Promoting a Culture of Continuous Learning in Early Care and Education Settings

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report shares findings from the feasibility study of implementing a Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC), an innovative continuous quality improvement methodology, in Early Care and Education (ECE) centers. The feasibility study explored how ECE centers (such as child care centers and Head Start) participated in BSC quality improvement activities and the extent to which the BSC promoted changes in individual practices and organizational dynamics. The study also assessed the process of implementing a BSC in ECE centers, whether participating centers developed a culture of continuous improvement, and how the BSC fostered sustained changes in workplace climate and individual practices to support children’s social and emotional learning.