Evidence Brief: Ideal Learning Environments for Young Children

Ideal Learning Environments for Young Children highlights recent developmental, neuroscience, and implementation research aligned with nine principles of high-quality early childhood learning environments.

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Evidence Brief

Ideal Learning in Child Care

How do you know if your child care program is an ideal learning environment? Look for nine key principles of high-quality early childhood programs, including the importance of play, relationships, equity, the environment, and more.

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Bank Street

Research on parent motivations in early childhood

The Parents as Consumers of Early Childhood Education report explores parent aspirations and motivations for seeking out early childhood education programs and resources for their children.

Read more about what parents want
Avance parents

Ideal Learning In Practice

Ideal learning is where early childhood equity and quality meet. Learn more about how educators from around the country are expanding developmental, whole-child environments for all children.

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Ideal Learning At Home

No matter your child’s age or early childhood program, you can bring the principles of ideal learning to life at home. Here are resources from members of the ideal learning roundtable that can help you build playful, relational learning into your daily routine.

Learn how to support your child at home
CHILD PLAYING IN SNOW

Ideal Learning In Communities

New Haven Children’s Ideal Learning District (NH ChILD) was conceived by the Ideal Learning Roundtable as a place-based demonstration district, where community leaders come together to make ideal learning environments real for all children, birth through age 8. In New Haven, community leaders are tackling issues of access, quality, and equity and sharing what they learn as they work toward this ambitious goal.

Visit New Haven ChILD
two children working on a project

Ideal Learning in Policy

While the local, state, and federal policy landscape is complex, policy and regulatory changes related to assessment, class size, curricular standards, funding, and educator training can expand or impede ideal learning environments in the public sector.

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ideal learning policy workshop

Ideal Learning in Head Start

In 2019, a group of ideal learning Head Start providers came together as the Ideal Learning Head Start Network with the support of our staff. The group shares best practices, maintains a resource library for Head Start programs who want to adopt an ideal learning-aligned program, and hopes to support federal Head Start rules that allow for more rapid growth of ideal learning models leveraging Head Start funding. Learn more and join the Network!

Ideal Learning Head Start Network
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Ideal Learning Resources

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