care, often kindergarten is the first setting in which academic skills are explicitly targeted. Many foundational academic skills are targeted within kindergarten programs, although reading-related skills have received the greatest attention in recent years.