• ECP addresses the needs of professionals who provide support to families and young children who are at developmental or behavioral risk or who have developmental disabilities and/or chronic medical conditions.
• ECP is a core community-based leadership component of both The UCLID Center at the University of Pittsburgh and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
• ECP staff includes interdisciplinary professionals, faculty, and fellows from developmental psychology, educational psychology, child clinical psychology, school psychology, child development, early care and education, early intervention, special education, information systems management, social work, community and public health, pediatrics and nursing.
• ECP derives financial support for faculty direction and supervision from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau and for core activities from state and federal government grants, foundation grants, and interagency contracts.

Early Childhood Partnerships (ECP) is a community-based consultation, mentoring, technical assistance, and research collaborative among Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh-Child Development, The UCLID Center at the University of Pittsburgh, and community partners. ECP is dedicated to effective and high quality prevention, intervention, resources, and research for early childhood professionals who help young children and families at developmental risk and with developmental disabilities during the early childhood period, birth to 8 years of age.

Through a nexus of Hospital-University-Community partnerships, ECP forges collaborative ventures with public organizations, private foundations, community agencies, and state and federal government departments. Joint initiatives of ECP increase the capacity of communities, agencies, and schools to pool resources and to creatively address pressing developmental healthcare, human service, and education issues which will affect the efficacy of interagency child/family services; the professional development of providers; reform and unification of the “unsystem” for health and education, changes in public policy; and advancements in the evidence-base in the fields of early childhood care and education, and early intervention.

ECP activities and services are not delivered in the contrived setting of the Hospital or University. Rather, ECP specializes in and strives to address needs collaboratively solely in the context of the child’s natural developmental ecology: home, early childhood centers, schools and community settings. Through on-site, “in-vivo” consultation, direct service, mentoring, technical assistance, program evaluation, policy development, and research activities, ECP focuses directly on the needs of professionals in early childhood settings who deliver high quality education, child care, resources, and support to families and young children at developmental risk and with developmental disabilities.

1. Scaling Progress in Early Childhood Settings (SPECS)

Authentic measurements and developmentally appropriate, longitudinal program evaluation research focusing on child, family, program, community, health/nutrition, early literacy, and early school success benchmarks and outcomes for high-risk children in inclusive early childhood, Head Start, early intervention, and early public school settings

• Bagnato, SJ (2002) Quality Early Learning-Key to School Success: A First-Phase 3-Year Program Evaluation Research Report for Pittsburgh’s Early Childhood Initiative, Final Report [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ (2002) Quality Early Learning-Key to School Success, Executive Summary [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ, etal, (2002). Child developmental impact of Pittsburgh’s Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) in high-risk communities: First-phase authentic evaluation research, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 17(1), 559-580
• Bagnato, SJ & Fevola, A. (2007). Impact of early learning partnerships: Interim study of child and program outcomes for Pre-K Counts in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PA: Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Early Childhood Partnerships, Heinz Endowments [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ, Suen, H., Fevola, A (2008). The early learning index (ELI): Developmental and normative research on a 3-year old measure of early learning competencies. Pittsburgh, PA: Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Early Childhood Partnerships [contact for access]
• Bagnato, SJ (2008). Efficacy of early childhood intervention prevention programs in Pennsylvania: 20 years of longitudinal research. Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Heinz Endowments [click for pdf]
• Korkus,-Ruiz, S, Dettore, E, Bagnato, SJ, & Yeh-Ho, H (2007). Improving the quality of early childhood education programs: Evaluation of a mentoring process for staff and administrators. Early Childhood Services, 10(1), 33-15
• Bagnato, SJ, & Fevola, AF (2007). An Integrated Early Childhood Outcomes Evaluation Process for Montgomery County Maryland: SPECS for the Early Childhood Congress. Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh. [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ, & Fevola, AF, Hawthorne, C, Suen, HK, & McKeating-Esterle, E (2006). The Pennsylvania Early Intervention Outcomes Study (PEIOS): An authentic assessment and program evaluation research and outcomes initiative—Final program evaluation outcomes research report. Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh.
• Salaway, J., & Bagnato, SJ (2008). Efficacy of a direct instruction approach to promote early learning for high-risk preschool children in a community-based NAEYC preschool. Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh. [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ, (1998-2001). Beginning with Books--Project Beacon and Beacon Plus Early Literacy Model Evaluation, Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ, & Fevola, AF (2007). Beaver Co Head Start Outcomes Evaluation of Social-Behavioral and Early Learning Outcomes. Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ, & Fevola, AF (2005). CenClear Child Services Evaluation of Early Intervention Outcomes—PEIOS Pilot. Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ & Neisworth, JT (1989-1992). The Pennsylvania Preschool Integration Study (PAPII): Efficacy of Inclusive Preschool Intervention—A 3 Year Longitudinal Program Evaluation Research Study Using Authentic Measurements. Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh [click for pdf]

