Early Childhood Research Summit

Summit Agenda


Concurrent Sessions

Session 1 Session 2 Session 3 Session 4 Session Key

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. | Registration




9:00 – 9:15 a.m. | Opening & Welcome


Banquet Hall

Susan Sheridan

Director
Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families & Schools, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Jason Prokop

Director
First Five Nebraska

Walter Gilliam

Executive Director
Buffett Early Childhood Institute

Watch Video




9:15 – 10:15 a.m. | Keynote Address


Banquet Hall

Chrishana M. Lloyd, Ph.D.

Research Scholar
Child Trends


Examining Connections Between Policy, Practice and Research to Strengthen Early Care and Education
Watch Video Presentation Slides

This presentation will explore the relationship between research, policy and practice in early care and education to highlight forward looking approaches, strategies and innovations that can inform advances in the field.





10:30 – 11:15 a.m. | Concurrent Session 1



Room A1

Examining the Research–Policy–Practice Nexus to Strengthen Early Care and Education: Follow-up Discussion
Research Themes:

Systems and Policies

Join Chrishana M. Lloyd for an interactive conversation exploring her work at the intersection of research, policy and practice in early care and education and discuss effective strategies to advance the field.

Chrishana M. Lloyd
Research Scholar
Early Childhood Development at Child Trends

Room A2

Ice Jams, Fungi, Roly-Polys: Enhancing Knowledge to Enrich Science Talk
Research Themes:

Equity, STEM

In this presentation, the team will share innovative strategies addressing (1) how science and engineering content knowledge resources were developed in collaboration with researchers and practitioners in various disciplines; (2) how critical early childhood practices were deliberately integrated in PD resources addressing science and engineering content knowledge and practice; and (3) how key research outcomes and processes will be measured to inform early childhood professional learning.

Soo-Young Hong
Associate Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln


Additional Presenters: Lisa Poppe, LaDonna Werth, Sarah Paulos & Maddie Pieper


Presentation slides

Room A3

Tracking Early Disparities Statewide in Nebraska
Research Themes:

Equity, Systems and Policies, Child Development

With increased attention to programs and policies focused on early child development, it is important to generate estimates of child development at the population level. Using a new parent report measure of child development designed for use at the population level, we will report on children’s development from birth to age five across Nebraska, with an emphasis on the roles of family characteristics, children’s health status and other factors as influences on early development.

Abbie Raikes
Associate Professor
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Katelyn Hepworth
Child Health Research Manager
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Gladys Haynes
Director, Nebraska Early Learning Initiatives
Buffett Early Childhood Fund

Presentation slides

Room B1

Supports Needed by Early Childhood Professionals to Complete Degrees & Certification
Research Themes:

Equity, Systems and Policies, Workforce

In this session, we will introduce the Responsive Equitable System for Preparing Early Childhood Teachers (RESPECT) Across Nebraska project and report results of quantitative and qualitative investigation of the facilitators and barriers experienced by early childhood professionals seeking degrees and teacher certification. Results of this study are informing the design of early childhood education degree pathways that include supports needed for student success.

Julia Torquati
Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln


Additional Presenters: Victoria Johnson, Simin Kazemi, Lisa Knoche & Nancy Engin-Wedin


Presentation slides

Room B2

Coaching in Early Intervention: Promoting High-Quality Home Visits with Families
Research Themes:

Systems and Policies, Program or Service Delivery, Workforce

This session will highlight a professional learning/coaching approach in early intervention (EI) that is being implemented to support the use of evidence-based practices by EI personnel. The approach has been co-developed by a university team, along with state EI partners, to promote family engagement and infant/toddler outcomes. We will highlight opportunities and challenges in implementing the approach, including perspectives from practitioners and share outcome data from EI personnel and families.

