As Congress continues to push historic reforms to early childhood education towards the finish line, Start Early president Diana Rauner joined Drew Furedi, president and CEO of Para Los Niños and Alejandra Barraza, president of HighScope Educational Research Foundation for a conversation about early childhood development moderated by Mark Oppenheim.

All families need support

The panel also spend time talking about how every family needs foundational supports. Discussion included how families have never raised children by themselves—they’ve always relied on friends, supports and family to help them during this exciting and exhausting time.

But not every parent and caregiver has these supports, and children shouldn’t be punished. In our full-employment society, we must find a way for all children to be cared for in quality educational settings regardless of their location — be it a church basement, a child care center, an in-home provider or a preschool — so that parents can choose from developmentally appropriate, affordable and quality options.

Investing in what works

The panel ended with a great sports analogy by Drew Furedi, who shared that sports teams spend millions of dollars on scientific approaches that train and develop individual athletes. If we applied the same approach to develop each young person, we could gain so much—and we’re not talking millions of dollars per child.

We know what works. We have the answers. We just need to do it.

Breaking News – Potential Agreement on Build Back Better

On Thursday, Oct. 28, the White House announced a negotiated agreement on the Build Back Better Framework. The agreement contains sweeping investments and policy changes for child care and federal universal preschool. As we go to “print” at 7 p.m. Thursday night, it does not appear that a vote is imminent, but that could change. We will continue to closely monitor this situation and provide further details when they are available.

Trivia!

As we are likely approaching a second “unusual” legislative session (see more on that below), I got to thinking if there were points in history when the typical legislative schedule was adjusted to reflect world affairs. Specifically, I wondered whether the Washington State Legislature had a disrupted legislative session during World War II. Did the Washington Legislature make any adaptations during the Second World War?

Policy Updates

Transitions. Typically, resignations and retirements by elected officials tend to happen at the end of a two-year legislative session. However, this year is an anomaly, with several announcements. This week, Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman announced her resignation as of Nov. 19 to join President Joe Biden’s Administration as his Senior Election Security Lead. Governor Jay Inslee will select someone to fill the vacancy and, in November 2022, the voters will choose a candidate to finish out Secretary Wyman’s term which ends in 2024. According to an Oct. 26 tweet by NPR’s Austin Jenkins, the last time a statewide office appeared on a ballot during an “off year” was in 1975 due to another vacancy.

In the past few weeks, Senators Jeannie Darneille (Democrat, Pierce County) and Ann Rivers (Republican, Clark County) announced their resignations. Senator Darneille moved to the Department of Corrections to serve as the Assistant Secretary for the Women’s Prison Division and Senator Rivers accepted a position with the City of Longview to serve as its Community Development Director. Their respective County Councils will select both Senators’ replacements from the top three nominees chosen by local Precinct Committee Officers. Senator Darneille served as the Chair of the Senate Human Services, Reentry and Rehabilitation Committee, so a new Chair for that committee will be identified shortly. Finally, Senator David Frockt (Democrat, King County) announced he will retire following the 2022 legislative session. Senator Frockt has served as the Vice Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, where he oversaw the Capital Budget and was instrumental in securing funding for the Early Learning Facilities Fund.

Legislative Committee Days will be Virtual. Due to continued uncertainty with COVID-19, November committee days will again be virtual, with the Senate convening for committee work sessions on Nov. 15-17 and the House on Nov. 18-19.

Committee work sessions of note for early learning include:

• Senate Ways and Means on Nov. 15 at 3:30 p.m. Topics include revenue and caseload and COVID-19 response funding.
• Senate Behavioral Health Subcommittee on Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m. The agenda includes an overview of the report and recommendations from the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Workgroup.
• Senate Early Learning and K-12 on Nov. 17 at 1:30 p.m. The focus of this work session is early learning and will include an update on the Fair Start for Kids Act implementation, integrated preschool and early learning opportunities for children with disabilities.
• House State Government on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. Work session includes a focus on the creation of the Office of Equity.
• House Appropriations on Nov. 18 at 3:30 p.m. Topics include a preview of the 2022 legislative session fiscal issues.

