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CEP team at the ASU campus in Tempe, AZ

As we reflect on 2022 and look ahead to 2023, we’re proud of the strides we've made alongside our partners and humbled by the work left to be done to ensure fair and equitable systems for young children and their families. This year, we grew our team, launched a new cohort of Start with Equity Fellows, published and disseminated nine major reports, and worked with states and communities across the country to advance equity in learning systems.

We’re ready for 2023 and hope everyone enjoyed the holidays with loved ones, Happy New Year! View Full Newsletter.

2022 Children's Equity Project Retreat

The CEP recently gathered at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ to have its inaugural strategic planning retreat where we had an extraordinary time deciding the best ways to continue our mission of advancing equity for all children. We can't wait to share all that we have in store for 2023!

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Reports Released in 2022

Building Supply, Enhancing Quality, and Advancing Equity: The Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Series

A new set of briefs published by the Children’s Equity Project, in partnership with the Bipartisan Policy Center and Start Early. The series highlights the promising work of the EHS-CCPs to date, particularly related to pandemic recovery and stabilization, and highlights the many roles that states can play in establishing and expanding their own EHS-CCPs, including by using Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five funding and aligning CCDF quality funding with supports needed to implement the Early Head Start model.

A Holistic Approach to Ending Exclusionary Discipline for Young Learner's: A Review of the Data, Research, and Multidimensional Solutions

Data showed that exclusionary discipline starts early, happens often, and is consistently disproportionately applied to Black children, children with disabilities, and boys. This issue has been the topic of much discussion and policy movement over the last decade since federal preschool suspension data were first published showing high rates and stark disparities.

Using ARPA to Grow Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Systems: A State, Tribe, and Territory Decision Maker's Guide

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultations are a preventative mental health intervention that focuses on the child, family, and staff's well-being, and builds the capacities of early childhood programs to address mental health issues and promote wellness.

Equity is Quality, Quality is Equity: Operationalizing Equity in Quality Rating and Improvement Systems

A robust research base indicates the importance of high-quality early care and education in relation to long-term health, education, and employment outcomes. The concept of “quality” in these programs has been the focus of much attention and resources, particularly over the last decade. This report addresses a fundamental content flaw in QRISs by operationalizing equity indicators. These indicators are grounded and organized by the CEP’s 14 priorities to advance equity in early care and education systems, published in a 2020 report, in partnership with 8 national organizations.

Advancing Equity through Head Start's Program Information Report

Head Start has a long-standing commitment to serving children from under-resourced communities, and since its inception, has served over one million children and their families through early education and related services. Head Start must operationalize equity in its data systems, including in and starting with the Program Information Report (PIR). This brief provides actionable recommendations to embed equity in the Head Start PIR to enable a greater understanding of equitable and positive experiences for children served.

10 Ways the Biden Administration Can Advance Equity for Young Learners Today

Children deserve urgency. So, as the country waits to see if current efforts to build a universal early care and education system in the United States finally succeed, there are several actions the executive branch can take to advance equity in early learning systems now and improve the conditions in which children are learning tomorrow, and importantly, to prepare a stronger foundation for the possibility of a much improved, universally accessible system in the future.

Beyond Castañeda and the “Language Barrier” Ideology: Young Children and their Right to Bilingualism

CEP partner Dr. Dina Castro and CEP founder Dr. Shantel Meek published a new article in Language Policy that discusses the importance of the Castañeda v. Pickard landmark case in advancing equitable education for English learners in law. The article focuses on building on and beyond Castañeda, with a central focus on the early care and education system.

Children’s Social-Emotional Development and Mental Health: Why Does It Matter?

Dr. Meek and CEP partner Dr. Iruka, alongside other early childhood experts, participated in a new video published by the Children’s Bureau at the Administration for Children and Families highlighting the importance of social-emotional development. The video spotlights the importance of integrating support for the social-emotional development of young children and the well-being of their caregivers into all child- and family-serving programs.

Gaps in Framing and Naming: Commentary to “A Viewpoint on Accent Services”

Dr. Xigrid Boykin co-authored a paper that focused on linguistic justice in the field of speech-language pathology. It was published in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology.

EHS-CCP Webinar Series in partnership with the Bipartisan Policy Center and Start Early

Join us on January 23, 2023, from 1:00-2:00 PM MT for part one of the EHS-CCP Webinar Series! The Children's Equity Project, in partnership with the Bipartisan Policy Center and Start Early, will be collaborating on the EHS-CCP Series Webinar where we'll be diving deeper into the published “Building Supply, Enhancing Quality, and Advancing Equity: The Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership Series”.

