Our Work
Our work is focused on evidence-informed practices that make a positive difference in the lives of young children and in the lives of their families and caregivers. Our university-wide transdisciplinary approach considers the whole child, from birth to age five, in the context of their families and communities.
Our Work
Our work is focused on evidence-informed practices that make a positive difference in the lives of young children, and in the lives of their families and caregivers. Our University-wide transdisciplinary approach considers the whole child, from birth to age five, in the context of their families and communities.
Focus Areas
Embedded Instruction for Early Learning
Embedded Instruction for Early Learning applies the 3R’s of Early Learning and is used to help children learn important skills during everyday activities with familiar people at home, in early learning programs and in the community.
BEST in CLASS
BEST in CLASS focuses on enhancing practitioners’ and caregivers’ use of supportive practices to teach young children important social-emotional skills within everyday learning opportunities.
Professional Development/ Practice-Based Coaching
Practice-based coaching (PBC) helps people learn what to do and say to support young children’s development and learning and their families. Our research focuses on how PBC supports positive outcomes for those who interact regularly with young children.
Data-Informed Policymaking
Data-informed policymaking is using information to help make decisions that guide services and supports for young children and their families. When informed by data, policymaking improves services and outcomes for young children and their families and helps make sure funding and resources are used equitably.
Community and Collective Impact
The Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies partners with community individuals and organizations using a collective impact approach to support young children and their families. Through our collaborations, we help build and support partnerships in our community to achieve shared goals leading to improved outcomes for young children and their families.
Pyramid Model
The Pyramid Model for Supporting Social-Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children is a multi-tiered framework that organizes effective practices to support young children’s social-emotional competence and prevent or address challenging behavior. Our faculty have been collaborators on training and technical assistance, including practice-based coaching supports for implementation, development and validation of instruments to measure practice use and examinations of effects.
Real-world Application
Our work is not conducted in laboratories; it happens in homes and community-based settings with families, practitioners and young children.
Center members work to develop and maintain strong research, policy and practice collaborations with other nationally recognized researchers, centers and programs. These partnerships create a collective impact that benefit those involved in early childhood.
Research is shared in a variety of ways, including publications and presentations, community outreach, technical assistance and professional development activities. We are committed to putting research into action by translating Center findings in ways to help inform and transform practices in early childhood studies.