Each work session will be available for viewing on TVW.org. Remember that if you miss the sessions live, you can always replay them using TVW’s archives tab.

2022 Legislative Session. The 2022 legislative session will be here before we know it, with the short, 60-day session scheduled to start on Monday, Jan. 10. The top question I get is whether the 2022 legislative session will be in-person, virtual, or hybrid. The short answer is – we do not know yet. We expect announcements from the Senate and House in early November and we will report on their plans in the next Notes From Olympia.

State Revenue Forecast. The state’s revenues continue to outpace projections, with the Major State General Fund dollars for the Sept. 11 – Oct. 10 period coming in $152.7 million above the September forecast. This represents an 8.2% increase. The next quarterly revenue forecast will be on Nov. 19 and that figure will inform the Governor’s proposed Supplemental Budget that he will release in mid-late December.

On Oct. 1, the Governor’s Office of Financial Management announced an agreement with the state employee union to provide $412.2 million ($241.7 million General Fund) in pay increases for state employees. This agreement will provide for a 3.25% pay increase beginning July 1 2022, as well as a graduated lump-sum payment, with workers making lower wages receiving a larger lump-sum. Like with all collective bargaining agreements, the Legislature cannot alter the agreement; they either can approve or disapprove the terms.

Fair Start for Kids Act Updates/Resources

The Fair Start for Kids Act was a significant piece of legislation with many components. So many that I have trouble keeping all the details in my head. Here are some great resources to explain what the Fair Start for Kids Act contains, the various funding amounts and when provisions go into effect.

Our friends at MomsRising developed an amazing toolkit designed as a resource for families navigating the child care subsidy process. It contains Frequently Asked Questions, describes the new co-payment structure and, importantly, outlines the materials that families will need to apply. This is a resource to share far and wide. It is currently available in English, but they expect to offer it in Spanish shortly.

The Department of Children, Youth and Families has a webpage dedicated to Fair Start for Kids Act details. Additionally, the agency has information on Child Care Stabilization Grants available in English, Spanish and Somali.

Licensed child care centers, family child care homes, school-age providers and outdoor nature-based care providers with open licenses in good standing are eligible for Child Care Stabilization Grants. License capacity determines the grant amount. Providers are eligible to apply for one stabilization grant and applications will be accepted through June 2022 with applications reviewed and paid out monthly.

Finally, Start Early WA has developed the following budget and policy analysis pieces:

1. Allocation of Federal COVID-19 Relief for Early Learning: see how the state allocated the federal COVID-19 relief dollars (CARES, CRRSA, ARPA, and CRF) to support early learning priorities.
2. Summary of 2021-23 Operating and Capital Budget Investments for Early Learning: an overview of Washington’s investments in early learning for the current biennium.
3. Summary of Key Provisions of the Fair Start for Kids Act: a summary of the main elements passed in the Fair Start for Kids Act.

Start Early WA is on Twitter!

Follow us at @StartEarlyWA on “the Twitter.” We look forward to engaging, sharing, amplifying – and other positive, active verbs!

Early Learning Facility Fund Grant Application Process is Open

The Department of Commerce has opened the application process for the 2021-23 Early Learning Facilities Funds to establish or expand spaces for ECEAP and Working Connections Child Care. Pre-application responses are due by noon Nov. 16 and the application process closes at 5 p.m. on Dec. 1.

Today, President Biden announced the Build Back Better framework. In response, Diana Rauner, president of Start Early issued the following statement:

“The proposed $400 billion investment in child care, universal preschool and families through the extended Child Tax Credit would make high-quality early learning options affordable and accessible for families who need them, increase compensation and professional development opportunities for the early care and learning workforce, and ultimately create a stronger, more stable and more equitable system that can support the needs of children and families during the years when these investments matter most.

