AIR’s evaluations of federal, state, and local early care and education programs, policies, and costs identify best practices and lead to recommendations for improving program quality. AIR can help organizations to:

• Work with stakeholders to plan an evaluation approach,
• Conduct a process evaluation to determine the factors that facilitate and hinder program implementation,
• Conduct an outcomes evaluation to assess impacts on children and families, and
• Assess the quality of preschool settings using tools such as the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R) and Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS).

AIR projects have included:

• Evaluating Preschool for All initiatives in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Los Angeles Counties;
• Evaluating family literacy services in Los Angeles County;
• Implementing a review of early childhood interventions for the federal What Works Clearinghouse; and 
• Helping the California Department of Education evaluate its efforts to improve the quality and quantity of early care and education, including an assessment of the cost-effectiveness of child care staff training programs, technical assistance services, and capacity-building initiatives.

AIR Research and Evaluation Reports