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Early childhood learning and development

For over three decades, the SRI Education early learning and development team has been working to improve the lives of young children and their families. We do this through conducting rigorous research and evaluation, providing technical assistance grounded in client needs and facilitating actionable strategic planning informed by our expertise. Our team is driven by an understanding of the importance of the early years and a passion to ensure all young children have the opportunity to thrive in school and in life. We strive to identify solutions to the challenges of inequitable opportunities and outcomes. 

About the program

SRI Education’s seminal work in early intervention and early childhood special education has shaped our broader approach to technical assistance and research and evaluation. At the systems level, we deliver technical assistance to support administrators and policymakers in building high-quality, accessible and equitable early childhood systems. We also collaborate with intervention developers and educators to select, adapt, implement and evaluate interventions that can promote learning and development across a range of domains. Our evaluations of statewide and local preschool programs highlight the importance of equitable access to high-quality early learning environments. And we develop innovative digital technologies to help young children learn and grow.  

Recent work

more +
  • Assisting Parents to Review Online Videos for Education (APPROVE)
    August 4, 2023

    Assisting Parents to Review Online Videos for Education (APPROVE)

    Researchers at SRI International developed an AI-powered YouTube filter that finds educational videos for kindergarten and prekindergarten children, including math videos and reading videos.

  • Early Childhood Classroom Observation (ECCO) Study
    August 1, 2023

    Early Childhood Classroom Observation (ECCO) Study

    SRI Education is conducting a study to better understand how video recordings can support measurement of high-quality instruction in preschool classrooms.

  • Child Find ACCESS: Advancing Community-Centered, Equity-Focused Child Find Systems & Supports
    April 4, 2022

    Child Find ACCESS: Advancing Community-Centered, Equity-Focused Child Find Systems & Supports

    For the Child Find ACCESS project, SRI Education is implementing a community-based, tailored approach to improving child find systems.

Early childhood care and education systems 

State and local agencies and community organizations are building comprehensive early childhood care and education systems that promote collaboration across the public and private sectors to support child development. To strengthen these systems, leaders need solutions that increase access to high-quality programs, ensure a well-supported workforce, promote evidence-based practices and enable all children to reach their full potential. 

SRI Education supports state, local and community leaders in building stronger systems. We build our partners’ capacity to collect and strategically use data, increase systems coordination through strategies such as coordinated eligibility and enrollment, facilitate family and community engagement, strengthen the workforce and evaluate the results of their work.  

Learn more about early childhood care and education systems 

Example projects  

  • Preschool Development Grants Birth Through Five (PDG B-5) TA Center 
  • Reducing Exclusionary Discipline in Arkansas Early Childhood Programs (ARISE) 

Implementation and impact of early learning programs  

As Head Start and state and local programs work to provide high-quality early learning opportunities for young children, program leaders need more information on which interventions are most effective and how they can be implemented with fidelity.  

SRI Education’s researchers combine deep content expertise with rigorous methods to provide our partners with practical information about how programs impact the development of young children, what components yield positive impacts and where those programs might be improved. 

Learn more about implementation and impact of early learning programs

Example projects  

  • Scaling Up Implementation of Pyramid Model in Preschool and Kindergarten Classrooms 
  • Virginia Preschool Initiative – Plus (VPI+)  
  • Midwest Expansion of the Child-Parent Center (CPC) Program Model Evaluation 

High-quality early learning environments 

Providing high-quality early care and education requires well-trained and well-supported educators as well as developmentally appropriate curricula. Early childhood programs also need support to build and sustain excellent and equitable early learning environments.  

SRI Education’s early learning and development team examines the effectiveness of professional development models and resources on classroom quality and teacher practices. We also use our expertise to improve existing measures and develop new measures to assess the quality of teaching practices.  

Learn more about high-quality early learning environments

Example projects  

  • Practice-Based Coaching on the Pyramid Model  
  • Collaborative Math 
  • Innovations in Early Mathematics Professional Development 

Young children with disabilities 

At SRI Education, we are committed to equitable access to educational experiences and positive outcomes for all young children with disabilities. Providing high-quality equitable services and supports requires a well-functioning state and local system, strong leadership and well-trained personnel.   