“When you give families and children access to quality early learning and care during their first five years, you can change everything. This is an exciting moment for families, for children, for early childhood professionals and our nation, one that has the potential to create a brighter future for generations to follow.

“Start Early urges Congress to quickly pass these transformational investments.

“As we celebrate this moment, we realize the work to build an early learning and care system that prioritizes families and supports them from before birth through age 5 is not done. Start Early will continue to advocate for policies that put families first, most notably sustaining federal investments in early care and learning and creating a national paid family leave policy to help all families begin their journey on a strong foundation of caring, responsive relationships.”

By Michelle Bezark, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Judy Reidt-Parker Director of Early Childhood Systems Consultation at Start Early

Exactly fifty years ago, in the fall of 1971, Congress passed the Comprehensive Child Development Act (CDA) with a bipartisan vote. The law would have laid the foundation for federally funded universal child care programs “as a matter of right” for all children regardless of economic, social and family background.” The proposed programs would have been locally run and free for families with income below the poverty line, while available on a sliding scale to families making above that.

The proposal appeared popular with the public in the years leading up to the vote. A July 1969 Gallup poll suggested that 64% favored establishing of federally funded child care centers “in most communities,” while only 30% opposed. Supported by Democrats and Republicans, the CDA’s middle-class appeal made the bill seem like a sure thing in the build-up to the 1972 election season. President Nixon was privately ambivalent about universal daycare, but politicians and advocates assumed that given the programs’ broad appeal, he would not stand in the way of Congress.

The CDA’s sponsor, Senator Walter Mondale, formed a taskforce made up of experts and advocates to draft the legislation and get it passed. In an effort to move quickly through Congress ahead of the 1972 election cycle, the coalition — made up of early childhood experts, labor leaders, civil rights activists, and feminists — opted to rely on a group of advocates and experts rather than take the time to mobilize a grassroots movement. This tactic proved effective in getting the legislation passed through Congress but failed when the final bill hit the President’s desk.

Unlike the experts and advocates that supported the CDA, conservative organizations like the John Birch Society and the Mormon Church organized parents’ groups across the country in letter writing campaigns to oppose the bill. Conservatives saw the CDA as an extension of President Johnson’s War on Poverty programs, which they associated with government largess, and worried the CDA would allow the federal government to intervene in traditional family structures. They were so effective that the Health, Education, and Welfare Department’s Office of Child Development fielded as many as 5,000 letters opposed to the legislation — and subsequent bills like it — every week throughout the 1970s.

Conservatives were so vocal in their opposition that by December of 1971, Republicans who had initially supported the law abandoned it. Moreover, President Nixon not only vetoed the bill but condemned federal subsidies for universal child care in no uncertain terms. In his veto message to Congress he criticized the bill’s “fiscal irresponsibility, administrative unworkability, and family-weakening implications” and claimed that signing the CDA would commit the Federal Government to “communal approaches to child rearing over the family-centered approach.” According to one early childhood advocate, the veto froze the issue for decades.

In the end, Nixon made the political calculation that he had more to lose by alienating conservatives than he had to gain by passing popular, bipartisan legislation. Nixon’s veto message, with its praise for family togetherness and critique of “communal approaches to child rearing,” was carefully worded to appeal to right-wing, anti-communist, anti-feminist activists.

No such letter writing campaign came in support of the CDA either before or after the veto. One CDA supporter reflected that the primary lesson to be learned from the bill’s failure was that supporters spent too much time engaged with each other at the expense of mobilizing grassroots support.

The day after Nixon issued his veto on the CDA, he signed legislation that expanded the 1954 child care tax credit to middle-class families. With these two successive steps, President Nixon shaped the early childhood education system we live with today: a failing market-based system where parents are unable to afford high child care costs, providers operate on razor-thin margins maintaining slim profits, and child care workers earn low wages without benefits, which consequently results in exceptionally high turnover. Even the tax subsidies designed to support the middle-income families proved to be not immediate enough to offset monthly costs, as these families juggle when and how to pay for heating, child care, and housing.

