Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience: National and international researchers focusing on statistical methods. Homeless services providers, early childhood educators, home visitors and family services providers. State and local family policymakers, agency heads, funders and advocates. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Staff from eight nonprofit organizations received training on data collection for program evaluation. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Academic audiences were reached via an international journal article and four conference submissions. Educators and human services providers were reached through online publications, conference presentations, and presentations to stakeholder groups. These online publications received 12,900-page views. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will (a) complete and disseminate the child abuse prevention report, b) complete the ECE access maps, open the website for public access, conduct statistical analysis of community (in)equity and disseminate results to local stakeholders and national researchers, c) work with stakeholders using the early childhood homelessness findings to drive local goal setting and action, and (d) submit the early literacy analyses for publication.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Equitable Access to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECE) We received $75,000 funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create and map spatially-based, multidimensional indexes of ECE access across the state. We used childcare licensing data, population statistics, GIS-based road and transit maps, and housing unit data to create measures of ECE supply, cost, and quality. What is unique about the measures is that they are based on distance from a family's home and the number of nearby children potentially competing for these seats. We created supply, cost, and quality access scores for each residential housing unit in the state. We are in the process of creating interactive maps that allow the user to select different distances (i.e., 5 vs. 10 miles by car, or 30 vs 45 minutes on public transit) and levels of granularity (i.e., census tract vs individual housing lots). These maps clearly show which communities in the state have high vs. low access to ECE resources. This work is guided by an advisory committee of community stakeholders. Outputs include advisory committee meetings, extensive data analysis, working interactive maps (not yet online for the public), one conference presentation accepted, one conference presentation in submission, and one refereed journal article in press. Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) We collected final evaluation data for a cohort of eight nonprofit organizations across the state, each implementing a different approach to CAN prevention. This included interviews with each organization, and collection of survey data on family protective factors. Data are being analyzed for the purpose of identifying program and family characteristics associated with increased resilience. We conducted one presentation for the cohort and provided technical assistance as needed. Early Childhood Homelessness Needs Assessment It is estimated that 1 in every 35 young children in Hawaii is homeless and over 10% of those receiving homeless services are children under age six. Young children are a vulnerable group for whom homelessness has potentially long-term effects on all aspects of development and wellbeing. Stable enrollment in high-quality childcare programs is a known protective factor, but homeless children are underserved in early learning settings. Focus groups were conducted with 33 homeless services and early learning providers from 11 different agencies and an online survey to licensed childcare providers statewide. A report of findings and recommendations for service programs and policy was posted on the Center website. Results were also covered in two presentations to local audiences and 2 presentations to Education Leads Home, a national childhood homelessness advocacy group. Preschool Literacy Knowledge of the alphabet is a key school readiness skill and is strongly related to reading achievement in early elementary school. Yet teachers given little evidence-based guidance on how to sequence alphabet instruction. We analyzed data from 440 Head Start children regarding their knowledge of upper and lower case letter names and sounds. Using mixed model binomial analyses (letters nested under children) we tested nine hypotheses concerning factors associated children's mastery of letter knowledge, e.g., frequency of exposure, upper and lower case similarity, phonological cues, grapheme characteristics, whether letters are in the child's name. This work resulted in one journal article and two accepted conference presentations.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Im, S. and DeBaryshe, B.D. 2020. Binomial logistic modeling for aggregate binary data: Application to preschoolers alphabet knowledge. International Journal of Quantitative Research in Education, 5(1), 76-85.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
DeBaryshe, B.D., Balag, L., Galariada, K., and Alimoot, S. 2020. Keiki connections: Connecting young children experiencing homelessness to needed programs and services. [Virtual panel presentation]. 2020 Statewide Homeless Awareness Conference, Honolulu, HI. http://www.honolulu.gov/housing/homelessness/svch/
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
DeBaryshe, B.D. 2019. Center on the Family resources for healthy family education. Presentation at the National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families Hawai'i Integration Institute, Honolulu, HI.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
DeBaryshe, B.D., Scott, K.G., and Gauci, K.T. 2020. Hawai'i early childhood homelessness needs assessment. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Center on the Family.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
DeBaryshe, B.D. and Scott, K.G. 2019. Hawai'i early childhood homelessness needs assessment: Preliminary report. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Center on the Family.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
DeBaryshe, B.D. 2020. Results of the Hawaii Early Childhood Homelessness Needs Assessment. Presentation to the Childhood Homelessness Action Team, Honolulu, HI.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
DeBaryshe, B.D. 2020. Early childhood homelessness needs assessment preliminary findings. Presentation to the Childhood Homelessness Action Team, Honolulu, HI.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Stern, I.R., Gauci, K. T. and DeBaryshe, B.D. 2019. Qualitative interview results. Presentation to the Hawai'i Childrens Trust Fund grantee cohort, Honolulu, HI.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
DeBaryshe, B.D. 2019. Center on the Family resources for healthy family education. Presentation at the National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families Hawaii Integration Institute, Honolulu, HI.
