Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention (CECEI)

CECEI hosted a table at Maryland Day on Saturday, April 30, 2022, with glitter bottle and finger painting activities for children and families, with the help of five student volunteers.

CECEI, Principal Investigator Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, is beginning work on Breaking Down our Silos: Creating a Trauma Informed Research, Policy and Practice Partnership (TI-RPPP), which is the next iteration of what has been known as the Trauma Sensitive Pedagogy (TSP) project. This project is funded by Bainum Family Fund. CECEI will continue the implementation of the Trauma Sensitive Pedagogy (TSP) project through June of 2022, while simultaneously creating a Trauma-Informed Research, Policy and Practice Partnership focused on bringing siloed stakeholders together to collaboratively identify and address both core and systemic trauma-related issues.

Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin (PI, HDQM) and Dr. Brenda Jones Harden (Co-PI) at CECEI were awarded funding from the Maryland State Department of Education for an external evaluation of the Efficacy of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) project which supports the provision of early childhood mental health services across the State. 

CECEI Executive Director Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin was quoted in The Washington Post about Sesame Street’s debut of a family with two dads during Pride Month, noting that the program has always been “ahead of the curve in terms of modeling diversity in all forms.”

The Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children's 37th Annual International Conference on Young Children With Disabilities and Their Families spotlighted Executive Director of CECEI Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin as a keynote presenter. In her presentation, she discussed the critical work of early childcare educators and interventionists in low-resourced communities, the personal challenges they often face in these roles, and the promise of comprehensive community schools in addressing these challenges.

CECEI was honored to co-sponsor a virtual talk with the Language and Literacy Research Center (LLRC) with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek about re-defining and re-conceptualizing education. In her virtual presentation titled “Reimagining Education: A view from the science of learning,” Dr. Hirsh-Pasek, Professor of Psychology at Temple University and a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, spoke to the impact of COVID-19 and how it presents the opportunity to “reimagine” early childhood education. Learn more about the talk and watch the full event recording.

In an EdSurge op-ed, Dr. Carlomagno Panlilio of PSU and Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, Executive Director of CECEI, discussed trauma that educators are experiencing related to COVID-19, along with approaches that can help reduce the burden.

Executive Director of CECEI Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, Dr. Carlomagno Panlilio of Penn State University, & Dr. J. Bart Klika, Chief Research Officer with Prevent Child Abuse America, wrote op-ed in The Hill, "The epidemic behind the mask: COVID-related education inequities."

CECEI Executive Director Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin interviewed on BAM Radio episodes, "Tick-Tock: How Soon Is Too Soon to Talk About 'Race' With Students?"  and "The ABCs of Teaching Young Students About Race in School."

Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, Executive Director of CECEI, quoted in Capital Gazette article, "Students, parents and teachers create ‘school from home’ as first day of classes nears in Anne Arundel."

Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, Executive Director of CECEI, discussed with National Geographic the 2020 back-to-school transition in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CECEI, Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, Principal Investigator and Project Director, is implementing a multi-phased project, which brings standards-driven, project-based learning to preschool (defined as those who are in three and four-year-old classrooms) children throughout the State of Maryland. This work is funded by the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Early Childhood. Learn more in this CoE News post.

CECEI is conducting an evaluation project focused on inclusive early education experiences to include where services are provided, as well as documenting the attitudes and beliefs of early childhood general and special education coordinators/supervisors around full inclusion. This project is funded by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services (DEI/SES). Read more about this and other Center projects.

The Governor’s Office for Children and Children’s Cabinet, in partnership with the Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, offer the Governor’s Young Readers Program to the residents of Baltimore City. Through this program, children from birth through their 5th birthday are mailed a free book each month regardless of family income. The purpose of this evaluation project, conducted in partnership with the CECEI, is to evaluate the implementation of the Young Readers Program (YRP). Learn more in this CoE News post.

CECEI provides support and guidance to early childhood administrators implementing the Children Study Their World curriculum, including offering guiding principles and activity packets for connecting with children and families, and guidance from other early learning organizations. Read more in this UMD College of Education News article. 

CECEI Executive Director Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin discusses in The Washington Post an important resource recently launched by Sesame Street aimed at children and families affected by addiction.

We are excited to share that our Children Study Their World curriculum and implementation were featured in UMD publications: CoE news, UMD Right Now, and Maryland Today.

CECEI hosted a table at Maryland Day on Saturday, April 27th, 2019. Children made bubbles and we handed out turtle toys and flyers with information about early childhood resources.

Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin, Clinical Professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology (HDQM) and Executive Director of CECEI at the University of Maryland, has been appointed by Governor Hogan for a three-year term on the Maryland State Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC). The Council acts to ensure access to developmental and educational services is available to all children with disabilities, from birth through age 5, and their families. Learn more in this College of Education news post.

CECEI will conduct the external evaluation of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation Grant (Phase II) project, which supported the expansion of Maryland’s Family Engagement Initiatives in Maryland and other states. The evaluation will inform the public about the extent to which the implementation of family engagement strategies in Maryland has improved family engagement quality among parents and family members, and assess the fulfillment of three intended project outcomes: 1. Improve school readiness of vulnerable children by improving family engagement practices and supporting service providers, 2. Create a cohort of parent advocates and leaders to improve parental leadership skills, and 3. Improve state family engagement practices through a State Consortium on Family Engagement. 

