Good Essay On Current Research In Early Childhood

Research plays an important role in informing the practitioners and policymakers in childhood education so they would be able to make appropriate decisions to address the situations, issues, or problems faced by families and their children (NAEYC, n.d.). Furthermore, another important point gleaned from the NAEYC’s definition of research is the contribution of research studies in the modernization of early childhood education that responds to contemporary issues, situations, and challenges (NAEYC). The ongoing research being conducted by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the United States is an example of a research that contributes to policies and practices in early childhood education. The ACF’s research is a six-year longitudinal study that aims to evaluate the impact of Early Head Start programs on children (Vogel et al., 2015).
Vogel et al’s (2015) research for the ACF yielded various findings. Three of these findings include the flexibility of Early Head Start programs to suit families varied situations, the arrangement or structure of Early Head Start programs bring about different results, and the involvement of parents and early childhood learning at home contributes to children’s cognitive and physical development. The results of the Vogel et al.’s research show the strengths and advantages, as well as the weaknesses of Early Head Start programs. The first point raised was that Early Head Start programs are flexible because they may be administered at home or in the classroom. Thus, these programs offer different arrangements that suit the unique situation of families. Another point raised in the article was the varied results or outcomes of Early Head Start programs. Programs administered at home, for instance, develop children’s engagement and fosters the child’s relationship with family. On the other hand, programs administered in the classroom contribute to the child’s emotional and behavioral development. The third point raised in the research underscore the importance of parental involvement in children’s cognitive and physical development.
The outcomes of Vogel et al.’s (2015) research for ACF illustrate the strengths of Early Head Start programs but also indicate these programs’ weaknesses that may be improved through project development and changes or alterations in existing programs towards the goal of improving learning outcomes for early childhood learners. In addition, the research also encourages parental involvement in improving outcomes of early childhood learners.

References

NAEYC. (n.d.). Using early childhood research. Retrieved from: http://www.naeyc.org/research/using
Vogel, C. A., Caronongan, P., Thomas, J., Bandel, E., Xue, Y., Henke, J., Aikens, N., Boller, K. & Murphy, L. (2015). Toddlers in early head start: A portrait of 2-year-olds, their families, and the programs serving them. Vol 1: Age 2 Report. Mathematica Policy Research. Retrieved from: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/baby_faces_age_2_report_final_clean_2_3_15.pdf