Hand in Hand is dedicated to continuously evaluating and enhancing our impact through a rapid cycle of learning and improvement.
Why an Early Childhood Education Research Agenda?
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Critical Early Experiences
Early education serves as a child’s first community experience outside the home, playing a critical and formative role in their development.
Community Impact
Hand in Hand provides support for all the adult’s in a child’s life including parents, teachers, counselors, and more. By fostering strong home-school partnerships, we can strengthen entire communities.
Our Research Model
Frontiers of Innovation (FOI)
Our research team was trained in the IDEAS Impact Framework from Harvard’s Frontiers of Innovation. This model is focused on idea generation, development, implementation, testing, evaluation, and rapid-cycle iteration in order to result in a training program for educators that produces transformative child outcomes.
Latest Research
Impact report
Completed feasibility early pilot on our 8-week training for early educators .
Research Roadmap
Our 10-year agenda is committed to rigorous research and scaling Hand in Hand’s impact
- Randomized Control Trials
Currently completing studies to support future randomized control trials. - Best Practices
Aiming to establish ourselves as a best practice and improve our ranking on national registries. - Funding Initiatives
Actively seeking large-scale funding opportunities, including federal and institutional support. - Community Support
Focused on training and implementing Hand in Hand’s tools in early childhood centers and schools, benefiting education, parents, and entire communities without imposing financial burdens.
Impact
Hand in Hand’s unique tools have helped build resilient families and supportive communities across the globe since 1989.
Instructors serve families and professionals on five continents in diverse communities. Training and resources are currently available in 15 languages.
We reach a growing community of parents and professionals every month through a vibrant online community.
Articles & Publications
This feasibility study was conducted as a Portfolio Project of Frontiers of Innovation (FOI), the R&D platform of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. As a portfolio project, the Research Team received year-long mentorship to design and conduct this first phase of the research program. For more information, see the Impact Report.
This study was funded by Hemera Foundation and BIJJAR Family Foundation.
Shelley Macy, Principal Investigator, ECE Faculty at Northwest Indian College, conducted a qualitative analysis of a four-year research project teaching Hand in Hand Parenting at Northwest Indian College.
Pamela Oatis, MD, analyzed the impact of Hand in Hand’s six-week introductory class for parents in a research poster using data from 250 English-speaking and 72 Spanish-speaking parents.
Research poster presented at Mercy Children’s Hospital, Toledo, OH.
Despite the growing recognition of the central role of toxic stress in childhood emotional and behavioral challenges, and mental and physical health across the lifespan, we are just beginning to develop trauma-informed responses. Full article by Maya Coleman and Kristen Volk here.
Meet the Research Team
The multidisciplinary research team brings together a team of professionals from a range of sectors including parent education, early childhood education, early childhood special education, pediatric medicine, clinical child psychology, and developmental psychology.

Maya Colman
PhD Clinical Psychology,
MA Special Education,
Director of Programs and Research

Angela Sillars
PhD Developmental Psychology,
MA Education

Pam Oatis
MD Pediatrics
Ohio Pediatrician of the year 2011-2012

Ahava Vogelstein
MA COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY,
GRANTS AND RESEARCH MANAGER

Anna Cole
PhD, Research Fellow, School of Sociology and Education, University of Portsmouth