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Selected Resources on the Impact of Staff Education and Training on Program Quality

Research has confirmed the importance of the early childhood workforce, the education of its members, and its impact on the quality of care. The following are a sample of resources about the impact of staff education and training on program quality. The selected resources include an overview of the research, highlighting studies that address the type of teacher education that is more likely to relate to higher quality programs. Also included is a sample of national and State research studies, current materials, and key historical documents about this issue. Additional resources are available via the National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (NCCIC) Online Library, which can be accessed at http://oll.nccic.acf.hhs.gov/nccic-OLL/searchnccic.cgi. NCCIC does not endorse any organization, publication, or resource.

Research and Reports

• "Family Child Care in the United States" (April 2007), Reviews of Research, Research Brief, by Taryn W. Morrissey, Cornell University, and Patti Bangart, Columbia University, published by Child Care & Early Education Research Connections. Available on the Web at www.researchconnections.org/SendPdf?resourceId=12036.
• "Assessing Initiatives for Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care: An Overview of Models and Evaluations" (March 2007), Research to Policy Connections No. 5, by Toni Porter, Bank Street College of Education. Available on the Web at www.childcareresearch.org/SendPdf?resourceId=11787.
• "Are teachers’ education, major, and credentials related to classroom quality and children’s academic gains in pre-kindergarten?" (2006), by Diane M. Early, Donna M. Bryant, Robert C. Pianta, Richard M. Clifford, Margaret Burchinal, Sharon Ritchie, Carollee Howes, and Oscar Barbarin, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, (212) 174-195.
• Critical Issues in Early Childhood Professional Development (2006),eds. Martha Zaslow and Ivelisse Martinez-Beck. Additional information available on the Web at www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/zaslow-8256/index.htm.
• The Early Care and Education Teaching Workforce: At the Fulcrum (2006), by Sharon Lynn Kagan, Kate Tarrant, Amy Carson, Kristie Kauerz, National Center for Children and Families for Cornerstones for Kids. Available on the Web at www.cornerstones4kids.org/images/teachers_report_0107.pdf.
• "Features of Pre-Kindergarten Programs, Classrooms, and Teachers: Do They Predict Observed Classroom Quality and Child–Teacher Interactions?" (2005), in Applied Developmental Science, Vol. 9, No. 3, by Robert Pianta, Carollee Howes, Margaret Burchinal, Donna Bryant, Richard Clifford, Diane Early, and Oscar Barbarin. Available on the Web at www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncedl/pdfs/ADS0903pp144-159.pdf.
• Losing Ground in Early Childhood Education, Declining Workforce Qualifications in an Expanding Industry (September 2005), by Stephen Herzenberg, Mark Price, and David Bradley, Economic Policy Institute. Available on the Web at http://www.earlychildhoodworkforce.com/losingground/ecepdf/losing_ground-full_text.pdf.
• "Impact of Training and Education for Caregivers of Infants and Toddlers" (August 2005), Research-to-Policy Connections No. 3, by J. Lee Kreader, Daniel Ferguson, and Sharmila Lawrence, for the National Center for Children in Poverty. Available on the Web at www.childcareresearch.org/discover/pdf/RTPC3.pdf.
• "Professional Development: How Is It Defined? How Is It Measured?" (Spring 2005), in Research Notes, by the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership, National-Louis University. Available on the Web at http://cecl.nl.edu/research/issues/rnsp05.pdf.
• "Better Teachers, Better Preschools: Student Achievement Linked to Teacher Qualifications" (December 2004), Preschool Policy Matters Issue 2, by W. Steven Barnett, National Institute for Early Education Research. Available on the Web at http://nieer.org/resources/policybriefs/2.pdf.
• The Role of Professional Development in Creating High Quality Preschool Education (October 2004), by Martha Zaslow and Kathryn Tout, Child Trends, and Kelly Maxwell and Richard Clifford, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, prepared for the Brookings Institution. Available on the Web at www.brookings.edu/es/research/projects/wrb/200411Zaslow.pdf.
• "The Effects of Professional Development Efforts and Compensation on Quality of Early Care and Education Services" (March 2004), Child Care and Early Education Research and Policy No. 2, by Amy Lowenstein, Susan Ochshorn, Sharon Lynn Kagan, and Bruce Fuller, for the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Available from NCSL on the Web at www.ncsl.org/bookstore/index.htm or by calling 303-364-7812.
