Projects

The purpose of this project was to provide technical assistance to the 619 Preschool Coordinator in carrying out the planning and execution of state level duties necessary to carrying out the State Performance Plan.

Existing guidelines and strategies for the prevention or reduction of obesity were developed from an evidence base of research that typically excluded participation by people with disabilities. This project is using a systematic approach to develop, identify, and adapt strategies and practices supporting participation of youth/young adults with disabilities in community-based obesity-prevention programs.

The purpose of this project is to establish the psychometric feature and instrument useability of a practitioner-administered observer impression scale assessment of preschool children’s peer-related social competence. The ratings for this scale are based on three 5-minute observations of preschool children engaging in social interaction with their peers. The information may be used for general assessment for all children, screening for children who may need support in establishing positive peer social competence, and progress monitoring. At the end of this project, a fully developed, psychometrically verified, and practical assessment of preschool children’s peer social competence, suitable for scaling up for program use, will be available to early childhood programs and practitioners.

Through the OJJDP FY 2021 Juvenile Justice Reform Initiative, the Impact Center at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (subcontractor and partner) will support Westat as the prime applicant, along with other project partners, to advance state level juvenile justice systems toward the adoption and delivery of evidence-supported practices stemming from a full system review, recommended modifications, capacity building where needed (or desired), and enhanced performance of chosen reforms.

Successful adoption, implementation, improvement, and scale of the Duke Endowment’s promising practice, the Rural Church Summer Literacy Program, holds the promise to combat learning loss in rural communities throughout North Carolina. As this initiative continues to grow to all rural counties in North Carolina, there is a need for an intermediary organization to provide dynamic, collaborative, and responsive support ultimately contributing to the impact and sustainability of the summer literacy program.

The aim of this research project is to investigate the relationships among housing stability, health and well-being, and climate change vulnerability. Findings will be shared with our community-both with people who experience homelessness and housing instability and with organizations and agencies working to serve those populations. The goal is that the research findings will advance racial and economic justice, not just in Orange and Durham Counties, but throughout the United States. As a nonprofit working toward systems change, these findings will influence the day-to-day programmatic work that CEF does and help to influence how CEF can use its person-centered approach while simultaneously steering members toward specific measures that increase stability.

The Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PATTN) EITA is seeking support for the capacity development of their systemic support staff in best practices of implementation science to support implementation of evidence-based practices with their participating early childhood providers. To support development of internal implementation capacity, the National Implementation Research Network proposes providing virtual training, coaching, and consultation supports.

The JOIN for ME program is a pediatric weight management intervention that can be delivered in community settings, with potential for national dissemination. We will package the JOIN for ME program to increase acceptability and feasibility for delivery in low-income communities and test implementation in two novel settings: the housing authority and the patient-centered medical home. The revised JOIN for ME package will be tested in a rigorous implementation study.

Black families of children with disabilities face additional stress and difficulties because of their multiple marginalized statuses, particularly within the intersection between racism and ableism. These parents and caregivers may be tasked with teaching and conveying messages to their children about how to navigate social settings, like school, as a Black child with a disability. According to the U.S. Department of Education (2018), among students ages 3 through 21 served in special education, less than one-fifth are Black/African American (17.7 percent), but Black/African American students with disabilities account for more than one third (36.6 percent) of individuals who experienced disciplinary removal. Ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) practices have been found to mitigate the effects of such discrimination on children’s development. They are defined as verbal and nonverbal racial communication between families of color and their children about cultural heritage and pride, preparing youth for racial bias, and promoting healthy distrust of the dominant racial/ethnic group. ERS practices promote academic engagement and achievement and serve as a protective factor among Black youth amid racist discrimination. Yet, little is known about what these practices may look like for Black children with disabilities as ERS practices have typically been studied among able-bodied children. Ultimately, findings from this study seek to serve as a resource to educators, researchers, and policy makers who work with or on behalf of Black families and their young children with disabilities to aid them in developing best practices that are rooted in anti-racism, anti-bias, and equity.

This project provided one of two interventions designed to promote children's early literacy development for the National Even Start Classroom Literacy Interventions and Outcomes study.

The National Implementation Research Network is partnering with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to integrate principles and frameworks of implementation science into their ongoing technical assistance, strategic support, and evaluation and monitoring of 23 local communities implementing evidence-based home visiting models with state and federal funds.

This project brings together six Educare Early Learning Network schools and collaborating local evaluation partners (LEPs), UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, and the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project at the University of Kansas in partnership to demonstrate the efficacy of implementing PC TALK, an early language intervention, to support the language learning of infants and young children with and at risk for disabilities. Designed to build the capacity of early educators and parents to promote communication opportunities and the development of infants and young children, the Promoting Communication Strategies will be embedded into randomly selected Educare classrooms across participating schools.

The National Implementation Research Network will partner with the Division of Child Welfare to develop a process and pilot to bring predictive analytics as a practice model to address reentry of children/youth to foster care. The desired outcome of these efforts is to reduce the number of children/youth requiring subsequent child welfare involvement and/or reentry into foster care.