Crane and Schoenbaum Centers serve as early education training ground

The Schoenbaum Family Center and Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy uniquely partner in research, practice, and policy to improve the well-being of young children. The centers apply research expertise, listen to and amplify needs in the surrounding community, and seek to have a meaningful impact on policy and practice.

The centers’ innovative, national model allows scientists and educators to collaborate directly, learning from one another and refining each area’s work, with the ultimate goal of informing best practices. As a community-based center of the College of Education and Human Ecology (EHE), the Schoenbaum and Crane Centers also serve as a training ground for students going into early care and education as a scientist, educator, or support service provider.

Schoenbaum’s A. Sophie Rogers School for Early Learning offers internships and clinical field experiences for undergraduate and graduate students in teacher education, special education, couples and family therapy, social work, psychology, and speech-language pathology. A. Sophie Rogers’ student internship program awards interns up to $2,775 per semester, and the school also offers paid and work-study paid positions.

The Crane Center offers undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral scholars opportunities to participate in research spanning topics such as language and literacy, parenting, and toxic stress and trauma. Trainees gain experience working on large, federally funded research grants and collaborating on peer-reviewed publications. A. Sophie Rogers and Crane also have an archival database of assessments from enrolled children that can be used for graduate student coursework or to answer research questions.   

Last year, the Schoenbaum and Crane Centers had $29 million across 35 active grant awards, and worked with seven faculty associates and 27 faculty affiliates from 14 departments across Ohio State. In a given year, there can be more than 100 undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral scholars who work or volunteer with the centers’ programs and research. EHE students have the opportunity to gain firsthand experience within a high-quality, early education model site that sits at the intersection of research, practice, and policy.

Learn more about the work happening at each center:

CRANE CENTER FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH AND POLICY

• Conducts high-quality research that improves children’s learning and development at home, in school, and in the community;
• Communicates research findings to practitioners, policy makers, and community leaders via events and research and policy briefs;
• Provides policy analysis and insight, and seeks to improve the community’s understanding of factors that influence children’s well-being;
• Designs practitioner-friendly, evidenced-based materials for educators and caregivers that build children’s language and literacy skills;
• Provides mentorship opportunities for students and brings together diverse faculty across the university who share a passion for data-driven research; and
• Develops beneficial partnerships with community and global organizations concerned with children’s well-being.

SCHOENBAUM FAMILY CENTER
A. Sophie Rogers School for Early Learning

• Creates diverse classroom environments through a mixed-income model that blends early education funding options to attract families from all backgrounds;
• Promotes best practices in high-quality early childhood teaching, including the infusion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in curriculum and classroom environments;
• Focuses on language, literacy, math, and social skills through a curriculum grounded in research that encourages creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking;
• Serves as a model demonstration site for the College of Education & Human Ecology and the Ohio Department of Education; and
• Partners across the university and community to provide holistic support for children and families.

Community Programs

• Leads Ohio State’s Early Head Start Partnership Program (OSU-EHS) that works with 19 childcare center and home-based providers and 17 university and community partners committed to ensuring children from infancy to age three receive a healthy and enriching start in life. OSU-EHS also received an $10 million expansion grant that will allow them to serve even more children and families in Central Ohio;
• Offers evaluation and training services to partnering organizations across the city and state, including government and educational institutions; and
• Maintains a network of community partnerships that offer families resources and information on early childhood programming and engagement.