Resources
Early Childhood Education Research & Information
Resources for Medina County Families and Educators
Live Inspired provides these resources to help Medina County families, educators, and community members understand the importance of early childhood education and the evidence behind our approach. These resources explain why early intervention is critical for school readiness and long-term academic success.
About ParentChild+
ParentChild+ envisions a world where every child enters school ready to succeed because every parent has the knowledge, skills, and resources to build school readiness where it starts: the home. As the official replication site for ParentChild+ in Medina County, Live Inspired brings this proven model to local families.
Research-Based Model for Medina County Families
The ParentChild+ model, developed in 1965, is designed to build school readiness where it starts: the home. This evidence-based approach has been refined over six decades of implementation and research. The model specifically addresses why low-income children often enter school behind their more affluent peers and provides a practical, effective solution that works for families.
Below you’ll find important statistics about why economically disadvantaged children enter school well behind their peers; research proving that increasing parent-child verbal interaction can profoundly impact children’s academic performance; and details on how ParentChild+’s research-based model consistently achieves its predicted outcomes for low-income children and their parents.
The Word Gap Leads to the Readiness Gap
By the age of three, children from low-income families have heard 30 million fewer words than their middle-income peers (Hart and Risley 1995). By kindergarten, this word gap increases to over 40 million, and the average low-income child has experienced only 25 hours of one-on-one reading time while their middle-income peers have had over 1,000 (McQuillan, J. 1998).
This limited parent-child verbal interaction is one of the key reasons that so many children from under-resourced families are unprepared for pre-k or kindergarten and enter school significantly behind their peers. This lack of a language and learning-rich home environment affects not only language and literacy skills but also numeracy and social-emotional development, inhibiting all aspects of successful school readiness.
Too many children have not experienced quality verbal interaction with important adults in their lives. They have never been read to or explored a book independently. They have not been exposed to play and interactive experiences that encourage problem-solving, numeracy skills, and appropriate social-emotional development. They lack the language skills needed to interact successfully with teachers and classmates.
Children who enter school this far behind are likely to remain behind in first grade, in third grade, and are more likely than their “ready” peers to drop out. This is why early intervention through programs like Live Inspired is so critical.
The ParentChild+ Approach in Action
For over 60 years, ParentChild+ has been leveling the playing field, ensuring that vulnerable children start school and life ready to succeed. Our research proves it works.
Recent reports from ParentChild+ demonstrate the program’s effectiveness:
ParentChild+ Recognitions and Validation
ParentChild+ is recognized for its highly effective organization and program models by both the nonprofit and early childhood education sectors. These recognitions affirm the value of the model we implement in Medina County.
External Validation
The Early Intervention Foundation recognizes ParentChild+ with their 2019 British Evidence-Based Rating, validating the program’s effectiveness. The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading named ParentChild+ as a Bright Spot Program from 2011 through 2021, highlighting its impact on early literacy.
Multiple GreenLight Fund locations have selected ParentChild+ for their portfolio programs, supporting expansion in Philadelphia (2016-2020) and the San Francisco Bay Area (2019-2023). This selection process involves rigorous evaluation of program effectiveness and community impact.
Financial Stewardship
Charity Navigator recognizes ParentChild+ as a Four Star Charity for nine consecutive years (2010-2021) and awarded it an Impact+ designation in 2018. This recognition reflects both financial responsibility and demonstrated impact, assuring donors that their contributions are well-managed.
Evidence-Based Recognition
The California Evidence-Based Clearing House for Child Welfare lists ParentChild+ as a program with Promising Research Evidence (2008-2021). The National Dropout Prevention Center’s Model Programs names ParentChild+ a program with Strong Evidence of Effectiveness (2010-2021).
Additional recognitions include Guidestar Exchange Platinum Seal (2018), Library of Congress Literacy Award’s American Prize (2016), Rand Promising Practices Network designation as a Promising Program that Works (2012), and recognition in Early Intervention: The Next Steps, An Independent Report to Her Majesty’s Government as a Top Tier of Most Effective Early Intervention Programs (2011).
Professional Publications and Research
ParentChild+ is featured in numerous professional publications that highlight its effectiveness:
- The Home Visiting Yearbook by the National Home Visiting Resource Center highlights ParentChild+ as one of fifteen national home visiting models (2020)
- Migration Policy Institute highlights ParentChild+’s work with immigrant families (2016)
- Bringing It All Home (Problems and Possibilities Facing New York City’s Family Child Care) by The New School, Center for New York Affairs recommends working with proven programs like ParentChild+ to support family child care providers (2016)
- OECD’s Immigrant Students at School: Easing the Journey towards Integration recognizes the value of the ParentChild+ model for reaching hard-to-reach immigrant families with young children (2015)
- US Department of Housing – Choice Neighborhood Promising Practice Guide recognizes ParentChild+ in Seattle, WA as a promising practice supporting families in public housing (2013)
CLASP (Center for Law and Social Policy) reports recognize ParentChild+ as both a promising family child care model and a successful Title 1 early childhood home visiting program
Learn More About ParentChild+
For more detailed information about the research behind our program model, visit www.parentchildplus.org.
Medina County Early Childhood Resources
In addition to our program, Medina County offers several resources for families with young children. We can help connect you with these services to ensure your child has access to all available supports. Contact us to learn more about local resources that complement the Live Inspired program.
Live Inspired is a replication site of ParentChild+ serving Medina County, Ohio. We implement this evidence-based model to help ensure every child in our community enters school ready to succeed.