Child care advocates learned the lesson of grassroots mobilization well. They organized large grassroots campaigns in support of federal childcare subsidies in the 1980s. By then, however, most politicians had soured to the idea of universal child care programs based on the CDA’s failure. With so many mothers of young children entering the workforce in the 1980s, members of both parties felt compelled to act on childcare. But, Republicans only supported childcare bills that went through the states and supported the children of the poorest families.

Child care advocates worked tirelessly within these political constraints to increase funding for Head Start, child tax credits, and to pass the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG), signed into law in 1990. Today, CCDBG provides block grants to the states to subsidize care for children from families with low incomes.

CCGBD funding has supported many children and families, but it is a far cry from the universal vision laid out in the 1971 CDA. CCGBD has been chronically underfunded from the start. When it finally passed through Congress and President Bush signed it into law, it had less than half the funds the bill’s sponsors originally sought.

While current federal regulations establish parameters for how states can implement the grant, states make policy decisions that impact the quality, supply, and accessibility of child care. Although the recent changes in CCDBG created stronger criteria for health and safety, more consistent payment policies to providers and improved eligibility policies, there is a great deal of flexibility on how states can design their child care subsidy system. For example, many states set the child care subsidy income eligibility significantly lower than the allowed 85%, often only slightly higher than the federal poverty line. Concurrently, although states are recommended to reimburse providers up to the 75th percentile of the child care market rate, many states continue to pay providers in the 40th or 50th percentiles. This leaves many providers questioning the cost-to-benefit ratio of accepting subsidies. Why accept lower payment and a stack of paperwork when there might be another family that can pay the full rate?

The child care sector as it stands today, therefore, may be the only industry in which government subsidy contributes to market challenges, rather than ameliorates them.

Had President Nixon signed the CDA into law in 1971, four generations of children would have had access to comprehensive educational, medical, social and nutritional services. Millions of women would have been able to take jobs, pursue degrees or job training, or start businesses, knowing that they had access to quality and affordable child care programs for their young children.

Things would not be perfect in the early childhood system had the outcome in 1971 been different, but we would be working to solve different and smaller problems — not constantly trying to prop up a system that has been broken from the start. With national program standards in place, it’s unlikely families would be expected to verify their income every six months (as was the norm until recently) or risk losing their child care subsidy if they accept a 50-cent an hour raise. We might instead be tinkering with national standards to make sure they provide universal access to high-quality programs and services. We might be investing in higher education programs to increase the linguistic and cultural diversity of the workforce, instead of hemorrhaging skilled and passionate early childcare workers to lower-skilled jobs that offer higher wages and benefits.

Today, transformational investments in our youngest learners are once again on the table in Washington, D.C., this time preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, supports for families to access high-quality learning and child care, and an extended Child Tax Credit. Once again, voters overwhelmingly support federal investments in child care and preschool, with national polling from September revealing 81% of voters see child care and preschool as a good investment of taxpayer money — including 80% of independents and 66% of Republicans. And once again, claims of fiscal irresponsibility are threatening us from doing something big.

As Congress debates how much to fund different aspects of President Biden’s Build Back Better Plan, let’s not miss our chance to pass this historic early childhood legislation and create a comprehensive system that supports children and families when it matters most. Because if the last 50 years has taught us anything, it’s that cobbling together a set of smaller solutions only gets us a broken system that serves no one well.

Start Early applauds Governor J.B. Pritzker for issuing Executive Order 2021-28, which requires all staff working in child care settings licensed by the state to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. We thank the governor and his administration for recognizing the need to protect this essential workforce and the children and families in their care. This policy will bring immunization requirements for staff at child care centers into alignment with those of Early Head Start and Head Start providers, as well as K-12 educators, who are already required to receive the vaccine.