Topics will range from what the partnerships are, how they came to be, and actionable policy recommendations across all levels of government to establish and grow EHS-CCPs.

REGISTER NOW!

New CEP Team Members in 2022

This year, our team welcomed a few new faces, check out our full team HERE.

Dr. Tunette Powell
Assistant Research Professor & Director of K-12 Education

Dr. Powell is a national expert, leader, published author, and speaker on educational equity. She has appeared on Oprah’s Lifeclass, NPR, CNN, and MSNBC. Dr. Powell earned her Ph.D. in Education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Dr. Rosemarie Allen
Associate Research Professor & Senior Advisor 

Dr. Allen is a national expert and leader in advancing racial equity in early childhood. Dr. Allen earned her Ph.D. in Leadership for Equity in Education from the University of Colorado, Denver.

Mario Cardona, JD
Professor of Practice & Director of Policy

Mario Cardona is a national expert in early learning and K-12 education policy. Cardona earned a Master’s degree in Education from Harvard University, and a Juris Doctorate with honors, from the George Washington University Law School.

Dr. Eric Bucher
Assistant Research Professor

Dr. Bucher has been dedicated to strengthening quality and equitable early learning opportunities for our youngest learners. Dr. Bucher is a first-generation college graduate and holds a Doctorate of Education in Leadership & Innovation from Arizona State University.

Afua Ameley-Quaye
Graduate Research Assistant

Afua is a doctoral student at the Design School at Arizona State University. Afua’s research and practice have been at the intersection of Architecture and Early Childhood Education in developing countries. 

Cinthia Palomino
Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Cinthia was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. She is on the cusp of completing her EdS and Ph.D. in the School of Psychology Program at the University of Washington.

Eric Martinez
Communications Specialist

Eric Martinez is a second-generation college graduate who possesses a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Washington State University.

Dr. Iheoma U. Iruka
Senior Advisor

Dr. Iruka is one of the nation's foremost leaders and experts on early childhood equity issues.

Learn more about The Children's Equity Project Team HERE.

Start with Equity Fellows

The CEP launched the second cohort of Start with Equity Fellows this year, with generous funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation 

Diana Lucía Abarca
Communication Science & Disorders, Florida State University

Diana Lucía Abarca is a doctoral student in Communication Science and Disorders at Florida State University and a practicing early intervention speech-language pathologist in Tallahassee, Florida.

Amanda LaTasha Armstrong
College of Health, Education, & Social Transformation, New Mexico State University

Amanda LaTasha Armstrong is a doctoral candidate at New Mexico State Universities' (NMSU's) College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation.

Ashley Watts
School of Sciences, Mathematics, & Education, Marymount University Arlington

Ashley Watts is a doctoral student earning her doctorate degree in Leadership and Organizational Innovation from Marymount University Arlington.

Carlos Pérez Valle
Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, McGill University

Carlos Pérez Valle is a doctoral student in Communication Sciences & Disorders at McGill University in Montréal.

Brandy Locchetta
Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University

Briana Bostic is a doctoral student at The Johns Hopkins School of Education currently researching the relationship between school climate and student discipline outcomes in early care and education settings.

Ozden Pinar-Irmak
Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Massachusetts Boston

Ozden Pinar-Irmak is a doctoral candidate and teaching fellow in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Learn more about our 2022 fellows and the Start With Equity Fellowship Program HERE.

New Social Media Platforms

The CEP is excited to announce new social media platforms via LinkedIn, Facebook, and our very own blog! Click below and follow us to stay up to date on everything CEP related!

CEP Facebook

CEP Blog

CEP LinkedIn

Dr. Evandra Catherine’s Named the Foundation for Child Development Young Scholar 

In March, Dr. Evandra Catherine was awarded a $225,000 grant by the Foundation for Child Development’s Young Scholars Program (YSP). YSP funds implementation research that is policy- and practice-relevant and that examines the preparation, competency, compensation, well-being, and ongoing professional learning of the early care and education (ECE) workforce. Dr. Catherine will complete a mixed-methods study to describe the ways early childhood mental health consultants encourage teachers who work with culturally and linguistically diverse children to engage in cultural approaches, how teachers perceive these cultural approaches, and whether these practices improve teachers' equitable interactions in early care and learning environments

Events & Webinars

Should Suspensions And Expulsions Of Preschool Children Be Banned?

Dr. Shantel Meek and Dr. Tunette Powell were interviewed on KPCC radio about preschool suspensions and expulsions. The two discussed the causes and effects of early exclusionary discipline and how states and communities can partner with families and advocates to change policy and promote optimal development.