SRI Education applies our knowledge of child development, effective interventions and systems-building to conduct research and provide change-oriented technical assistance. Our research and evaluation projects examine what works, what does not and why at the child, program and system levels. Our technical assistance supports state agencies and other entities to examine and improve their systems through effective use of data. 

Learn more about young children with disabilities

Example projects  

  • The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy) 
  • Inclusion in California Early Learning and Care 
  • Child Find ACCESS 
  • Innovative Technology for Early Childhood Assessment (INTECA) 

Early learning digital media 

Young children spend a lot of time interacting with digital media such as games, apps and videos. Yet parents and early childhood educators often do not have clear information about whether digital media help or hinder children’s learning. 

SRI Education researchers are leading groundbreaking studies of how young children learn from digital media. Our results provide media developers with insights into how children engage with digital media and give parents and educators practical information about which media best support children’s learning. We also use our multidisciplinary expertise to develop innovative learning technologies for young children. 

Learn more about early learning digital media 

Example projects  

  • Evaluation of the Ready to Learn Initiative 
  • Next Generation Preschool Math 
  • Technology to Review Online Videos for Education 

Recent reports and publications

more +
  • June 20, 2023

    Reimagining Instructional Coaching: Developing Observation Tools to Support Instructional Coaching in Pre-K Classrooms

    Instructional coaching can improve teaching quality in early learning classrooms. SRI Education, in collaboration with Substantial and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, created a Target Product Profile detailing the ideal features of observation tools to support instructional coaching.

  • May 30, 2023

    Sound Town Evaluation Report

    Digital learning programs are a promising tool to support teachers in providing students with strong early literacy instruction, but more research is needed to understand their effectiveness. This report describes an experimental study that examined the impact of Sound Town, a digital early literacy program, on prekindergarten students’ early literacy skills.

  • May 12, 2023

    Maine Early Childhood Consultation Partnership® (ECCP®) Pilot Final Report

    SRI Education conducted an evaluation of a pilot implementation of an evidence-based, manualized model of infant and early childhood mental health consultation (IECMHC) that builds capacity of the early care and education workforce to address young children’s social-emotional and behavioral needs.

  • December 23, 2022

    CEE 101: An Introduction to Coordinated Eligibility

    We describe what CEE is, how to do it, what the benefits are, key decisions that must be made, and facilitators and barriers to implementation.

  • October 21, 2022

    Telepractice for Part C early intervention services: Considerations for effective implementation and Medicaid reimbursement

    The purpose of this report is to provide information about the use of telepractice as a delivery method for EI services and the process for Medicaid reimbursement.

  • August 23, 2022

    Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Predict Young Learner Online Learning Engagement

    This study examines an artificial intelligence (AI)- powered automated system that uses voice and facial recognition to track both teacher and learner speech, facial expressions, and interactions in real-time in a one-to-one 25-minute online English class.

Our experts in early childhood learning and development

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Erika Gaylor

Principal Senior Researcher and Early Childhood Program Leader, SRI Education

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Grace Kelley

Senior Principal Education Researcher, SRI Education

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Mandy Reeve

Senior Education Researcher, SRI Education

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Margaret Gillis

Principal Researcher, SRI Education

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Betsy Davies-Mercier

Senior Researcher, SRI Education

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Kirby A Chow

Senior Education Researcher, SRI Education

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Wei-Bing Chen

Senior Education Researcher, SRI Education

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Kathleen M. Hebbeler

Senior Principal Education Researcher, SRI Education

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Denise Mauzy

Project Manager & Technical Assistance Provider, SRI Education

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Cindy Weigel

Senior Technical Assistance Specialist, SRI Education

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Kathryn Morrison

Senior Education Researcher, SRI Education

Mary Lee Porterfield

Mary Lee Porterfield

Senior Education Researcher, SRI Education

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Todd A. Grindal

Co-Director, Center For Learning & Development, SRI Education

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