Early Development, Care and Education Signature Area

Optimal development during the first year of life is an important precursor to healthy and successful lifestyles throughout the life span. Increasingly, the importance of supports for families and communities in their efforts to nurture young children are being recognized and supported; high quality early care and education opportunities are an essential part of enhancing children's development, supporting healthy families, and contributing to the economic vitality of communities. In order to achieve improved child and family outcomes, research and policy must focus on quality program standards in child care, family-centered supports for families, and research-based educational interventions.

 

Vision

Every child will receive the supports from family, caregivers, schools, and community needed for a healthy, successful, rewarding life.

 

Mission Statement

The mission of Early Development, Care, and Education in the Department of Human Development & Family Studies is to generate and share knowledge about fostering the development of young children and their families. Through research, teaching, and service, we seek to advance the understanding of the programs and practices needed to ensure that all young children develop the understandings and skills they need to live successful, rewarding lives. Our special emphasis is on young children and their families who face challenges in early development due to developmental delays, poverty, or other life circumstances. We study the care and services these children and their families receive to promote their positive development. As we conduct research, we partner with parents, practitioners, and policy makers.

Connecting themes in our work are:

  • Early Care & Education
  • Early Intervention
  • Early Childhood Special Education
  • Access & Inclusion
  • Parent Education & Family Support
  • Early Childhood Policy

 

Graduate Opportunities

Students who are interested in our Early Development, Care, and Education focus may take coursework related to growth and development of children including theories of human development and research in social, emotional, cognitive, language, motor, and perceptual development in children in the context of the family and society. They may also study theories and content of curriculum and instruction, and alternative teaching models and methodologies. Students can have opportunities to become knowledgeable about procedures for the assessment of child development and learning, child care and early education environments, early childhood education curricula, types, purposes, and appropriateness of various assessment procedures and instruments. The curriculum provides for experience in program planning for children from a variety of diverse cultural and language backgrounds, as well as children of different age and developmental levels. The Child Development Laboratory School provides research and teaching opportunities with infants and preschool age children. For those students interested in early childhood special education, coursework about and programming for children with disabilities as well as research opportunities are available. Our particular emphasis in early childhood special education is on community-based programming and a family centered approach for service to young children with disabilities.

 

Faculty and Staff Participation

Faculty and staff members supporting the Early Development, Care, and Education signature area within the Department of Human Development and Family Studies are involved in a number of research, evaluation, and policy projects designed to enhance the early care and education systems in Iowa and around the nation. Current faculty members have established collaborative relationships across the ISU campus, the state of Iowa, and the nation.

Scholarly projects are primarily focused on issues related to services for young children between birth and eight years of age and their families. Projects are funded by state and federal agencies, and many are being conducted in collaboration with research team members from multi-state consortia.

 

Current Research Projects

 

Current faculty and staff in EDCE:
Grace Aiton

Mary Jane Brotherson
Susan Hegland
Kere Hughes
Gayle Luze

Susan Maude
Lesia Oesterreich
Carla Peterson

Candice Rutter

Melissa Thorson