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:

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

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:

• 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 

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:

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

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:

• 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) 

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 helps or hinders 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:

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