TED Talk: What if Schools Are The Source of Trauma?

In her latest TEDx talk, the CEP’s Dr. Rosemarie Allen discusses how schools can sometimes be the source of childhood trauma. So often, schools look at homes, families, and their communities as the source of trauma. Today, Dr. Allen highlights the traumatic experiences that can be experienced in school settings and emphasize the importance of creating antibias/antiracist school practices.

The CEP & Dual Language Learner Celebration Week

Dr. Xigrid Soto-Boykin represented the CEP during the 2022 Dual Language Learner Celebration Week in partnership with the Office of Head Start's National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning. She focused on how to reframe inclusion in a way that supports both the language and overall developmental needs of children with disabilities who are also DLLs.

National Research Conference on Early Childhood 2022 (NRCEC 2022)

Dr. Shantel Meek presents the inadequacies of early child care and how the pandemic exposed many aspects in which our child care infrastructure is greatly lacking in.

Training & Technical Assistance

National TA Center for PDG B-5

The CEP partnered with the National TA Center for Preschool Development Grants Birth Through Five (PDG B–5) to facilitate a three-part series focused on supporting states to advance equity in their ECE systems, using the 14 Priorities framework. The CEP's Dr. Shantel Meek, Dr. Iheoma Iruka, Dr. Darielle Blevins, Dr. Eric Bucher, and Dr. Xigrid Soto-Boykin led an introductory webinar, state team workshops, and office hours to help state leaders begin strategic planning for equity, leveraging funding, monitoring and accountability, workforce development, inclusion, discipline, and other areas of their early care and education system. Check out the recorded webinar HERE.

Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center

The Children's Equity Project is partnering with the Frank Porter Graham Institute at the University of North Carolina and other partners on the Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) Center for the next five-years to advance equity for young children with disabilities. The CEP will support ECTA's policy and system-building through its technical assistance activities and communities of practice. They also will co-develop and conceptualize an equity audit for state system leaders and a continuum of equity support for states as they move to strategic planning.

The Office of Head Start National Center on Early Childhood Development Teaching and Learning (DTL)

The CEP is leading a Start with Equity: From the Inside Out professional learning community (PLC) for Head Start Region 2 Training and Technical Assistance and Federal Staff. The purpose of the PLC is to strengthen the work of advancing equity for regional staff by embedding equity into TTA policies and practices.  The PLC meets monthly through May 2023. CEP's Lisa Gordon is leading this work. 

The CEP is leading the effort to revise the Framework for Effective Practice through an equity-focused lens. The revision centers equity throughout the framework that includes five integral elements of quality teaching and learning for children ages birth to 5. The revised framework will be completed in the first quarter of 2023. CEP's Lisa Gordon, Darielle Blivens, and Xigrid Soto-Boykin are co-leading this work. 

Center of Excellence (COE) for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC)

The CEP in partnership with the COE developed and launched a Bidirectional Technical Assistance (TA) Strategy in October.  The purpose of the Bidirectional TA Strategy is to expand the reach of technical assistance to build mental health consultation systems through a targeted approach to ensure communities that are the most in need and those with the fewest resources and connections can be served. The CEP and COE will pilot the approach to selected communities beginning in January 2023.  

The CEP and COE launched a second cohort of the Equity in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation ECHO (Equity ECHO) this Fall. The Equity ECHO focuses on the revised IECMH Competencies to examine the consultant’s role in supporting equity in IECMHC.  The cohort of 40 IECHM consultants, supervisors, and program leaders will meet monthly through May 2023. 

Embedding Equity in Early Intervention Service Delivery

The CEP is collaborating with the Department of Health and Human Services in Montgomery County, MD’s Infant and Toddler Program (MCITP) to embed and promote equity in early intervention service delivery. The County’s system of early intervention services assists 5,000 children annually. The project includes an equity audit and the development of a strategic plan.

CEP in the News

The Century Foundation: It’s Essential That We Gather More Accurate Data on English Learners’ Diversity

March 23, 2022

CEP partner Dr. Conor WIlliams discusses the importance of gathering more accurate data on the diversity among students learning English as a second language.

The Century Foundation: How to Shift Early Education Toward Equity Now

March 23, 2022

CEP partner Dr. Conor Williams discusses ways to prioritize equity in early education today.

EdSource: California’s Subsidized Preschool Program May Expand to Toddlers

February 15, 2022

In this article, CEP founder Dr. Shantel Meek highlights the importance of prioritizing developmental appropriateness when considering expanding preschool programs to toddlers.