Lisa Knoche
Research Associate Professor, Co-Director
University of Nebraska–Lincoln


Additional Presenters: Rachel Schachter, Gwen Nugent, Sue Bainter, Christina Kilgore, Janice Lee & Amy Bunnell


Presentation slides




11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Concurrent Session 2



Room A1

Adapting and Refining the CHIME Program in Early Care and Education
Research Themes:

Program or Service Delivery, Workforce

This presentation aims to share lessons learned and strategies for partnering and collaborating with Early Head Start/Head Start programs to co-refine and adapt a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI), Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators (CHIME-HS), to make the intervention effective and internally sustainable for EHS/HS programs. We present information on ways to use community-engaged research to co-refine and adapt the program and share some of the barriers, challenges and successes of refining CHIME.

Carrie Clark
Associate Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Jaci Foged
Extension Educator
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Amanda Prokasky
Senior Research Specialist
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Presentation slides

Room A2

Omaha Urban Thinkscapes: Play Happens Everywhere
Research Themes:

Equity, Family Engagement

Around the world, city leaders are recognizing the need for development of community spaces to improve the lives of young children and their families. The Omaha Urban Thinkscapes project is one city’s approach to integrating playful thinkscapes through an inclusive participatory research design. Current findings reveal the input of children, families and community partners on how to design public play spaces based on the question: How do you play?

Deborah Wisneski
Associate Professor
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Kristina Stamatis
Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Kathleen Knudsen
Facilitator
Metro Omaha Raise Me to Read

Presentation slides

Room A3

Learning Frontiers: Promoting Equitable and Effective Early Learning in PreK-Grade 3
Research Themes:

Program or Service Delivery, Family Engagement

The goal of Learning Frontiers Pre-K to Grade 3 is to use research to support equitable and effective early learning opportunities for Nebraska students. Toward this end, a UNL-based team conducted three studies between 2016-22 to identify research-based impact areas that can inform practice and policy decisions. The three impact areas with potential to positively contribute to children’s learning and development are: (1) Classroom Experiences & Learning Opportunities; (2) Relationships; and (3) Sustained High-Quality Experiences.

Amanda Witte
Research Associate Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln


Additional Presenters: Lisa Knoche, Susan Sheridan & Natalie Koziol


Presentation slides

Room B1

It Takes a Village: Using Data to Strengthen Research-Practice Partnerships
Research Themes:

Equity, Systems and Policies, Program or Service Delivery

Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) offer opportunities for researchers and early childhood practitioners to engage in collaborative problem-solving and use educational data for improvement. In this presentation, we will discuss the partnership between Educare schools in Nebraska that each represent unique populations and settings, and their local research partners who work together to conduct continuous program evaluation and help inform training, policy and advocacy work both at the local and national level.

Clariebelle Gabas
Postdoctoral Researcher & Project Coordinator
University of Nebraska–Lincoln


Additional Presenters: Karla Bohl, Jolene Johnson, Jamalia Jones & Amy LaPointe


Presentation slides

Room B2

Assessment Practices in Rural Head Start When Children Speak Spanish
Research Themes:

Equity, Systems and Policies, Program or Service Delivery, Child Development, Family Engagement

When inclusive programs are developing a system to facilitate smooth transitions for children with and without disabilities, they need reliable and valid tools. Our project examined an assessment-based approach to supporting the transition of children who speak Spanish from rural Head Start programs to public school kindergarten(s), as well as the psychometric properties (i.e., validity and reliability) of a new measure used for educational transition purposes.

Ehi Edokhamhen
Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska at Kearney


Additional Presenters: Kelcie Burke, Mark Reid & Marisa Macy


Presentation slides




12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | Luncheon


Banquet Hall

Jason Ball

President
Lincoln Chamber of Commerce & Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development





1:45 – 2:30 p.m. | Concurrent Session 3



Room A1

(1) Family Cohesion and Children’s Cognitive Development Amid Economic Hardship
Research Themes:

Equity, Child Development, STEM

Presentation slides
(2) Research to Practice: Improving Family Engagement via Getting Ready
Research Themes:

Workforce, Family Engagement

Presentation slides
(3) Systems Implementation Support Promoting Positive Student Behavior: Early Childhood Alignment
Research Themes:

Program or Service Delivery

Presentation slides

(1) This longitudinal study examined how economic hardship during the early pandemic impacted children’s cognitive development via parents’ well-being and parent-child interaction quality. Findings revealed that economic challenges worked through parents’ mental health to impact parenting behaviors and children’s later cognitive skills. Family cohesion was a compensatory factor, supporting positive parenting and children’s executive functions. The study advocates for targeted interventions to support disadvantaged families, urging a family systems approach in early childhood practice and policy.