2. HealthyCHILD (Collaborative Health Interventions for Learners with Differences) School-Linked Developmental Healthcare Partnership

Collaborative developmental healthcare support from a mobile, transagency team (parents, health, education, and allied health together) provided in early childhood and early intervention classrooms, family child care settings, and schools, focusing on children with acute and chronic medical concerns, challenging or atypical behaviors, and developmental delays/disabilities

• Bagnato, SJ etal (2004). Developmental healthcare partnerships in inclusive early childhood intervention settings: The HealthyCHILD model, Infants and Young Children, 17(4), 301-317.
• Bagnato, SJ (2002). System of Early Care: Building family-centered healthcare partnerships for young children in everyday settings [click for doc]
• Bagnato, SJ & Fevola, A. (2007). The positive impact of a transagency behavioral support model in promoting the social behavioral skills of at-risk preschool children and effective teaching behaviors: Outcomes for Pittsburgh Public Schools pre-kindergarten programs. Pittsburgh, PA: Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Early Childhood Partnerships-HealthyCHILD. [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ (2006-2008). The Early School Success Team (ESST): Coordination Model of the Woodland Hills School District Pre-K Counts Program. Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ & Korkus, S (2001). Behavioral Support in Early Childhood Settings: Linking Detection and Intervention---State of Georgia, Department of Human Services Division of Public Health. Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh.

3. TRACE Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Assessment

The TRACE (Tracking, Referral, Assessment Center for Excellence) Center, a five-year, multi-center grant from the US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs that establishes a national center to conduct evidence-based research on infant and early childhood assessment practices that influence the identification of children with developmental delays/disabilities and their required services and supports; translates evidence-based research into practical guidelines on child find, early identification, referral, and eligibility for use by parents and professionals in early intervention/early childhood

• Bagnato, SJ, Smith-Jones, J, Matesa, M, McKeating-Esterle, E (2006). Research foundations for using clinical judgment (informed opinion) for early intervention eligibility determination. Cornerstones, 2(3), 1-14 [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ (2006). Formalizing informed clinical opinion assessment procedures is more likely to yield accurate results, Endpoints, 2(3), 1-2 [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ (2004). The evidence for clinical judgment in early intervention [click for doc and pdf from OSEP Presentation]
• Bagnato, S.J., Macey, M., Salaway, J., & Lehman, C. (2007) Research foundations for conventional tests and testing to ensure accurate and representative early intervention eligibility. Pittsburgh, PA: Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC; Early Childhood Partnerships--TRACE Center for Excellence, and US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, S.J., Macey, M., Salaway, J., & Lehman, C. (2007) Research foundations for authentic assessments to ensure accurate and representative early intervention eligibility. Pittsburgh, PA: Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC; Early Childhood Partnerships--TRACE Center for Excellence, and US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs [click for pdf] [click for guide pdf]
• Bagnato, S.J. & McKeating-Esterle, E., (2007) Evidence-base for team assessment practices in early intervention. Pittsburgh, PA: Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC; Early Childhood Partnerships--TRACE Center for Excellence, and US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs [click for pdf]
• Yeh Ho, H., & Bagnato, S.J., (2007). Research foundations for early intervention eligibility based upon deficits in social and self-regulatory behavior. Pittsburgh, PA: Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC; Early Childhood Partnerships--TRACE Center for Excellence, and US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs [click for pdf]
• Fevola, AF, Bagnato, SJ, Matesa, M, & Lehman, C (2007). Research review for characteristics of presumptive eligibility promoting early intervention access. Pittsburgh, PA: Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC; Early Childhood Partnerships--TRACE Center for Excellence, and US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ, McKeating-Esterle, E., Fevola, A.F., & Bartalomasi, M., (in press). Valid use of clinical judgment (informed opinion) for early intervention eligibility: Evidence-base and practice characteristics. Infants and Young Children, 21(2), 332-348.
• Fevola, A.F., Bagnato, S.J., & Kronk, B., (in press). Authentic assessment of social participation in young children with special needs: Promoting a universal social health vision through the ICF-CY. In Simeonsson, RJ. etal (in press). International Issues in Early Childhood Intervention. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

