Advancement of Learning for the Enrichment of Lives
Based just outside of Boston, in the hub of research and innovation, Early Childhood Associates, Inc. (ECA) is a nationally recognized social research and consulting firm dedicated to promoting the healthy growth and development of children, and their families as well as the practitioners who support them.
ECA is at the forefront of innovation in Birth-3rd Grade education, data-driven decision-making facilitations, effective and powerful coaching and technical assistance, the creation of continual program improvement through program evaluation, and the important work of infusing community and families into the education of our children and youth.
Research & Evaluation
Program evaluation is not a cut-and-dried activity. Evaluation depends primarily on its purposes and audience; the nature of the program being evaluated; and the political and organizational context within which the evaluation is conducted. Ultimately, the goal is to use the evaluation results to guide conversations and foster deeper thinking around evidence-based decision making and program improvement.
Systems Building
It takes more than education to help kids be ready for school—they also need good health care; appropriate social and emotional development opportunities; strong support from their families and communities; and a well-qualified early childhood workforce. A well-developed, dynamic strategic plan guides an effective early learning system; uses evidence of change to adjust the plan in order to meet the plan’s short- to long-term benchmarks; and to inform policy and practices.
Workforce Development
Teachers’ and education leaders’ engagement with effective professional development (PD) is linked to classroom quality and improved child outcomes. The best PD provides practitioners with interrelated and continuous learning opportunities based on the science of child development. It builds leadership capacity to support continuous, collaborative model of learning.
Program Quality Improvement
Creating high-quality learning environments requires skilled and committed leaders to help shape teaching. Effective teachers create stimulating early learning environments; engage in reflective practice; regular child assessment; and adopt curricula that make a difference in children’s development. Leadership is second only to teaching as an influence on learning. The high quality leadership is linked to improved student outcomes and educational equity.
Latest Tweets
Recent Reports
Identifying And Using Data To Promote Evidence Informed Practice
Evidence-Informed Practice is an approach that argues that policy and practice should be justified in term of sound evidence about their likely effects. Currently, the term evidence-informed practice is used with two different meanings. One meaning is associated with...
Why Program Performance Evaluations?
Program Performance Evaluations (PPE) are foundational to the development and implementation of Birth to Five Strategic (PDGB-5) planning efforts. The intention is to use PPE to support implementation of PDG B-5 strategic plans and data-based decision-making while...
Recent Events
Early Childhood Special Education Program Evaluations
Many children enter the special education system as preschoolers, making it an ideal time to analyze and strengthen early childhood program and services. ECA uses a mixed method data collection process to evaluate current early childhood special education systems and...
Study of Universal Preschool Program Models and Projection of School-Age Population
Cambridge, MA awarded a contract to Early Childhood Associates and its partner, the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute (UMDI) to conduct a study of the existing mixed service delivery system of preschool programs serving children in Cambridge. This study...