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Education & Human Development

Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood

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Projects

FCC Action Research Study

This project provides support and resources to FCC providers in two areas

his project provides support and resources to FCC providers in two areas.

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FCC Exit Study

This project seeks to understand why family child care centers and large family child care centers…

This project seeks to understand why family child care centers and large family child care centers have withdrawn from the Delaware Stars Quality Rating and Improvement System over time. Data collection involves surveys to gather information on providers’ reasons for previously joining Stars, supports they received, and challenges they encountered. In-depth interviews with a subset of providers aim to gather additional information on their perceptions of quality and experiences with Delaware Stars.

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National Survey Data

This project compares center-based early care and education (ECE) options…

This project compares center-based early care and education (ECE) options serving infants and toddlers in moderate- and high-poverty density areas across four program types (Early Head Start, subsidized centers, Public ECE, non-publicly funded ECE). Using the 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education, this study examines a broad set of workforce, classroom, and program features.

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Parent Reviews of Child Care

This project aims to examine parents’ satisfaction with and evaluation…

This project aims to examine parents’ satisfaction with and evaluation of their child care programs in Delaware. Google and Facebook consumer reviews posted between 2012 and 2019 are analyzed for 474 child care centers in Delaware. Public ratings are also compared with Delaware Stars Ratings to examine the alignment of ratings between consumers and Delaware Stars.

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Delaware Stars

The research and evaluation unit also analyzes and synthesizes data on regular basis…

The research and evaluation unit also analyzes and synthesizes data on regular basis, reporting on program information such as the numbers and breakdown of program types, star level movement, capacity, and enforcement action.

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Title for Pandemic-Related Research Block

The Research & Evaluation Unit tracks and reports on the status of Delaware Stars…

The Research & Evaluation Unit tracks and reports on the status of Delaware Stars programs as they open and close due to COVID-19. An additional survey project seeks to collect information on the learning impacts of COVID-19 on early childhood programs during the pandemic. Surveys are being used to gather information from administrators, family child care providers, and teachers on various topics related to workforce issues, supports, challenges, and barriers.

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Professional Development

The R&E unit also analyzes data from early childhood professionals across the state…

The R&E unit also analyzes data from early childhood professionals across the state, as it relates to workshop attendance, feedback and needs. A major component of this work involves providing and evaluating professional development training courses.

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Relative Care

This project is a program of the Department of Health and Social Services…

This project is a program of the Department of Health and Social Services, managed by the Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood (DIEEC). DIEEC provides professional development workshops for providers enrolled in this program. It was designed to educate Relative Care providers in theory and practice of early childhood education so they have the tools to provide quality childcare.

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The Family Map

This is a strengths-based assessment tool used by New Directions Early…

This is a strengths-based assessment tool used by New Directions Early Head Start. The Family Map collects information on a variety of topics from Early Head Start families. This data is used to help Home Visitors and Family Service Workers support families in setting and achieving their goals. It is also used to support program improvement initiatives.

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Motivation Interviewing

This project seeks to examine the implementation of motivational interviewing…

This project seeks to examine the implementation of motivational interviewing (MI) by Delaware Stars Technical Assistants to support quality improvement efforts of programs participating in the QRIS. Audio/video recordings and reflection sheets are utilized to document and assess fidelity and how motivational interviewing skills evolve over time.

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Cost of Quality Study

This project seeks to understand the cost of quality for early education…

This project seeks to understand the cost of quality for early education programs in Delaware by identifying key components of quality and estimating the cost of care and operations. Using data collected by the Delaware Department of Education, a summary of findings was presented in a brief for stakeholders along with recommendations for next steps.

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Delaware Institute for Excellence in Early Childhood
College of Education and Human Development
Delaware Department of Education
  • 501 S. College Ave., Newark, DE. 19716
  • ecinstitute@udel.edu
  • 302-831-3239

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