4. Center on Mentoring for Effective Teaching (COMET)

The US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) awarded a 3-year (2008-2011), $600,000 research grant to Dr. Bagnato and ECP under the Head Start University Partnership Research Grants Competition (CFDA # 93.600; HHS-2008-ACF-OPRE-YR-0060) to conduct a rigorous study of teacher effectiveness.

The grant entitled, “Early Childhood Partnerships on Mentoring for Effective Head Start Teaching Practices:A University-Community Applied Research Collaborative in Appalachia” (pdf of grant proposal) represents a unique participatory action research collaboration among the University of Pittsburgh/Children’s Hospital, and three Appalachian Head Start programs in West Virginia and Pennsylvania: North Central WVA Community Action Association Head Start; Northern Panhandle Head Start, Inc.; and Beaver County Head Start.

The grant will form the basis for the Center on Mentoring for Effective Teaching (COMET) at Children’s Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh. The central mission of COMET is to examine the functional interrelationships mentoring, teaching practices, and child progress. Our research hypothesizes that individual mentoring with teachers encourages the effective use of specific instructional practices which foster the development of specific early school success competencies in young children. There is a dearth of research in this important area.

Our COMET research will be divided into two phases over three years: (1) Phase I: Experimental-control group research on the impact and efficacy of mentoring versus no mentoring on specific teaching practices and associated parenting practices; (2) Phase II: Quasi-experimental research on the link between specific teaching practices and child progress on early school success skills. The ECP Mentoring model will be operationalized using a trans-agency team with University mentors and co-mentors/liaisons from each of the three Appalachian Head Start partners collaborating in the mentoring process with their teachers.

Three major aspects of “best practices” will be the focus of this University-Head Start applied research partnership:

1. On-site and in-vivo individualized mentoring, collaborative professional development and supervision provided to Head Start teachers focusing upon using developmentally-appropriate and specific “evidence-based” practices with young children;
2. Progressive changes during mentoring in the efficacy of teacher’s specific instructional behaviors, interactions, and management and care practices in influencing children’s early school success;
3. Children’s progress and success in acquiring competencies in early literacy skills, social-emotional relationships with peers and adults, and self-control behaviors which are prerequisites for early school success.

• Bagnato, SJ (PI) (2007). Early Childhood Partnerships on Mentoring for Effective Teaching Practices: A University-Community Applied Research Collaborative in Appalachia. Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh. [click for pdf]
• Bagnato, SJ (2003). Head Start Mentoring on Inclusion “Best Practices” For Young Children with Special Needs: Program Evaluation of the Quality and Outcomes of the Region III DSQIC Model. Pittsburgh, PA: Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh [click for pdf]

5. Center to Investigate Violence and Injury in Communities (CIVIC)

Joyce A. D’Antonio, Ph.D.
Associate Director
Early Childhood Partnerships
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC

The core mission of CIVIC is to conduct local, regional, and national research using collaborative “participatory action research” methods to:

• Monitor the epidemiologic trends in violence and injury with a focus on youth in disadvantaged communities.
• Investigate the effects of violence and injury, and prevention initiatives, on community-level and school-based outcomes (e.g. community crime and school suspension rates, academic achievement and graduation rates) in high-risk populations.

Project Safe Neighborhoods: Anti-Gun and Anti-Gang Initiatives

Project Safe Neighborhoods is a federally funded initiative coordinated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The overall goals of this initiative are to:
1) create safer neighborhoods by reducing gun violence and gun crime, and sustaining that reduction, and
2) reduce the occurrence of violent gang-related incidents through both proactive and reactive efforts.
CIVIC is the Research Partner for this initiative in the Western District of Pennsylvania. In that role, CIVIC collects and analyzes violent crime data from several local law enforcement agencies to monitor temporal trends in gun-related and gang-related violent crime (homicides, aggravated assaults, and robberies).

