Attachment R. Feasibility Study Info Sheet

Attachment R: Feasibility Study Info Sheet
Culture of Continuous Learning Project: A Breakthrough Series Collaborative for
Improving Child Care and Head Start Quality

The purpose of the information collection is to inform participants about the study and data collection activities,
and gather their consent for the data collection activities. This collection of information is voluntary and all
responses collected will be kept private to the extent permitted by law.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB number for this information collection is
0970-XXXX and the expiration date is XX/XX/XXXX.

December 2016

1a

L

Culture of Continuous
Learning Project

Culture of Continuous Learning Project:
A Breakthrough Series Collaborative for Improving
Child Care and Head Start Quality

Project Overview
What. A challenge for current efforts to improve the
quality of early care and education (ECE) programs is
to produce sustained changes in practices that support
positive outcomes for children and families. The field is
seeking innovative models that can be tailored for and
tested in ECE systems. The Culture of Continuous Learning
(CCL) Project, funded by the Administration for Children
and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation,
will assess the feasibility of implementing a Breakthrough
Series Collaborative in child care and Head Start settings.
Why. The Breakthrough Series Collaborative differs from other ECE quality improvement initiatives.
Rather than supporting changes in individual practice through a single coach or consultant, it supports
change by building capacity and recognizing leaders across an organization. The model promotes
change through collaborative teams that include staff (at all levels) and families, and engages teams
in problem-solving that takes local context into account. A goal is to spread and sustain change in the
use of evidence-based practices. The model has supported practice and process improvements in the
health, child trauma, and child welfare fields, but has not yet been widely tested in ECE.
How. CCL project staff will implement a Breakthrough Series Collaborative with ECE programs in
Boston for approximately 12 months. The Collaborative will focus on improvements in practices to
support children’s social and emotional learning. Project staff will hold a community meeting to
develop the areas for improvement on which the Collaborative will focus, and to discuss measures
program teams can use to assess their progress. Local ECE programs will apply to participate, and
project staff will identify Collaborative members from each Head Start or child care program. Team
members will attend three in-person learning sessions with experts in social and emotional learning
and quality improvement specialists over the course of the year. Between each learning session, teams
will test the practices and processes they identify, primarily using the plan-do-study-act cycle as they
strive to implement, spread, and sustain the improvements across their organization.

1

Culture of Continuous Learning Project: A Breakthrough Series Collaborative for Improving Child Care and Head Start Quality

Data. CCL project staff will gather information throughout
implementation of the Breakthrough Series Collaborative
to assess the feasibility and potential effectiveness of the
model. Data collection will incorporate a variety of local
perspectives, including those of leaders in the ECE system,
program directors, teachers, and parents. Research questions
will address issues such as what makes an ECE program
ready to participate in an intensive quality improvement
process; what support ECE program staff need to collect and
use data; what changes can be documented in organizational
culture as a result of participation; what conditions
promote learning within and across organizations; and what
adaptations to the Breakthrough Series Collaborative model would enable it to work best within the
context of ECE.
Results. CCL project staff will complete a literature review, final report, video, and slide presentations
to share key results and lessons learned. Findings will inform quality rating and improvement systems,
child care and Head Start training and technical assistance, and professional development for early
care and education. Results are expected to spark interest among practitioners, policymakers, and
researchers, and generate new opportunities to implement the Breakthrough Series Collaborative in
early care and education settings. The CCL team will develop plans to inform a potential next phase
of the project. All project activities will be shaped by technical expert consultants and stakeholder
feedback.

This 3-year project began in October 2016 and is being conducted by Child Trends and partners at
the University of Massachusetts Boston JRA Consulting Ltd. and the Center for the Study of Social
Policy. For more information about the project, visit OPRE and Child Trends. Information about the
Breakthrough Series Collaborative is available from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

1a

L

Culture of Continuous
Learning Project

2