Throughout the pandemic, Start Early advocated to make sure the early childhood workforce was prioritized as part of the state’s vaccine rollout, along with other educators and essential workers. Then when the vaccine rollout began, Start Early and our advocate partners in early childhood and public health have spent many months engaging diverse stakeholders in a coordinated “trusted messenger” campaign to increase vaccination rates among providers. After reviewing results from surveys and focus groups to better understand the concerns of providers, we focused our efforts on synthesizing and improving accessibility of information on the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as providing opportunities to have non-judgmental conversations with trusted health experts about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

As a direct service provider, Start Early followed a similar approach with our own staff. As soon as the vaccine was made available, we pursued partnerships to assist staff in accessing education related to the vaccine, as well as the vaccine itself. We looked to the expertise of organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management, The Pediatric Infectious Disease Society, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for guidance and adjusted our approach as new information became available. Following guidance from the EEOC, we began providing incentives to get vaccinated over the summer. With this patient, persistent, and respectful approach, we reached a voluntary vaccine rate of over 80%. When we later announced our own vaccine mandate in September, this high rate of voluntary vaccination allowed us to focus individual attention on those who were not yet vaccinated. This allowed us to reach our goal of full compliance with our mandate without any staff terminations. With the dates announced by the Governor, it is not too late for other providers to follow a similar approach. Both broad and individualized outreach, education, and access are key ingredients to achieving our shared goal of the highest possible vaccination rates across our field.

Nurturing others comes naturally for Victoria Barajas, who has found her true calling as a home visitor. After spending 10 years working at an early learning school, she was drawn to home visiting’s ability to create supports for the whole family that build a strong foundation for years to come.

The “Yes Moment”

Home visitors like Victoria help parents engage in their children’s education and get a better understanding of developmental milestones. “A lot of parents are not aware that what they bring to the table impacts their child’s development,” she shares. “As parents get more involved, they’ll tell me things like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know my child could do this. I thought they were too small,’ and it makes them more eager to be involved.”

This builds a strong foundation for future learning. “Having the parent involved shows the child that their parent took the time to be with them and interact with them, so they feel confident enough to detach and interact with other adults,” she explains. When the child gets older, they’re more receptive to what they’re learning, are better able to problem solve and have increased communication skills.

For Victoria, the “yes moment” comes when parents begin to follow their child’s curiosity and development. “We can’t choose their interests for them — if we don’t follow their curiosity, they won’t want to learn anything else,” she says. “I know it clicks when parents say, ‘Wait, I know we planned for this because that’s what they were interested in last week but they’re not interested in that anymore. Can we do this instead?’”

Meeting Families Where They’re At

As a Spanish-speaking Latina, Victoria knows being part of a diverse home visiting workforce is essential to fostering intimate relationships with her families.

“You need to be empathetic and meet parents and families where they are at. It’s beneficial that I can connect with families in their language. It’s where they feel more confident in speaking and interacting with me because that is how they’re communicating with their child,” Victoria explains.

It is important to consider each family’s home culture and how they interact with their child. “Even among Latinos, Mexicans speak different dialects and Ecuadorians have different vocabulary so you can’t go into the home assuming everyone speaks the same type of Spanish.”

By building relationships with every adult in the home, including grandparents, Victoria builds a foundation of professionalism, empathy and cultural sensitivity. “When you do that, the adults give you so much more to work with and are open to receiving whatever you bring to their home,” she shares.

Supporting the Whole Family

In addition to helping parents build strong relationships with their children, home visitors connect families to the resources and supports in the community they need to thrive. Particularly during times of high stress, a parent may feel unable to give their full self to supporting their child. That’s why home visiting provides comprehensive supports to families. It’s only when a parent feels 100% that they can be fully present.