Impact of Housing Relocation Initiatives on Community-Level Violence

During the 1990s, in Pittsburgh, households from high-density public housing communities were relocated to communities in the private housing market. CIVIC is collaborating with a team of investigators from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Allegheny County Health Department to examine the effects of these housing relocation initiatives on community levels of youth violence and related injuries. Dr. D’Antonio has proposed to expand the scope of this project by examining the effects of Pittsburgh school closing initiatives on student behavior and academic achievement, and on community and school level violence. The Centers for Disease Control is sponsoring this project.

6. Early Childhood Research Systems (ECRS)

ECRS is the technological “hub” of the program evaluation research arm for SPECS within Early Childhood Partnerships. ECRS employs staff and graduate student interns for data entry, profiling, analysis, and reporting to drive the applied program evaluation research for SPECS in ECP.

ECRS methods and products under development strive to operationalize these aspects for reliable, valid, and responsive authentic measurement and program evaluation research:

• Responsive, portable, in-vivo observational assessment and recording
• Linked database system for assessment, content mapping to state and national outcome standards and indicators , and reporting
• Individual feedback letters written in the “child’s voice” to profile child status, learning targets, and progress

All ECP programs share modes of "core" activities and services involving consultation, mentoring, advocacy, technical assistance, and research. Some of the specific modes in a “collaborative consultation and problem-solving approach” include:

• Site-based training and mentoring for professional development competencies supplemented by other responsive distance learning options;
• Applied program evaluation research on child, family, program, community, health, and early school success outcomes and both professional and evidence-based standards, benchmarks, and “best practices”;
• Program-focused consultation on effective and practical “solutions” to manage the physical health, behavioral health, and early learning needs of young children at developmental risk;
• Technical assistance, training, and mentoring for inclusion of young children with special needs into typical early childhood settings;
• Parent education and support on preventive developmental healthcare concerns and early school success competencies;
• Systems consultation to administrators about classroom and program organizational design and transagency teamwork;
• Technical assistance to program staff and administrators about database technologies for linking assessment, curriculum-planning, intervention, and program efficacy evaluation in community programs and schools for young children at developmental risk

The following local, regional, state, and national collaborators have entered into past or current interagency partnership agreements with ECP to support mutual aims:

• The Vira and Howard Heinz Endowments
• Beginning with Books
• Allegheny County Department of Human Services-Alliance for Infants and Toddlers
• US Department of Commerce
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education, Early Intervention Branch
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Public Welfare, Early Intervention
• Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PATTAN)
• The Jewish Healthcare Foundation of Pittsburgh
• State of Georgia, Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health, Children First
• CenClear Child Services, Head Start
• Greater Braddock Early Childhood Network
• Hosanna House, Wilkinsburg Early Childhood Initiative
• School Readiness Group
• Woodland Hills School District
• United Way of Lancaster/Lancaster Osteopathic Health Association, Success by Six
• United Way of York, Focus on Our Future
• Erie City School District/Gannon University/Erie Community Foundation
• US Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)
• Pittsburgh Public Schools, Board of Education
• Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center (COTRAIC) Head Start
• Community Development Institute Head Start
• Early Childhood and Family Support Services, Allegheny County/Allegheny Intermediate Unit Head Start
• Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, Child Development Resource Developers (CDRD)
• West Virginia Northern Panhandle Head Start
• Allegheny County Children’s Cabinet
• US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth, and Families, Head Start Bureau
• Child Development Resources (Virginia); Georgetown University Child Development Center (District of Columbia)
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA), Bureau of Special Education
• US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs
• Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute, Center of Evidence-based Practices
• Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Child Development, Departments of Education and Public Welfare
• SRI International, Early Childhood Outcomes Study (ECOS), Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education
• Departments of Pediatrics and Child Neuropsychiatry, Federico II University Medical School, Naples, ITALY

Bagnato, SJ. (2007). Authentic Assessment for Early Childhood Intervention: Best Practices. New York, NY: Guilford Press, Inc [click for pdf]

Bagnato, SJ (1994). HealthyCHILD (Collaborative Health Interventions for Learners with Disabilities): A transagency developmental dealthcare resource partnership in early intervention programs, US Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Grant #HO23D40013.