The Century Foundation: Keeping the Child Tax Credit UnconditionalBecause Children Don't Choose to Be Poor

February 8, 2022

CEP partner Dr. Conor Williams and CEP founder Dr. Shantel Meek advocate for making the Child Tax Credit unconditional.

The 74: Year-Round Schooling is Good for Working Families, but Making it Work for Kids Will be More Complicated

February 7, 2022

CEP partner Dr. Conor Williams discusses the impact year-round schooling has on young children.

EdSource: How Congress Can Help Students Learning English

January 24, 2022
 
CEP partner Dr. Conor Williams explores various solutions to help students learn English as a second language.

The Century Foundation: Improving Federal Policies for Measuring English Learners’ Progress

January 19, 2022

CEP partner Dr. Conor Williams addresses the need to improve federal policies to measure English learners’ progress.

The 74: How Educational Inequities Are Further Tearing Apart the Country

November 22, 2022

CEP Partner Dr. Conor WIlliams and CEP Founder Shantel Meek dive deep into educational inequities in America's public schools.

The Century Foundation: What’s the Point of Measuring Student Achievement?

June 7, 2022

CEP partner Dr. Conor Williams discusses how civil rights have impacted student testing.

The 74: As Tragedies Mount, We Wring Our Hands and Do Nothing

May 31, 2022
 
CEP partner Dr. Conor Williams explores the dual crisis of gun violence and impotent policymaking.

U.S. News: How to Choose a Preschool

May 27, 2022

In this article, CEP partner Dr. Iheoma Iruka is quoted offering guidance on choosing the best preschool for one's child.

The Century Foundation: Rebuilding Data—and Accountability—Systems for Tracking English Learners' Progress

April 12, 2022

CEP partner Dr. Conor Williams proposes exploring new accountability systems for tracking the progress of English Learners.

EdSource: California K-12 Enrollment Plunges Again, Falls Below 6 Million

April 11, 2022

In this article, CEP founder Dr. Shantel Meek shares her opinion on the declined enrollment numbers of kindergarten students.

The Century Foundation: How Texas Is Funding the Expansion of Dual Language Programs

March 24, 2022

CEP partner Dr. Conor Williams details how Texas a historic school finance bill to fund the expansion of its dual language programs.

What to Expect in 2023

Quality Indicators of Dual Language Immersion Early Childhood and Early Elementary Programs

As part of a Kellogg Grant in partnership with the Century Foundation, the CEP will be conducting focus groups and surveys with administrators of 15 public and private centers across the U.S. that provide dual language instruction to children in early childhood. This representative sample across programs will help us identify indicators of high-quality bilingual education in early childhood settings.

14 Priorities to Dismantle Systemic Racism in Early Care and Education/Companion Briefs Re-Release

In 2023 we'll be re-releasing the CEP's "14 Priorities to Dismantle Systemic Racism in Early Care and Education" report. We will also be publishing a set of new research briefs to accompany the report to further lay out the evidence underlying the 14 Priorities.

Mental Health during COVID-19: A Focus on ECE Professionals and the Young Children They Serve

In partnership with Yale University, the CEP is working on a report focused on the mental health status of Early Childhood Education (ECE) professionals and children attending ECE programs during the pandemic based on the Yale-CARES Survey results. This report will examine data across demographic groups, state lines, and with respect to broader policy contexts, and provide policy recommendations to support the mental health of the ECE workforce, children, and families.

Conceptualizing the Core Dimensions of Quality Elementary School Experiences

In 2023, as part of our Ideal Elementary School Project, we will publish a series of briefs on policy recommendations to advance the key principles of equitable, high-quality, effective elementary school environments. Recommendations will be informed by the research literature, data, conversations with school leaders, and brainstorming sessions we have been hosting with scholars from around the country to radically re-imagine kindergarten and the early grades. 

Reviewing State Legislation to Advance Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation

The CEP is partnering with Thriving Together to conduct a national scan of state policies that incentivize and advance infant and early childhood mental health consultation. The brief will result in a catalog of legislative approaches to inform states on expanding access to IECMHC and supporting young children’s social and emotional development.  

Discipline Series

The CEP will continue our work to eliminate harsh discipline in 2023, publishing a new set of briefs, hosting webinars, and working with states. We will be digging deeper into state policy trends, families’ perspectives on exclusionary discipline, and a focus on how harsh forms of discipline affect Black girls.

Thank you to our generous funders who make this work possible, particularly the Heising Simons Foundation, which has provided critical support since the inception of the CEP, and the Perigee Fund and Irving Harris Foundation, our newest funders in 2022.

CLICK HERE for a full list of the CEPs funders.