Jenna Finch
Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Kimia Akhavein
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

(2) Getting Ready is an evidence-based family engagement approach used by home- and center-based early childhood educators that has been adopted as part of statewide early childhood system improvement efforts. Moving the intervention to scale has required modifications in implementation, including online training and coaching, and limited field-based contact. Evaluation data collected from educators indicate improved family engagement skills; partnerships with families; and enhanced parent-child interactions. Implications for translating research to practice will be shared.

Lisa Knoche
Research Associate Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln


Additional Presenters: Tammi Hechtner-Galvin, Katie Zabel & Jenny Benson


(3) The Nebraska Department of Education provides leadership, professional development and technical assistance to schools for improving student behavior outcomes through an integrated schoolwide systems change approach. A small (n=5) cohort of districts are receiving targeted implementation support to ensure evidence-based practices implementation. Systems specialists encourage cohort schools to include Pre-K when evaluating and improving their systemic practices. Results of efforts to align policies, practices, curricula and assessments across Pre-K and elementary grades will be discussed.

Amanda Witte
Research Associate Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Room A2

Exploring Perspectives on Researcher-Community Partner Collaborations
Research Themes:

Child Development, Workforce

Collaborations between community partners and researchers are essential for building new early childhood knowledge, including ways to support young children’s social-emotional well-being and early childhood workforce development. Join this listening session to share your successes and challenges on initiating and sustaining meaningful connections and learn from colleagues about opportunities and barriers.

HyeonJin Yoon
Research Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Amanda Prokasky
Senior Research Specialist
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Room A3

Beyond Compensation: Burnout, Intent to Leave, and ECE Workforce Well-being
Research Themes:

Equity, Systems and Policies, Program or Service Delivery, Workforce

Longstanding challenges faced by the early care and education workforce include perennially low wages and high turnover rates. In this convergent mixed methods study, Head Start grantees completed surveys and focus groups, allowing for creating two groups of interest: high burnout/likelihood to leave and low burnout/likelihood to leave. Data demonstrate the complexity of factors contributing to well-being over and above compensation.

Alexandra Daro
Research Specialist
Buffett Early Childhood Institute


Additional Presenters: Kate Sutton, Paula Thompson & Kristen Cunningham


Presentation slides

Room B1

The Relationship Between IQ and Lexical Measures in Williams Syndrome
CANCELLED

Room B2

Using Goal Setting and Text Messaging to Support Quality Goals in Child Care
Research Themes:

Systems and Policies, Program or Service Delivery, Workforce

Inspired by principles of behavioral science, this project used a simple observation tool coupled with goal setting and text messaging to support adoption of evidence-based practices (EBP) in child care settings. Using a randomized design, we found strong positive impacts of text messaging and goal setting on EBP in child care settings. Early childhood professionals rated the program positively and endorsed its use for supporting children's development.

Abbie Raikes
Associate Professor
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Jolene Johnson
Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Presentation slides




2:45 – 3:30 p.m. | Concurrent Session 4



Room A1

Early Childhood Legislation in Nebraska and Reflections on a Research/Policy Partnership
Research Themes:

Systems and Policies

In this session, First Five Nebraska will provide an update on the latest early childhood legislation and policy in Nebraska. There will also be discussion on the successful research/policy partnerships that have been formed through the NAECR Policy Fellows program. The session will conclude with reflections from the Policy Fellows and First Five Nebraska on the intersection of research and policy, creating connections between the research and policy communities, and lessons learned from the Policy Fellows program.

