The Abecedarian Approach

Investigators: Craig T. Ramey, Joseph J. Sparling, & Sharon L. Ramey

The Abecedarian Approach is a combination of teaching and learning enrichment strategies for use in early childhood education settings that is comprised of four key elements: 1) learning games, 2) conversational reading, 3) language priority, and 4) enriched care giving. These strategies were developed for and validated in a longitudinal research study known as the Abecedarian Project. By using the Abecedarian Approach, early childhood professionals can enhance their abilities to provide stable and stimulating interactions with children by engaging them in many rich and varied adult-child interaction activities on a daily basis. The ultimate goal of this educational approach is to facilitate positive child outcomes in areas such as cognitive, social-emotional, communication, and school readiness skills. The evaluation results of the Abecedarian Project demonstrate that early education for at-risk children within a safe, responsive, and stimulating environment can produce positive and long-lasting effects on the course of development. The Abecedarian Project is the only early childhood education program that has demonstrated statistically significant cognitive benefits into young adulthood. The four key elements of the Abecedarian Approach constitute a powerful tool for early childhood professionals to improve the competence and quality of life, particularly for children from low resource environments.

The Brookline Early Education Project (BEEP): A Comprehensive Birth-to-Kindergarten Program for Children and Their Parents

Investigators: Donald E. Pierson, PhD, Robert I. Sperber, Martha B. Bronson, EdD & Mary-Jane Yurchak, EdD

The Brookline Early Education Project (BEEP) is a comprehensive birth-to-kindergarten program that combines child education and health monitoring services with parent education and support. BEEP utilizes a family-oriented approach designed to reduce learning and adjustment difficulties in school. BEEP consists of three components: 1) Parent Education and Support Program, 2) Child Education Program, and 3) Health and Development Monitoring. The Parent Education and Support Program provides home visits to families, parent discussion groups, a book and toy lending library, and social events. The Child Education Program consists of weekly playgroup sessions and daily prekindergarten classes. Finally, the Health and Development Monitoring program provides nine health and developmental screening exams for children beginning from two weeks of age through age 5. Evaluations of the BEEP program demonstrated higher school functioning in kindergarten and the second grade compared to age-matched peers. At early adulthood, benefits for BEEP participants compared to peers included higher educational attainment, higher income, and more positive health indicators. Click here to view more detailed information on this program.

Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), Household Youth Data, 1988-94

Investigators: US Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is one of the major surveys of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) was conducted in two phases between October 1988 and October 1994. It was designed to obtain nationally representative information on the health and nutritional status of the U.S. population through in-home interviews and direct physical examinations conducted in a mobile examination center (MEC). NHANES III is the seventh in a series of national examination studies conducted in the U. S. beginning in 1960, and is the first NHANES to include persons 75 years of age and over. The goals of the NHANES III are similar to those of earlier NHANES and are listed below. The last two are new for the NHANES III. to estimate the national prevalence of selected diseases and risk factors, to estimate national population reference distributions of selected health parameters, to document and investigate reasons for secular trends in selected risk factors and diseases, to contribute to an understanding of what causes disease (etiology), and to investigate the natural history of selected diseases. The NHANES III Household Youth Data File contains all data collected during the household interviews for children and youths 2 months to 16 years of age. Demographic data, survey design variables, and sampling weights for this age group are also included. The data that comprise this file were obtained from three separate interviews administered in the household: the Screener, the Family, and Household Youth questionnaires.

Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-3), September 5 through December 4, 1993

Investigators: Andrea J. Sedlak, Irene Hantman, and Dana Schultz

The Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-3) was designed to meet several congressional mandates issued in the Child Abuse Prevention, Adoption, and Family Services Act of 1988 (P.L. 100-294). Specifically, the NIS-3: provided current estimates of the incidence of child abuse and neglect in the United States and measured changes in these estimates from earlier studies; examined the distribution of child maltreatment in relation to various demographic factors; estimated the incidence of substantiated maltreatment cases that result in civil and criminal proceedings, and their disposition; and developed an understanding of the relationships between an incident of maltreatment, its observation, its report to a Child Protective Services agency, and any actions taken by the agency. The NIS-3 offers an important perspective on the scope of child abuse and neglect. The NIS includes children who were investigated by child protective service (CPS) agencies, but it also obtains data on children seen by community professionals who were not reported to CPS or who were screened out by CPS without investigation. This means that the NIS estimates provide a more comprehensive measure of the scope of child abuse and neglect known to community professionals, including both abused and neglected children who are in the official statistics and those who are not. The NIS follows a nationally representative design, which means that the estimates represent the numbers of abused and neglected children in the United States who come to the attention of community professionals. The NIS-3 was conducted in a nationally representative sample of 42 counties. In every county, the CPS agency was a key participant, providing basic demographic data on all the children who were reported and accepted for investigation during the 3-month study data period, September 5 through December 4, 1993. Further details about the child's maltreatment and the outcome of the CPS investigation were obtained for a representative sample of these cases.

U.S. Census County and City Data Book, 1983: City Files

Investigators: U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. Census County and City Databook, 1983, encompasses descriptive data ascertained from various U.S. census reports. Topics discussed range from basic demographic percentages such as number of whites or blacks in the population or number of females in the workforce to the payroll of retail markets or types of heating used in homes. This Data Set provides city-level profiles. A related Data Set (DAAPPP Data Set No. A9) provides state-level profiles.Note for users of DAAPPP Data Sets #01-B1DAAPPP data sets 01 through B1 are comprised of a User's Guide, SPSS syntax files (*.SPS or *.SPX) and raw data files only. Most of these datasets contain SPSS syntax files that use Job Control Language (JCL) from 1980s versions of SPSS-X. Because the syntax is old, the syntax files require editing to conform to the current syntax standards used by SPSS/Windows or SPSS/Unix. If you require technical assistance in using or editing these syntax files, please contact Sociometrics' Data Support Group at 800.846.3475 or socio@socio.com.

