The Clayton Institute’s Research and Evaluation Department is focused on providing high-quality research and evaluation services in three main areas:

• Evaluating early childhood education programs implemented by the Institute and by other organizations
• Supporting early childhood education providers’ use of data for quality improvement and to guide their work with children
• Serving as a statewide resource to ensure that validated measures of early childhood education environments are used in a scientifically appropriate way.

All of our work is guided by a commitment to identify results that can lead to better outcomes for young children. Our efforts are informed by both Clayton Early Learning’s history in providing direct services to children and families and by our role in program and professional development for the greater Denver early childhood education community. These on-the-ground experiences have given us a thorough understanding of the early childhood education landscape in the Denver metro area.

Over the years, we have developed productive working relationships with early childhood education programs to facilitate research and evaluation activities that minimize burden on providers, provide them with results they can use in their classrooms and with their families, and that contribute to knowledge and best practice in the field of early childhood development. In addition, we have been privileged to participate in several research and evaluation consortia on national scope, including the Early Head Start Research Consortium, the Head Start University Partnerships for Curriculum Development Grantee Consortium, and the Bounce Learning Network. As a result, we are in a unique position to bring the best thinking and most current research findings from around the country to our work at the local level.