CECEI researchers, with Dr. Christy Tirrell-Corbin as Principal Investigator, will examine the Improvement Science (IS) process in four CCSSO partner states around an overall problem of practice (i.e., high quality early childhood instruction). CECEI will examine each State Education Agency’s (SEA) strategic goals, engagement across the four states, and the processes and relationships established between state education agencies and system/school-based inquiry teams. 

CECEI Researcher Awarded Grant to Study Family Influences on Effectiveness of Pre-kindergarten Program: Dr. Brenda Jones-Harden has received a grant from the Brady Education Foundation to extend the evaluation of Maryland's Pre-kindergarten Expansion program. The project seeks to determine the benefits of the Pre-K program on low-income children in Baltimore City Public Schools. The specific aims of the Brady-funded project are: 1) to examine the moderating role of family factors (including protective factors) in the impact of Pre-kindergarten on participant children; and 2) to explore if and how the Pre-kindergarten experience buffers children against the impact of toxic stress. 

CECEI Awarded Grant for Phase 3 of Study of Birth to Five Service Delivery Models in Maryland: CECEI has received a grant from the Maryland State Department of Education in support of the third phase of an evaluation of Maryland’s early intervention and preschool special education service delivery models. We have completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 of this study. Phase 3 involves two components. The first is conducting a qualitative assessment of jurisdictions’ choices of service delivery methods. The second component is providing technical assistance and professional development in evidence-based teaming practices and models for the comprehensive delivery of birth-to-Kindergarten services.

Bainum Family Fund Supports Development of Trauma-Sensitive Curriculum: CECEI thanks the Bainum Family Fund for providing funding to support the development of a trauma-sensitive curriculum. Recent findings have shown the extent of how traumatic experiences affect children’s brain structures and socio-emotional functioning. Therefore, training to help educators address the learning needs of young children who have experienced trauma is sorely needed.

CECEI Receives Grant to Develop Preschool Curriculum: CECEI was recently awarded a grant by the Maryland State Department of Education to develop a project-based preschool curriculum. Titled “Children Study Their World”, this curriculum will integrate all areas of learning and focus on the processes of inquiry and child-directed investigation. The finished product will be app-based and free to use for preschool providers throughout the state of Maryland.

CECEI Publishes Prince George's County Family Resource Guide: This guide is intended to provide families with the information they need to promote the optimum health, development and learning of the county’s young children. This resource guide includes a compilation of agencies throughout Prince George’s County as well as informative websites that address children’s health and parenting.

CECEI Awarded Grant to Evaluate Maryland’s Early Intervention & Preschool Special Education Services:

CECEI has received a grant from the Maryland State Department of Education in support of an ongoing evaluation of Maryland’s early intervention and preschool special education service delivery models. CECEI has completed the first phase of this project, which involved examining and summarizing Maryland’s existing systems of service delivery. Now, we move onto Phase 2, which involves studying the interventions offered within each delivery model and analyzing resource allocations within and across local programs.

2016 Summer Institute

The Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention was proud to host a Summer Institute for Early Childhood Special Educators. Funded through a grant from the Bainum Family Fund, the Summer Institute focused on literacy, mathematics, special education strategies, and best practices for early childhood educators.

CECEI Receives Grant to Evaluate Maryland’s Preschool Development Expansion Grant Program

In 2014, Maryland was one of 18 states awarded federal Preschool Expansion Grants, designed to expand public preschool opportunities to more low and moderate-income children and their families. The Maryland State Department of Education has awarded a grant to CECEI to examine the reach, impact, and overall satisfaction with Maryland's pre-kindergarten expansion efforts. CECEI’s evaluation will address a range of questions related to the effectiveness of the preschool expansion from both a descriptive and an explanatory perspective.

Bainum Family Foundation supports Evaluation of the Implementation of Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s Quality Improvement Network to Improve Early Learning across Washington, D.C.

CECEI has received a grant from the Bainum Family Foundation to support the evaluation of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education Quality Improvement Network initiative. This implementation study will examine how a Early Head Start Child Care partnership is being realized in the District of Columbia. The Washington, D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) was recently awarded a five-year Early Head Start (EHS) Child Care (CC) Partnership grant to improve the quality and quantity of infant/toddler child care slots in the city via the development of a Quality Improvement Network (QIN). The goal of the QIN is to improve the quality of the 3,300 subsidy infant/toddler slots that OSSE already supports, and to add 1,000 new high-quality child care slots to the pool.

Bainum Family Foundation Supports Summer Institutes for PGCPS Early Childhood Educators

CECEI extends its gratitude to the Bainum Family Foundation for providing funding to support the offering of summer institutes for early childhood educators in Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS). The grant will support the offering of two four-day-long summer institutes in June 2016. CECEI will design the content of the institutes based on the needs identified by PGCPS teachers to specifically address their most pressing concerns, and focus on the dissemination of sound research from the University of Maryland. The collaboratively developed institutes will strengthen the continuing relationship between CECEI and PGCPS as partners in Maryland student success. Stay tuned for more information on the 2016 Summer Institutes.

Clarvit Family supports CECEI

The College of Education extends its gratitude to the Clarvit family for their recent gift, a leadership investment in a new Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention, to be undertaken in partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The new Center envisioned by the College will be devoted to high-quality research on early childhood and special education as well as early intervention programs and strategies. Read more