U.S. Census County and City Data Book, 1983: State Files Plus Washington, DC

Investigators: U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. Census County and City Databook, 1983, encompasses descriptive data ascertained from various U.S. census reports. Topics discussed range from basic demographic percentages such as number of whites or blacks in the population or number of females in the workforce to the payroll of retail markets or types of heating used in homes. This Data Set provides state-level profiles. A related Data Set (DAAPPP Data Set No. B1) provides city-level profiles. Note for users of DAAPPP Data Sets #01-B1DAAPPP data sets 01 through B1 are comprised of a User's Guide, SPSS syntax files (*.SPS or *.SPX) and raw data files only. Most of these datasets contain SPSS syntax files that use Job Control Language (JCL) from 1980s versions of SPSS-X. Because the syntax is old, the syntax files require editing to conform to the current syntax standards used by SPSS/Windows or SPSS/Unix. If you require technical assistance in using or editing these syntax files, please contact Sociometrics' Data Support Group at 800.846.3475 or socio@socio.com.

Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three City Study (Boston, Chicagand San Antonio), Wave 3, February 2005 - January 2006

Investigators: Andrew J. Cherlin, Ronald Angel, Linda Burton, P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, Robert Moffitt, and William Julius Wilson

The Welfare, Children and Families Study is a longitudinal study of children and their caregivers in low income families that were living in low-income neighborhoods in three cities during wave 1 of the study (1999). The purpose of the study is to investigate the consequences of policy changes resulting from the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). The survey was designed to provide information on the health and cognitive, behavioral, and emotional development of children and on their primary caregivers' labor force behavior, welfare experiences, family lives, use of social service, health, and well-being.

Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three City Study (Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio) Embedded Developmental Study, Wave 1, 1999

Investigators: Andrew J. Cherlin, Ronald Angel, Linda Burton, P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, Robert Moffitt, and William Julius Wilson

Welfare, Children and Families: A Three City Study is a longitudinal study of children and their caregivers in low-income families that were living in low-income neighborhoods in three cities in 1999. The purpose of the study is to investigate the consequences of policy changes resulting from the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). The survey was designed to provide information on the health and cognitive, behavioral, and emotional development of children and on their primary caregivers' labor force behavior, welfare experiences, family lives, use of social service, health, and well-being. The Embedded Developmental Study (EDS) was developed to gain a more detailed and valid picture of the environments and processes that affect children during early childhood that cannot be obtained through standard survey instruments. The EDS was focused on preschoolers because children in this age range embark upon developmental paths that, in turn, drive later intellectual, social and physical growth. Mothers also face challenges during this period in providing appropriate warmth, limit setting, and learning opportunities, as well as in meeting the great time demands of caring for preschool children and finding appropriate alternate care. The survey gathered detailed, process-oriented measures that provide information not easily collected in standard surveys. The EDS contains three components: (1) an additional home visit with mother and child, which includes videotaped tasks for the child and the mother-child together, as well as an additional mother interview; (2) a visit to the child's primary care provider (other than the mother), which includes observational ratings of the care and an interview with the childcare provider; and (3) an interview with the child's biological father. The EDS was undertaken with nearly all children ages two to four in the survey. It mirrored the main survey in its timeline; with all portions of the EDS completed while the main survey was conducted in the field.

Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three City Study (Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio) Embedded Developmental Study, Wave 2, 2000-01

Investigators: Andrew J. Cherlin, Ronald Angel, Linda Burton, P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, Robert Moffitt, and William Julius Wilson

Welfare, Children and Families: A Three-City Study is an ongoing research project in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio to monitor the consequences of welfare reform for the well-being of children and families. The Wave 2 Embedded Developmental Study (EDS), which is a part of the longitudinal follow-up, includes interviews of a subset of children 3-6 years of age and their caregivers. It consists of videotaped assessments of children's behaviors, caregiver-child interactions, and observations of childcare settings. The interviews were conducted between October 2000 and June 2001 in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio. The purpose of the study is to investigate the consequences of policy changes resulting from the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). The survey was designed to provide information on the health and cognitive, behavioral, and emotional development of children and on their mothers' labor force behavior, welfare experiences, family lives, use of social service, health, and well-being. The Embedded Developmental Study (EDS) was developed to gain a more detailed and in-depth picture of the environments and processes that affect children during early childhood than can be obtained through standard survey instruments. Detailed, process-oriented measures that provide information not easily collected in standard surveys were gathered. Wave 1 of the EDS contained three components: (1) an additional home visit with mother and child, which included videotaped tasks for the child and the mother-child together, as well as an additional mother interview; (2) a visit to the child's primary care provider (other than the mother), which included observational ratings of the care and an interview with the childcare provider; and (3) an interview with the child's biological father. In wave 2, however, only the mother and childcare provider interviews and observations were conducted. In addition, the "mother" interviews were conducted with the focal child's primary caregiver; separated caregivers from the main survey were not included in the Wave 2 EDS sample.

Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three City Study (Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio), Wave 2, September 2000 - June 2001

Investigators: Andrew J. Cherlin, Ronald Angel, Linda Burton, P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, Robert Moffitt, and William Julius Wilson

The Welfare, Children and Families Study is a longitudinal study of children and their caregivers in low income families that were living in low-income neighborhoods in three cities during wave 1 of the study (1999). The purpose of the study is to investigate the consequences of policy changes resulting from the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). The survey was designed to provide information on the health and cognitive, behavioral, and emotional development of children and on their primary caregivers' labor force behavior, welfare experiences, family lives, use of social service, health, and well-being.