“I tell families that I’m here to work with the family as a whole, not just the child,” she shares. “If parents are focused on what they’re going through financially or dealing with depression, I know only supporting children’s development isn’t going to help. Once we address families’ basic needs and supports, we start to see an increase in parent interaction.”

During the pandemic, Victoria helped her families access basic needs like diapers, baby wipes, formula, cleaning supplies and gift cards to purchase additional items. “All my families said they really appreciated it, especially those who lost their jobs. It kept them afloat,” she recalls.

One of the biggest challenges during COVID was helping families with technology needs. Victoria helped her families navigate a variety of issues, from lacking access to a laptop or tablet to not having enough data to download the new apps required for virtual meetings. When some of her parents struggled to download mobile apps because the instructions were in English, she shared screenshots and instructions in Spanish.

As the pandemic ebbs and Victoria is able to resume in-person visits, she continues to prioritize each family’s perspective and comfort zone. “There are some families that are very relaxed and open to visitors and others that are very cautious as to their interaction with the rest of the world. I work with each individual family and meet them where they are.”

The Impact of Her Work

Now nearly 20 years into the work, Victoria remains passionate about being able to make a difference in children’s lives and help their parents understand why it’s important for them to be a part of their children’s development. Her reward is the pictures and text messages she receives from parents sharing a video of a first step, a photo from a birthday party, or an update from school.

“I got into this work for personal reasons, but working with families so closely and seeing the impact of my work is incredibly meaningful.”

By Debra Pacchiano, Vice President of Translational Research and Isabel Farrar, Research Associate at Start Early

Start Early recently organized a session at the 2021 Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) conference that highlighted three soon-to-be published research studies from across the field that push our understanding of whether and how The Essential 0-5 Survey framework relates to other aspects of quality and outcomes we care about in early childhood programs. Together, these studies examine how specific organizational conditions identified in the survey framework impact teacher well-being and retention and how to measure the strength of these essential conditions within programs serving infants and toddlers.

What we continue to find is that nurturing begets nurturing: when teachers, staff and families are nurtured and supported by robust organizational conditions, especially facilitative and instructional leadership and routine collaboration with peers, teachers and staff are more committed, persistent, and competent in meeting the dynamic and changing needs of children and families.

In one upcoming study, researchers Anna J. Markowitz, Daphna Bassok, and Amanda Rosensky of the University of Virginia used data from early childhood programs across Louisiana to explore associations between teachers’ perceptions of their leaders as effective instructional leaders and measures of teacher turnover intentions, observed turnover, teacher well-being and the quality of teacher-child interactions. Their initial findings strengthen the evidence that site leadership is critically important to the quality of teachers’ interactions with children, as well as to teachers’ commitment to the program and decisions to remain in their position. These authors suggest that their findings indicate that coherent leadership development is a “potentially powerful area of intervention” impacting teacher/staff retention and quality improvements in early education settings.

Another study, conducted by Allison Friedman-Krauss, Milagros Nores, Charles Whitman, and W. Steven Barnett at the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) examines how differences in teachers’ perceptions of organizational conditions vary by teacher/school/district characterizations and impact classroom quality and teachers’ well-being. This research finds a strong association between teacher perceptions of their school organizational conditions and teacher depressive symptoms, suggesting that supporting teacher well-being is particularly important in today’s pandemic context.

Plenty of adults have a hard time staying on top of their own dental health and may even dread going to the dentist for care. Some people may even wrongly think that baby teeth aren’t important since little kids are just going to lose those baby teeth anyway. However, it is very important to start building healthy habits early on. Did you know that a child’s dental health can have huge impacts on their school readiness and their ability to learn?

By Debra Pacchiano, Vice President of Translational Research and Isabel Farrar, Research Associate at Start Early and Marc Brodersen, Managing Senior Researcher and Joshua Stewart, Senior Researcher at Marzano Research

Whether a tool such as a rubric, assessment, or survey is used to measure teaching practices or academic standards, validation is an important step to ensure users can trust the results. Start Early recently worked with the national education research and consulting firm Marzano Research to examine the validity of a survey developed to support the professional growth and development of early care and education (ECE) staff and administrators.

