Early Childhood & Community Research and Development Initiative

Enhancing Quality Through Research that Informs Policy Making

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Welcome to ECRDI

Welcome to the Early Childhood & Community Research and Development Initiative (ECRDI). Established in 2007, ECRDI is a consortium of researchers from multiple universities dedicated to conducting research that informs policy, leadership, and practice across early childhood and community-based systems.

Our work is grounded in a commitment to understanding how programs, policies, and partnerships support children, families, and communities. We examine how services and systems connect across sectors, including education, health, and community organizations, to promote continuity, access, and quality over time.

Our goal is to enhance the effectiveness of programs and systems through collaborative, innovative research that informs decision-making. We design studies to understand how services for young children and families, as well as the broader community contexts in which they are situated, can be strengthened and aligned.

Based on our findings, we develop resources and tools for educators, administrators, community leaders, and policymakers. By bridging research, practice, and policy, we aim to support informed action and meaningful improvements in the systems that serve children and families.

Our work is supported through university partnerships, as well as public and private grants and contracts. As a consortium, we bring together scholars from multiple disciplines who contribute diverse perspectives and methodological approaches to address complex challenges.

If you are interested in learning more about our research, projects, and collaborative opportunities, we invite you to explore our site or contact us.

Beth Rous, Founder and Director

Access my CV

What We Do

Research and Development

We design and implement studies to support policymakers and community leaders in developing high-quality programs and systems that serve children and families. From this work, we develop products that educators, community partners, and policymakers can use to stregthen services, imporivde coordination across sectors, and enhance outcomes for children and families.

Learn More About Our Research Initiatives

Post Doctoral Training

We provide funding to support postdoctoral scholars whose research addresses policy, leadership, and systems that affect children, families, and communities.

Find Out More About Our Scholars Program

Advancing Early Childhood Policy and Leadership

The University of Kentucky is building capacity to drive impactful change for young children and families through policy, research, and leadership development. Learn more about our Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Policy Leadership Initiative.

As part of our work, we offer a Graduate Certificate in Leadership for Early Childhood and Family Policy that equips emerging leaders with policy analysis, research, and advocacy skills.

Learn More Here

Contact Us

Complete this form to get in touch with us for any questions or comments.

University of Kentucky, College of Education
Educational Leadership Studies
111 Dickey Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0017

beth.rous@uky.edu

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Meet the Researchers

Collaborative ~ Creative ~ Innovative

Partnerships are at the core of what makes the projects and activities the Early Childhood Research and Development Initiative undertakes so rewarding. We’re proud of the commitment of this group of researchers to young children and their families, with each member contributing their unique skills to the research projects we undertake. Together, we’ve planned and executed some of the most innovative and cutting-edge research designs and initiatives.

Feel free to contact any of the researchers associated with our work.

Jaime Grove, University of Kentucky [jaime.grove@uky.edu]

Jaime is a Disability Program Administrator Associate at the Human Development Institute (HDI). She has been involved in numerous early childhood projects and has served in multiple positions over the years.

Currently, she is working on several research projects, including the Kentucky Early Intervention Services Dashboard (KEIS Dashboard) and the Kentucky Early Childhood Assessment Data System (KEDS Services), both funded by the KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Sheerah Keith, University of Kentucky [ske294@uky.edu]

Sheerah is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Qualified Supervisor in Florida, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Mississippi, a National Certified Counselor, and a Registered Play Therapist.

She completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Mississippi in 2023. Her research interests include early childhood mental health, social determinants of mental health, neurobiological correlates of psychosocial well-being, and mental health aspects of early childhood policy.

Haley Bergstrom, University of Kentucky [hbergstrom@uky.edu]

Haley is an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky. She is also the Director of Graduate Studies in Kinesiology and Health Promotion. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with distinction (CSCS,*D) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Her research explores questions related to two primary areas of focus: 1) the non-invasive assessment of muscle function and fatigue; and 2) the mathematical modeling of human performance.

Dwight Irvin, University of Florida [dwirvin@coe.ufl.edu]

Dwight is an Associate Professor at the University of Florida’s College of Education and at the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies. His research has focused on understanding the language environments that young children at-risk for and with disabilities experience in the school, home, and community via advanced measurement approaches, and identifying novel ways to support talk within those settings (individually and collectively) in order to improve children’s developmental outcomes.

Sajjid Budhwani, Surrey School District [sajjidbudhwani@gmail.com]

Sajjid is a researcher and educator who works for the Surrey School District in British Columbia, Canada. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Denver, Colorado. His research interests include spatial equity, social capital, school choice, and early childhood education. He is passionate about enhancing quality and equity in education through research that informs policy making.

Joanne Rojas, University of Kentucky [joanne.rojas@uky.edu]

Joanne is an associate director of Child Care Aware of Kentucky, a project of the Human Development Institute (HDI) at the University of Kentucky (UK). She is also the co-principal investigator of the project, which provides training and technical assistance to child care providers and families across the state. She has a PhD in educational psychology and research from UK and has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education.

John Nash, University of Kentucky [john.nash@uky.edu]

John is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies at the University of Kentucky. He teaches a range of courses on school technology leadership, design thinking and research methods¹. His current research agenda investigates how technology, innovation and policy interact and influence schools and educators in different contexts. John is also a director of the Laboratory on Design Thinking in Education (dLab).

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