ECA - Advancing Learning, Enriching Lives - Early Childhood Associates, Inc.

Re-imagining professional learning

Bringing together the best thinking of P-12 education to drive education reform

Engaging adults in high quality instructional practices

Setting the stage for evidence-informed data driven decision making

Leading the strategic planning process

Developing leadership capacity

Building capacity for engaging in evidence informed data driven decision making

Coaching to support program leaders, strengthen teacher practice, and improve outcomes for children

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 research and evaluation, B-3rd grade strategic planning and systems building, workforce development, quality assurance, universal Pre-K initiatives, and supporting accessible and evidence-informed inclusion practices in settings serving young children and their families.

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Identifying And Using Data To Promote Evidence Informed Practice

Why Program Performance Evaluations?

Quality Improvement-Early Childhood Special Ed Program Evaluation

Using the latest research and guidance from the Departments of ED and HHS, and OSEP Child Outcomes; ECA has helped school districts with continued quality improvement efforts for preschool classrooms with emphasis on supporting children with disabilities through enhanced access…

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.

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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.

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Quality Assurance

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.

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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...

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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...

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