A growing body of research in ECE and quality improvement shows that strong site-level organizational conditions are key to realizing strong implementation of quality standards and continuous quality improvement in ECE settings. Yet most instruments designed to support the professional growth and development of ECE staff and administrators focus primarily on classroom-level processes, creating a gap that could stifle improvements at the organizational-level related to mindsets and practices surrounding caregiving, teaching and family engagement.

Researchers at Start Early developed The Essential 0-5 Survey to bridge this gap and provide data and actionable information to administrators, teachers, and staff in ECE settings (both school and center-based) serving the families of preschoolers — and now also infants and toddlers. The Essential 0-5 Survey collects teacher, staff and parent experiences and perceptions of the organizationwide mindsets and practices aligned to Start Early’s evidence-based framework of essential conditions: Effective Instructional Leaders, Collaborative Teachers, Involved Families, Supportive Environment, Ambitious Instruction and Parent Voice. Research conducted in both K-12 and ECE settings demonstrates the direct impacts these conditions have on quality practices and children’s immediate and longer-term success. The Essential 0-5 Survey builds on prior research and development efforts between Start Early and the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, where 5 Essentials survey and evidence-based framework of essential conditions was originally developed and tested in K-12 settings.

To test the relevance of The Essential 0-5 Survey for infant-toddler settings, Start Early conducted 88 cognitive interviews in English and Spanish with teachers, staff and parents from Early Head Start Child Care Partnership programs in two states, which then informed additional revisions. To prepare for pilot study, the refined survey was translated into Spanish, Arabic and Aramaic, and administered to more than 500 teachers and staff and 1,100 parents in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, and Washington D.C.

Validation and Results

Using data from the survey pilot study, Marzano Research conducted a psychometric validation study to understand the following questions:

1. Does the survey consistently measure the aspects of organizational quality it was designed to measure?
2. Does the survey distinguish sites with different levels of organizational quality?
3. Do users with different background characteristics, such as their primary spoken language or the age of the child served by the ECE program, respond to the survey items in similar or systematically different ways?

Pilot study results confirmed the survey items intended to measure particular aspects of ECE organizational quality do group together as intended, and with few exceptions, each grouping measures a singular aspect of ECE organizational quality. Additionally, a majority of the survey items were found to contribute to the overall functionality of the survey; with only a handful of items found to be redundant to each other, or to potentially address different aspects of ECE organizational quality.

These findings speak to the rigor of the survey development team’s process in adapting, writing and vetting the survey items, and importantly endorse the overall psychometric reliability and validity of the surveys for use in infant-toddler center-based settings. However, preliminary analyses also showed that teachers and parents who completed the survey in Spanish or English respond differently to items on several sections of the survey. In some instances, Spanish speakers would generally provide more positive responses to a selection of items while in other instances English speakers would provide more positive responses to a selection of items. Some differences to a selection of items were also found between teachers working with children from birth to age 2 versus those working with children ages 3 to 5.

Next Steps

Start Early is currently using the results of the pilot study to revise items and conduct additional interviews with teachers, staff, and family members of infants and toddlers. Start Early will conduct a formal validation study in 2022 which will include linking survey responses to additional quality outcomes of concern, for example children’s attendance and developmental progress and the quality of teacher-child interactions and family engagement. Learn more about the research behind The Essential 0-5 Survey.

Each year, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to recognize the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture and achievements of the United States.

Our staff members shared how their heritage has shaped their identity and impacted their work, how they maintain their culture and why it’s important to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month.

Can you introduce yourself and share what you do here at Start Early and how your Hispanic heritage influenced your identity?