Katie Bass
Data and Policy Research Advisor
First Five Nebraska
Elizabeth Everett
Deputy Director & Public Policy Manager
First Five Nebraska
Sara Howard
Policy Advisor
First Five Nebraska
Philip Lai
Associate Professor
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Susan Loveall
Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Brenden Timpe
Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Room A2

Early Childhood Professionals’ Well-being and Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Research Themes:

Equity, Workforce

Nebraska early childhood professionals participated in 13 focus groups (nine with n=98 English-speaking participants and four with n=23 Spanish-speaking participants) to examine well-being, experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and experiences with systems and resources designed to support them and their work to better understand their lived experiences and gain insights regarding how their well-being (i.e., mental, physical, economic) intersects with broader systems (e.g., health, regulatory, economic).

Julia Torquati
Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Kathleen Gallagher
Director of Research and Evaluation
Buffett Early Childhood Institute
Tomi Olayemi
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Presentation slides

Room A3

SUNRISE Nebraska Study: Assessing Preschoolers’ Movement, Behaviors and Skills
Research Themes:

Child Development

We will highlight ongoing work between researchers at UNO, UNK and others from around the world as part of the SUNRISE study. This epidemiological work aims to bring together researchers from 60 low-, middle- and high-income countries to assess the movement behaviors of preschool-aged children according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

John Rech
Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Danae Dinkel
Associate Professor
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Priyanka Chaudhary
Doctoral Research Assistant
University of Nebraska at Omaha

Room B1

Measuring Collaboration Among Early Childhood Partners: A Mixed Methods Approach
Research Themes:

Systems and Policies, Program or Service Delivery, Workforce

To understand the level of collaboration among stakeholders involved in the Superintendent’s Early Childhood Plan, researchers employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach. Surveys revealed differences in perceived collaboration across stakeholder types. Interviews identified facilitators to collaboration to include perceptions of support, communication, trust and shared vision. Challenges to collaboration include clarity of expectations, time commitment and goal alignment. Use of a collaboration evaluation can allow organizations to elucidate progress and pitfalls and support strategic decision-making.

Kailey Snyder
Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Kristen Cunningham
Research Scientist
Buffett Early Childhood Institute

Presentation slides

Room B2

(1) Teacher Perceptions of the Early Literacy-Focused Nebraska WORDS Project
Research Themes:

Program or Service Delivery


(2) The Role of Parents’ Traditional Masculinity Ideology in Emotion Socialization
Research Themes:

Equity, Child Development, Family Engagement

(1) National reading data show that students are struggling to develop adequate reading skills. University researchers partnered with the Nebraska Department of Education to develop the Nebraska WORDS Project that aims to accelerate post-pandemic reading development for K-3 students in rural Nebraska. The purpose of this study is to evaluate teachers’ perceptions of WORDS. Findings suggest that large-scale, collaborative projects between researchers, state agencies and school districts are perceived by teachers to be meaningful and effective.

Natalie Koziol
Research Associate Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln


Additional Presenters: Derek Rodgers, Michael Hebert, Rachel Schachter & Janet Bohaty


(2) An important task for parents of young children is to teach them how to manage negative emotions. In our study, mothers who believed men should be tough were less likely to say they would teach their daughter to let out her emotions openly. This implies that what women believe about ideal behavior for men matters for how they interact with other girls or women.

Patty Kuo
Assistant Professor
University of Nebraska–Lincoln


Additional Presenters: Emily Starr & Monique Miller





3:45 – 4:00 p.m. | Closing Remarks


Banquet Hall

Nick Pace

Acting Dean
College of Education and Human Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Lisa Knoche

Co-Director
Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families & Schools, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Watch Video




4:00 – 5:00 p.m. | Poster Session & Reception


Banquet Hall

Early Childhood Poster Presentations with Graduate Students.


View Posters

Session Types


Throughout the Summit, a wide range of presenters and content will ensure a rich learning experience. All sessions are 45 minutes in length and include a 15-minute facilitated discussion.

Research Exchange

Individual researchers/teams will share their research findings. A facilitated discussion of applications to practice and policy will follow.

Early Childhood Ignite Session

Each session will include three different, thematically linked research presentations. Each researcher will have 10 minutes to share their findings.

Panel Discussion

A panel of presenters will share their knowledge, experiences and perspectives in relation to early childhood.

Poster Symposia

Multiple thematically linked posters will be displayed and presenters will provide a brief summary of their poster and share information on their findings.