Bagnato, SJ (1995). TeamWork: Collaborative family-professional assessment and decision-making on early intervention teams, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Family-Focused Early Intervention System, Bureau of Special Education (1991-1995)

Bagnato, SJ (1997). A consultative model for developmental healthcare support for infants and toddlers in early intervention programs: Project EarlyCHILD, The Jewish Healthcare Foundation of Pittsburgh (1995-1997)

Bagnato, SJ (1999). Efficacy of collaborative developmental healthcare support in inclusive early childhood programs—Final research report of HealthyCHILD. Washington, DC: Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Early Childhood Partnerships, US Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

Bagnato, SJ (2002). Quality early learning—Key to school success: A first-phase 3-Year program evaluation research report for Pittsburgh’s Early Childhood Initiative (ECI), Pittsburgh, PA: SPECS Evaluation Team, Early Childhood Partnerships, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. [Click for pdf]

Bagnato, SJ, Blair, K, Slater, J, McNally, R, Mathew, J, Minzenberg, B (2004). Developmental healthcare partnerships in inclusive early childhood intervention settings: The HealthyCHILD model, Infants and Young Children, 17(4), 301-317.

Bagnato, SJ, Neisworth, JT (1993). The Pennsylvania Preschool Integration Initiative (PAPII), The efficacy of inclusive preschool intervention: A Three-Year Longitudinal Evaluation Research Study, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Bureau of Special Education (1990-1993)

Bagnato SJ, Neisworth JT: A national study of the social and treatment “invalidity” of intelligence testing for early intervention. School Psych Quarterly 9(2):81-102, 1995

Bagnato SJ, Neisworth JT: Collaboration and teamwork in assessment for early intervention. Child Adol Psych Cl North Am 8(2):1-17, 1999

Bagnato SJ, Neisworth JT: Normative detection of early regulatory disorders and Autism: Empirical confirmation of DC:0-3. Inf Young Children 12(2):98-109, 2000

Bagnato SJ, Neisworth JT, Munson SM: LINKing assessment and early intervention: An authentic curriculum-based approach (3rd Edition). Baltimore, MD, Paul Brookes, 1997

Bagnato SJ, Neisworth JT, Salvia J, Hunt F: Temperament and Atypical Behavior Scale: Early Childhood Indicators of Developmental Dysfunction. Baltimore, MD, Paul Brookes Publishing Co., 1999

Bagnato, SJ, Suen, HK, Brickley, D, Smith-Jones, J, Dettore, E (2002). Child developmental impact of Pittsburgh’s Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) in high-risk communities: First phase authentic evaluation research. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 17(4), 559-580.

Neisworth JT, Bagnato SJ: Neurobehavioral markers for early regulatory disorders. Inf Young Children 8(1):8-17, 1995

Neisworth JT, Bagnato SJ: Recommended practices in assessment (17-28). In Sandall S, McLean ME, Smith BJ (eds): DEC Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education. Longmont, CO: Sopris West.

Neisworth, JT & Bagnato, SJ (2004). The mismeasure of young children: The authentic assessment alternative, Infants and Young Children, 17(3), 198-212.

Bagnato, SJ (2005). The authentic alternative for assessment in early intervention: An emerging evidence-based practice. Journal of Early Intervention, 28(1).

Bagnato, SJ, Yeh-Ho, H (2005). High-stakes testing with preschool children: Violation of professional standards for evidence-based practice in early childhood intervention. KEDI International Journal of Educational Policy, 3(1), 2006.

Bagnato, SJ, Of helping and measuring for early childhood intervention: Reflections on issues and school psychology's role. School Psych Rev., 35(4), 615-620, 2006.

Korkus-Ruiz, S, Dettore, E, Bagnato, SJ, Yeh-Ho, H, Improving the quality of early childhood education programs: Evaluation of a mentoring process for staff and administrators. Early Child Serv., 1(1), 33-48.

Bagnato, SJ, Authentic assessment for early childhood intervention: Best practices. New York, NY, Guilford Press, Inc., 2007.

Bagnato, SJ, Neisworth, JT, Pretti-Frontczak, L, LINKing authentic assessment and early childhood intervention: Best measures for best practices. (4th Edition). Baltimore, MD, Paul Brookes, 2009.