Nilda Barrett: I’m a financial manager supporting 15 divisions and have been at Start Early for almost two years. I’m Puerto Rican, born and raised in Chicago and I’m the second youngest of seven children. My parents came to the States when they were very young and met here in Chicago. They taught me and my siblings the importance of education and working hard to get the things you need. We lived in mainly Hispanic neighborhoods, so I grew up around Cubans, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans and was exposed to a little bit of everything and got to see how hard people worked. The person I am today, my ambition, everything is inspired by my upbringing and due to my culture.

Yáyá Cardenas Torres: I’m a training institute coordinator for the Professional Learning Network and I’ve been with Start Early for 14 years. I’m Mexican American born and raised in Indiana and I’m a proud Hoosier. My mother was born and raised in Texas and my father was born and raised in Michoacán, Mexico. I am the only girl out of five brothers.

With my mother being Tex-Mex and my dad being Mexican, I had two cultures: One uses cheddar and one uses Chihuahua, but together they are perfect on a burrito. My culture has made me who I am. My upbringing, my loyalty, my faith, my passion… it is who I am and I apply it to my professional and personal life.

Alexis Aguilú Hernandez: I’m the assistant director of operations for the Educare Learning Network and have been at Start Early for 14 years as well. I’m one of two and was born and raised in Puerto Rico. I left the island at the age of 20 to attend Marquette University in Wisconsin and stayed here. I have a ton of family in the Midwest.

Puerto Rican is who I am. I live my life as a Puerto Rican and I love my Puerto Rican heritage. I get chills every time that I go home. On the flight home, I always plan to sit by the window so I can see the whole island as we descend. It’s who I am, it’s family and how I grew up. Seeing the flag, it’s who I am and I like to share that with others who may not understand what being Puerto Rican and Latinx is.

How has your Hispanic heritage impacted your daily work to advance our mission and better serve children and families? 

Alexis Aguilú Hernandez: I always say that my Hispanic background is not only what identifies me, but what defines me. Being a Hispanic immigrant allows me to better understand the challenges that many of our Hispanic children and families go through and focuses my commitment to do everything I can to help them close that opportunity gap once and for all.

I have been able to use Spanish several times in my role at Start Early. We started sending out text messages to families and I would translate them into Spanish. Most recently, at the Educare Learning Network, I helped review our network requirements and Child Tax Credit communications in Spanish. Knowing languages opens your mind to the world.

Yáyá Cardenas Torres: Being Mexican American and bilingual provides me with cultural sensitivity and enables me to better serve our Spanish-speaking clients. My parents also taught me to have a solid work ethic, ambition and commitment which I use in my daily work.

What do you appreciate most about your Hispanic culture? 

How do you preserve your Hispanic culture?

Yáyá Cardenas Torres: I try to preserve our culture with food. Any gathering we host, I’ll cook Mexican dishes. My dad and I both have gardens and I love to make homemade salsa using everything from jalapeños to habaneros and Anaheim chili peppers and share it with everyone. I feel very close to my mom when I make salsa because I remember growing up she would make it and give it away to our neighbors. I also share my culture with my son and foster kids: we celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and Día de los Niños (Day of the Children). I try to incorporate it everywhere I can.

Nilda Barrett: Similar to Yáyá, we are very family oriented. We took a trip to Puerto Rico in 2018 and are looking to go again next year. Everything from la música — salsa, merengue, reggaeton, bachata — to la comida. My mom will come over and make pastelitos (a Puerto Rican pastry filled with guava and cheese) and my four kids love them. I also instill in my kids the importance of learning Spanish because being bilingual is such an asset. 

How would you describe the diversity within your family?

Are there any misconceptions about Hispanic culture that you want to dispel?

Why is it important to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and recognize the impact Hispanic people have had within the U.S.?

Nilda Barrett: Hispanic culture has contributed so much to the development of the United States over the years and it just keeps growing. This month really helps people recognize the complexities, histories and richness of the different Hispanic cultures. It’s very important to celebrate Hispanic heritage.