Projects
Research is at the heart of all we do at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. As one of the nation's foremost multidisciplinary centers devoted to the study of children from infancy to adolescence, our scientists are committed to conducting research and evaluation studies that improve children's lives, support families, and inform public policy.
Learn more about our projects—current and completed—by clicking on the links below. And to stay up to date on news and events related to our work via social media, visit our Project Digital Directory.
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This project created More Than Baby Talk, a brief guide that describes ten practices that early childhood teachers can use to foster language and communication skills among infants and toddlers. The guidelines are based upon the latest research findings on optimal adult-child interactions for promoting strong language and communication skills among young children.
Through “Eat, Play, Move!” the FPG Child Care Program will educate and engage teachers, children, and families in nutritional practices that support children’s health and increase purposeful physical activity. Using affordable resources, intervention strategies will include targeted staff education, curriculum activities, and community collaborations. Activities will include applications of ChooseMyPlate and yoga practice.
This project will analyze the psychometric properties of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-3rd Edition (ECERS-3)—the latest version of the most widely used tool for assessing quality in early childhood classrooms—ensuring that it accurately measures program quality. Additionally, the project will establish an alternative scoring that will provide users with highly detailed and nuanced information about classrooms that can be used to better assess and support quality.
FPG statisticians will collaborate with Mathematica Policy Research and Child Trends to design a study to develop stronger instruments to measure child care quality for infants and toddlers.
The goals of this project were to: (1) develop a reliable and valid executive function (EF) battery for use with young children in the context of large-scale studies; (2) establish the psychometric properties of this battery; and (3) provide normative data on the battery in the context of an epidemiologically derived, racially and economically diverse sample of 600 children.
This study will examine the psychometric properties of the Reading-Tiered Fidelity Inventory (RTFI). RTFI was developed to document the levels of a tiered reading program in elementary and middle schools in Michigan. The UNC-CH team will provide factor analyses and other psychometric analyses of the data that the Michigan Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative collected. They will support the staff in developing evaluation skills they can apply to future projects.
This is a collaborative project with Michigan's Integrated Behavior and Learning Support Initiative (MIBLSI) to develop blended learning (lessons pairing eLearning modules and onsite training) for Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) within Michigan public school systems.
This is a collaborative project with Michigan’s MTSS Technical Assistance Center (MiMTSS) to develop blended learning (pairing data captured from eLearning and/or other activities with onsite training) to support Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) within Michigan public school districts.
This grant supports a staff person with early childhood expertise to assist the Mid-South Regional Resource Center's staff and states in providing technical assistance on issues related to early intervention and early childhood special education.
The FirstSchool team will deploy an online course to promote student communication in PreK through third grade education. Participants in the online course will include PreK through third grade teachers and administrators. The course will begin in September 2018 and conclude in May 2019.
This purpose of this project is to conduct an evaluation of Montana’s Maternal and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MECHV) Program. Major tasks to be completed include analysis of existing data, surveys of program staff, interviews with key stakeholders, and document reviews. The evaluation will contribute vital information related to home visiting programs within the early care and education system for policy makers, program administrators, and other stakeholders in Montana.
NCEDL was created to provide national leadership and advance knowledge in early childhood development and learning. It aimed to enhance cognitive, social and emotional development of children birth through eight years and to support families.
The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute is partnering with ZERO TO THREE to support the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning through four major activities: 1) building implementation science capacity; 2) designing and supporting a performance evaluation; 3) providing cross-sector partnership and leadership with activities conducted by the National Center; and 4) providing content area expertise.
NECTAC was supported by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) under the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). NECTAC served Part C-Infant and Toddlers with Disabilities Programs and Part B-Section 619 Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities in all 50 states and 10 jurisdictions to improve service systems and outcomes for children and families.
NPC worked to help local, state, and federal leaders develop high quality prekindergarten programs through research, policy analysis, communication, and technical assistance. Particular interests were finance, professional development, and governance.
The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder was created to promote the development and learning of individuals with ASD from birth to 22 years of age by increasing practitioners' use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in their programs and building states' capacity to implement EBPs.
The National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI) developed products and worked with states to ensure that early childhood teachers are prepared to educate and care for young children with disabilities in settings with their typically developing peers.
Natural Allies developed, implemented, evaluated, and disseminated a model to yield change and improve community college coursework and practical experiences related to serving young children with special needs in inclusive natural environments.
NC Early Intervention Technical Assistance and Professional Development Support (NC EI-TAPS) Project
Project staff will provide technical assistance to the Early Childhood Advisory Council in the state of New Hampshire. The primary outcome of this technical assistance is an operationalized strategic plan for developing a statewide comprehensive system of early learning and development, including all sectors of supports for young children and families including all services broadly related to health, education, disabilities, and social services.
New Voices is designed to develop, refine, demonstrate, and evaluate a professional development curriculum on cultural and linguistic diversity in early childhood with a special focus on Latino children and their families.
FPG provided support and expertise to the North Carolina Early Childhood Advisory Council (ECAC) and assisted the ECAC leadership in accomplishing its goals, including the implementation of the Early Learning Challenge grant. Specific expertise included the application of implementation science principles to early childhood efforts, the development of an integrated data system for young children, and assessment of young children.
