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(i.) Beacons Study Sample. The original purpose of this study was to estimate the ECI developmental trajectories of children in a range of childcare programs with the expressed purpose of identifying programs that were effective in promoting growth in early communication. The ECI was one of a battery of measures used for this purpose. Fifty-two children were enrolled in this study between 1999-2003. The children were recruited from 16 community-based childcare programs and one university-based program for infants and toddlers from urban and rural settings in Kansas. There were 24 boys and 28 girls. Ninety-two percent of children were Caucasian from middle to upper class families. Eight percent of children were African-American, Hispanic, or Biracial. Sixty-four percent of the sample reported incomes above $55,000, 27% had incomes from $20,000 to $55,000, while 9% had incomes below $20,000. Six percent of children (n = 3) had an IFSP (e.g., cerebral palsy, speech disorder, or other disability) prior to recruitment. Unlike the original sample, wherein children within the 4 to 36 months age range were enrolled, the majority of these 52 children were enrolled prior to 12 months of age.

(ii.) EPIC Study Sample. The original purpose of this study was to assess the ECI developmental trajectories of a group of young children receiving Part C services in high poverty, urban settings in metropolitan Kansas City. Twenty-five home visitor interventionists were trained in a wait-list experimental-comparison group design to implement a set of home-based, natural routines language intervention strategies. Like the original study (Luze et al., 2001), children within the 3 to 36 month age range were eligible but in this case, only if these children also were receiving Part C early childhood special education services. Fifty-one children receiving Part C services were enrolled during 2001-2002, for whom data were eventually obtained for 49. Children’s special needs ranged from premature birth monitoring to severe immobilization and cognitive impairments. The majority of children were receiving speech and language therapy in combination with other occupational or physical therapy services. Children were from families reporting their race as European-American (39%), African-American (35%), Hispanic (20%), Biracial (4%), and Asian (2%) respectively. Family income was divided by the 2000 federal poverty thresholds per family size to calculate income-to-needs ratios. Families with ratios less than 1.00 are considered in poverty. The median income-to-needs ratio was .88, range = .09 to 6.19 in this sample. Only 7 families had ratios greater than 1.85; thus, as a group, in addition to having developmental delay and/or disabilities, these children were living in poverty.

 (iii.) Kansas Early Head Start (EHS) Sample. In contrast to research study samples, this effort sought to demonstrate ECI application by training a non-research, professional home-visitor program staff to implement the ECI. Initial planning for this effort was highly collaborative with Kansas EHS around the needs of local program personnel for professional development and access to ECI information and protocols and processing/reporting of results. 1,500 children enrolled in 13 EHS programs in urban, suburban, and rural locations in Kansas participated. Forty-six percent were female, 54% male. Ten percent of children also received Part C services. The number of children in each program ranged from 26 to 144. Children were from families reporting their race as: Euro-American, 51%; Hispanic, 18%; African American, 16%; bi-racial or multi-racial 11%; other or unspecified 2.5%; Native American, 1%; and Asian 0.5%. The reported home languages of children in the sample were English, 89.8%; Spanish, 9.7%; and other 0.5%. The distribution of these children by age spans was: under 12 months of age (33.7%), 12 to 23 months (30.6%), 24 to 35 months (27.3%), 36 to 47 (8.5%) months. From 13 local programs, 111 local staff members (ranging from 1 to 19 per program) were trained and served as assessors.