My first publication :)

C.H.E.L.L.O. (Manual)
Originally uploaded by jyew.

What do I find on my table when I walked into my office this morning? My first publication! Affectionately referred to as the CHELLO in our research team, the Child/ Home Early Language and Literacy Observation is an instrument we've developed to examine language and literacy practices in home-based preschools [Dan and Wendy, you know exactly who/what I'm talking about...:)]

Apart from all that work with Sesame Street, this instrument has consumed the bulk of my project work this past 2 years. Just ask Jude- he's about sick of hearing me talk about this amorphous thing called the "CHELLO"... And now it's done! I'm really happy. We put a lot of work into it, and I do believe that it will help caregivers and children in these settings. Unlike the home-based preschools you might typically find in Ann Arbor or more middle-class suburbs, home-based child care (especially in fringe cities like Flint and Grand Rapids) tend to more often than not enroll children from lower income families. These parents tend to work long or irregular hours and so place their kids in home settings because they often have more flexible hours.

The intention behind the instrument is that hopefully, if we can examine these environments really carefully and take thoughtful steps towards improving them, we can then help close the gap in language development between these low-income children, and their middle class peers.

And the CHELLO even has its own little web-page! :)