Preschool

Core Knowledge in Preschool Project (CKP)

CKP Project focuses on the efficacy of the Core Knowledge in Preschool Program in promoting the math and science education of children who are at risk of socioeconomic disadvantage.

Kids in Columbus Study (KICS)

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.

Franklin County Early Care and Education Landscape Study

The Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy is partnering with the City of Columbus and Future Ready Columbus to conduct a study on the Early Care and Education Landscape in Franklin County (“Landscape Study”). The Landscape Study aims to identify salient early care and education experiences for children under the age of five in Franklin County. This includes participation in formal and informal care arrangements, caregiver beliefs and practices, and home learning activities and experience. The study also hopes to identify barriers and enablers to early care and education for families in the Columbus area.

“Don’t Look Away” book study with Schoenbaum Family Center

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.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Using technology to measure child-directed speech

New research employed machine learning to develop, validate, and test an automatized system in order to identify child-directed speech occurring in a preschool classroom environment. Read on to learn more about the findings and possible action steps.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Perceptions of early childhood teachers’ literacy instruction – differences between observers and the teachers themselves

New research shows that observations of early childhood classrooms, often required by state regulatory systems, show differences between a teacher's perceptions of their own literacy instruction and what is seen by observers. Read on to learn more about the findings and possible action steps.

PEACh: Preschoolers’ Experiences and Activities in Childcare

The Preschoolers’ Experiences and Activities in Childcare project (PEACh) examines how preschool classrooms shape children's experiences and social development.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: Closing the research-to-practice gap in early childhood special education classrooms

This Crane study examines the persisting research-to-practice gap for teachers in early childhood special education classrooms, specifically for children with autism spectrum disorder. Read more about the study’s findings and ideas on how to close this gap.

It’s a struggle: Transitioning children into kindergarten

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.

ProPELL: Promoting Preschoolers’ Early Language Learning

The Crane Center's Promoting Preschoolers’ Early Language Learning (ProPELL) project is an IES-funded project designed to investigate preschoolers’ early language learning. This project is done in partnership with colleagues from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.