• Early Education Quality: Higher Teacher Qualifications for Better Learning Environments – A Review of the Literature (2003), by Marcy Whitebook, published by Institute of Industrial Relations, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California, Berkeley. Available on the Web at www.iir.berkeley.edu/cscce/pdf/teacher.pdf. A summary is available on the Web at www.iir.berkeley.edu/cscce/pdf/teacher_summary.pdf.
• Head Start: Increased Percentage of Teachers Nationwide Have Required Degrees, But Better Information on Classroom Teachers’ Qualifications Needed (October 2003), by the U.S. General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office [GAO]). The report GAO-04-5 is available on the Web at www.gao.gov/new.items/d045.pdf.
• "Can A College Degree Help Preschoolers? Research on Preschool Teachers with a BA Degree" (September 2003), NIEER Fast Facts 1, by the National Institute for Early Education Research. Available on the Web at http://nieer.org/resources/factsheets/5.pdf.
• "Investing in Head Start Teachers" (August 2003), Preschool Policy Matters Issue 4, by the National Institute for Early Education Research. Available on the Web at http://nieer.org/resources/policybriefs/4.pdf.
• Raising Preschool Teacher Qualifications: With a Case Study on How New Jersey’s Early Childhood Teachers Are Getting Four-Year Degrees and Certification Under a Four-Year Deadline (July 2003), by Julia Coffman and M. Elena Lopez, funded by the Schuman Fund of New Jersey and the Trust for Early Education. Available on the Web at www.trustforearlyed.org/docs/NJAbbottBrief.pdf.
• Teacher Education: One Strong Step to Ensuring High Quality (July 2003), by the Trust for Early Education. Available on the Web at www.trustforearlyed.org/docs/report2.pdf.
• Head Start FACES 2000: A Whole-Child Perspective on Program Performance (May 2003), by Nicholas Zill, Gary Resnick, Kwang Kim, Kevin O’Donnell, Alberto Sorongon, Ruth Hubbell McKey, Shefali Pai-Samant, and Cheryl Clark, for Child Outcomes Research and Evaluation; Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation; Administration for Children and Families; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available on the Web at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/reports/faces00_4thprogress/faces00_4thprogress.pdf.
• Understanding Quality in Head Start Classrooms: The Role of Teacher and Program-Level Factors (April 2003), by Gary Resnick and Nicholas Zill, for the Head Start Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available on the Web at www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hs/faces/pres_papers/understding_quality_hs/understing_quality.pdf.
• Teacher Education and High Quality Education (2002), a Policy Brief, by the Midwest Child Care Research Consortium. Available on the Web at www.missouri.edu/~cfprwww/qualityforweb11_25.pdf.
• 13 Indicators of Quality Child Care: Research Update (2002), presented by Richard Fiene, Pennsylvania State University and the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, University of Colorado, to the Health Resources and Services Administration/Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available on the Web at http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/ccquality-ind02/index.htm.
• "Teacher Preparation and Teacher-Child Interaction in Preschools" (October 2002), an ERIC Digest, by Susan Kontos and Amanda Wilcox-Herzog. Available on the Web at http://ceep.crc.uiuc.edu/eecearchive/digests/2002/kontos02.pdf.
• Child Care: States Have Undertaken a Variety of Quality Improvement Initiatives, but More Evaluations of Effectiveness Are Needed (September 2002), by the U.S. General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office [GAO]). The report GAO-02-897 is available on the Web at www.gao.gov/new.items/d02897.pdf.
• "Child-Care Structure → Process → Outcome: Direct and Indirect Effects of Child-Care Quality on Young Children’s Development" (May 2002), in Psychological Science Vol. 13, No. 3, National Institute on Child Health and Human Development, Early Child Care Research Network. Call the American Psychological Society at 202-783-2077 or visit the Web at www.psychologicalscience.org.
• Eager to Learn: Educating Our Preschoolers (2001), eds. Barbara T. Bowman, M. Suzanne Donovan, and M. Susan Burns, Committee on Early Childhood Pedagogy, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council. An executive summary (2000) is available on the Web at http://books.nap.edu/books/0309068363/html/1.html. Call the National Academy Press at 800-624–6242 or visit the Web at www.nap.edu.
