Education’s Grisham hosts global contingent of researchers advancing early childhood education
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 20, 2025) — From their earliest months through kindergarten, children are on a journey to develop core skills. Supporting that journey has been the focus of University of Kentucky College of Education Professor Jennifer Grisham, Ed.D., whose career centers on research and best practices that strengthen the systems surrounding young children’s development.
Last month, Grisham hosted the inaugural AEPS Research Symposium — a meeting that marked the culmination of more than a decade of Grisham’s work. The symposium brought together researchers from across the U.S. and around the world, including Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Canada, China, Spain and Kosovo. They gathered to share early childhood research related to the Assessment, Evaluation and Programming System — widely known as AEPS.
AEPS, a linked assessment and curriculum model, has been a cornerstone in early intervention and preschool education since it was first published in the 1980s. Still regarded as one of the highest-quality curriculum-based assessments available, AEPS continues to evolve.
Grisham was the principal investigator of an award from the Early Intervention Management and Research Group that funded the multistate field test for the recently released third edition of AEPS. She is also one of the system’s authors. The AEPS is widely used in early intervention and preschool programs in every state in the U.S. and has been translated into numerous languages including Spanish, French, Chinese, Albanian and Bulgarian.
At the symposium, participants emphasized the value of connecting with peers engaged in similar research.
“I had a really good experience here because I learned a lot about the things that are happening with AEPS around the world and I have new ideas for research in my country,” said Luisa Garcia, a program director and Ph.D. student from Ecuador.
Garcia noted that the practices developed through AEPS research support the creation of inclusive classrooms and communities.
“That’s the ultimate goal,” Grisham said. “Beyond the research, it’s about creating strong programs that serve children with and without disabilities together — and supporting their families. This tool is the catalyst that helps make that vision a reality.”
The three-day symposium included more than two dozen AEPS researchers. It took place in Frankfort and included poster sessions, presentations, panel sessions and roundtable discussions. Groups visited area schools that use the AEPS assessment and curriculum, including the UK Early Childhood Laboratory.
The symposium was the focus of Grisham’s University Research Professor award and was co-sponsored by Brookes Publishing Company and EMRG.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.