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Progress 11/13/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Target Audience:• National and international academic peers in the fields of early childhood education, human development and developmental psychology • Early childhood educators, parent educators, and state agency staff • State legislators, policy-makers, and early childhood advocates Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? 39 business leaders attended a workshop on employer-sponsored childcare benefits. 315 public health care professionals attended an in-person/online training session on early learning programs. Seven community nonprofit organizations received technical assistance on data collection for program evaluation. Presentations to 95 early childhood/human services professionals and representatives of national philanthropies. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Academic audiences were reached via a conference presentation and submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Local audiences were reached via workshops, presentations and an extension publication posted online. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Conduct statewide analysis of access to early childhood programs, submit results to academic conferences and journals. Complete and disseminate the analysis of early childhood homelessness
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Mapping early childhood access: Pilot study Childcare licensing, residential housing lot, and street map data along with American Community Survey population estimates were used to create maps of childcare access in Honolulu County. Spatial access was the number of childcare seats per capita for children under age five within a 3-mile driving distance of each residential lot. Affordability was the weighted average cost of such seats as a percentage of median neighborhood family income. Quality was the percentage of such seats with a national accreditation. GIS procedures were used to map each index at the level of both residential lot and census tract. Overall, only 15% of children had access to affordable care, defined as 7% or less of family income. Results also clearly showed inequitable access across neighborhoods, although low-income neighborhoods were not always the most under-served. This pilot represents the first effort in the state to define and map childcare access at the neighborhood level. The innovative estimation and visualization techniques used are also at the cutting edge of early childhood policy research and illustrate the kind of spatial data analysis that the federal Administration on Children and Families has said is needed in the field. Results were used as the basis of a grant application to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We passed the screening phase and were invited to submit a full application (which was received early in the 2020 fiscal year). Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention We collected intake data on 391 parents as well as complete pre- and posttest data on 112 parents participating in eight different community programs intended to strengthen family protective factors and prevent the abuse or neglect of young children. Programs varied widely in their method and scope. Results for the cohort showed significant change in all five areas of family functioning measured, with small to medium effect sizes. Controlling for pretest level of protective factors, the most change was seen for younger parents, those with low initial levels of economic and family history risk, and parents enrolled in moderate intensity programs that included biweekly or monthly home visits. Results will be used to inform the policy decisions and future grant-making of the Hawaii Children's Trust Fund. Each community program also received a report of their individual results and recommendations. Teacher Support for Early Childhood Social-Emotional Development This work involved a cumulative evaluation of a three-year professional development program for infant-toddler and preschool teachers. Data included classroom observations, teacher surveys, staff interviews, and content analysis of classroom coaching logs. 120 teachers from 35 childcare center classrooms participated in an individualized coaching/consultation protocol. Overall results showed large, positive change in classroom practices. Teaching team stability, duration of participation, and the number of classroom coaching changes all predicted the amount of change at the classroom level. Results contribute to a growing literature on effective teacher in-service professional development. Findings were reported to the State of Hawaii Department of Human Services and cohort participants. Early Childhood Homelessness Hawaii is tied with New York state for having the highest per capita rate of homelessness and it is estimated that 1 out of 30 of our young children are homeless. Stable enrollment in high quality childcare can be an important protective factor for this vulnerable population. We developed the research protocol, sent online surveys to all licensed childcare providers, and interviewed seven early learning programs that serve a relatively high number of homeless children. Analyses are still in progress. This study represents the first systematic needs assessment of this population in our state, and to our knowledge, one of only a handful of studies nationally about early childhood teachers' interest and concerns about serving homeless children. Employer-Supported Childcare We reviewed the research on childcare, worker stress and productivity, and childcare-related employee benefits. We developed an extension publication and as part of a community coalition, invited a panel of local business leaders who are pioneers in this area to provide a workshop to their peers (see below). Results were an increased knowledge of childcare support options and action pledges by local business leaders. Young Children in Public Housing Per an agreement with the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, we developed a survey for parents of children birth through age 5. Content addresses healthy child development, parenting practices and support for parents, childcare, and public housing as a place to raise young children.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Azuma, J., Yuan, S., and DeBaryshe, B. 2019. Measuring accessibility of early childcare and education in Honolulu County. Paper presented at the Hawaii Surveying and Mapping Conference, Honolulu, HI.
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
DeBaryshe, B.D. and Imig, D. 2019. Take action to support childcare. Honolulu, HI: Early Childhood Action Strategy and University of Hawaii Center on the Family.
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