• Then & Now: Changes in Child Care Staffing, 1994-2000, Technical Report (2001), by Marcy Whitebook, Laura Sakai, Emily Gerber, and Carollee Howes, a joint project of the Center for the Child Care Workforce, a project of the American Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation, and the Institute of Industrial Relations. Available on the Web atwww.ccw.org/pubs/Then&Nowfull.pdf.
• Child Care Quality: Does It Matter and Does It Need to Be Improved? (2000), by Deborah Lowe Vandell and Barbara Wolfe, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison, for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available on the Web at http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/ccquality00/ccqual.htm.
• From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (2000), eds. Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, by the Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development, Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. Available on the Web at http://stills.nap.edu/books/0309069882/html.
• "Within and Beyond the Classroom Door: Assessing Quality in Child Care Centers" (2000), in Early Childhood Research Quarterly Vol. 15, No. 4, by Deborah Phillips, Debra Mekos, Sandra Scarr, Kathleen McCartney, and Martha Abbott-Shim. Additional information is available on the Web at www.elsevier.com/inca/publications/store/6/2/0/1/8/4.
• "Teacher Education, Wages Key to Outcomes" (January 2000), NCEDL Spotlight No. 18, by the National Center for Early Development and Learning (NCEDL). Available on the Web at www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncedl/pdfs/spot18.pdf.
• The Children of the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study Go to School: Executive Summary (June 1999), by Ellen S. Peisner-Feinberg, Margaret R. Burchinal, Richard M. Clifford, Noreen Yazejian, Mary L. Culkin, Janice Zelazo, Carollee Howes, Patricia Byler, Sharon Lynn Kagan, and Jean Rustici, published by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center (now the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The executive summary is available on the Web at www.fpg.unc.edu/~NCEDL/PDFs/CQO-es.pdf. The technical report (October 1999) is available on the Web at www.fpg.unc.edu/~NCEDL/PDFs/CQO-tr.pdf.
• The Florida Child Care Quality Improvement Study: 1996 Report (1998), by Carollee Howes, Ellen Galinsky, Marybeth Shimm, Annette Sibley, Martha Abbott-Shim, and Jan McCarthy, published by the Families and Work Institute. Call the Families and Work Institute at 212-465-2044 or visit the Web at www.familiesandwork.org.
• Are They in Any Real Danger? What Research Does—and Doesn’t—Tell Us About Child Care Quality and Children’s Well Being (May 1996), by John M. Love, Peter Z. Schochet, Alicia L. Meckstroth, published by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. Available on the Web at www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/realdanger.pdf.
• The Cost, Quality and Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers Study (1995), by Suzanne Helburn, Mary L. Culkin, John Morris, Naci Mocan, Carollee Howes, Leslie Phillipsen, Donna Bryant, Richard Clifford, Debby Cryer, Ellen Peisner-Feinberg, Margaret Burchinal, Sharon Lynn Kagan, and Jean Rustici. Call the Economics Department at the University of Colorado at 303-556-4413.
• The Family Child Care Training Study (1995), by Ellen Galinsky, Carollee Howes, and Susan Kontos, published by the Families and Work Institute. Call the Families and Work Institute at 212-465-2044 or visit the Web at www.familiesandwork.org.
• The Study of Children in Family Child Care and Relative Care: Highlights of Findings (1994), by Ellen Galinsky, Carollee Howes, Susan Kontos, and Marybeth Shinn, published by the Families and Work Institute. Call the Families and Work Institute at 212-465-2044 or visit the Web at www.familiesandwork.org.
• Starting Points: Meeting the Needs of Our Youngest Children (April 1994), by the Carnegie Task Force on Meeting the Needs of Young Children. Abridged version of this report available on the Web at www.carnegie.org/starting_points.
• Quality in Child Care: What Does the Research Tell Us (1993, 3rd printing), ed. Deborah Phillips, published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Call NAEYC at 800-424-2460 or visit the Web at www.naeyc.org.
• Who Cares? Child Care Teachers and the Quality of Care in America, Executive Summary, National Child Care Staffing Study (1990), by Marcy Whitebook, Carollee Howes, and Deborah Phillips, published by the Center for the Child Care Workforce (CCW), a project of the American Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation. Call CCW at 202-662-8005 or visit the Web at www.ccw.org.

Updated November 2007