About the ECCEL Program
At the Early Childhood Cognition and Emotions Lab (ECCEL), we are dedicated to making sure all children grow up in cognitive and emotional environments that promote their flourishing. All children deserve the chance to learn fully about the world and to know they are loved and respected. Because children are part of families, schools, and communities, we are committed not only to children but to the people and systems that provide for their care, learning, and emotional well-being. We support the people who support children!
Children facing economic hardship represent our number one priority. All children come to the world ready to learn and take on challenges. But poverty-related stress and trauma burdens many children’s lives, and economic hardship additionally leaves many children without the resources they need to learn well. We support children who are facing economic hardship.
We believe early childhood is a key time for children’s positive growth. Parents deserve support to give their young ones a good start. Head Start and related preschool programs also deserve support in their efforts to help children develop well in the early years. We support parents and preschool programs through mechanisms like: Workshops on children’s cognitive and emotional development; Support groups for parents and teachers; Head Start volunteers to assist with classroom activities and give extra attention to children who need it; and Research on cutting-edge questions in child development.
Dr. Ellie Brown, of the Department of Psychology at West Chester University, is the founder and director of ECCEL. Dr. Brown is committed to seeing that all children have the chance to develop to their full potential. She is a licensed psychologist and has state-of-the-art training in child development. She has worked for many years with children and families in economically disadvantaged communities. She has authored and co-authored notable publications on poverty and child development and is a leading scholar in music and arts-based interventions for promoting the positive development of children facing economic hardship.
If you are interested in learning more about ECCEL, please contact Dr. Brown: 610-436-3153 or ebrown@wcupa.edu.
ECCEL Team
ECCEL Team
Led by Dr. Ellie Brown, the ECCEL team includes WCU undergrad and grad students, as well as research staff. The ECCEL team offers experience with clinical psychology, child development, issues of classism and racism, counseling, research, and the process of working with children, families, and schools. By participating in ECCEL, you can contribute to the community, develop key skills, and gain preparation for psychology-related careers and graduate study.
ECCEL Research
All ECCEL team members contribute to our research on the impact of poverty-related stress and trauma, and programs that can make a difference, including Head Start preschool and supplemental interventions. Our current research focuses specifically on the impact of the arts and mindfulness interventions on children’s cognitive, social-emotional, and physiological functioning.
ECCEL Experience
In the core ECCEL experience, students and staff receive training in current techniques for assessing and supporting children’s cognitive and emotional development, and spend approximately one day per week implementing these tools at Head Start preschools. The preschools are in Philadelphia and Coatesville, so access to a car is helpful, although carpools from WCU often can be arranged. Team members also support our research behind-the-scenes in our lab, where we organize, code, enter, and analyze data, review literature related to our work, and conduct telephone interviews with parents.
ECCEL Undergrad Students
Undergraduate students typically work with our lab for course credit. The PSY441/442 or 448/449 Field Experience in Psychology courses with ECCEL may be taken for 3 or 6 credits. Three credits requires two mornings until 1pm or one full day until 4pm free each week to travel to Head Start preschools and work with children and families. Six credits requires two full days. PSY410 Research is also available, for students most interested in research. These courses can fulfill the PSY applied experiences requirement or count as general or PSY electives.
ECCEL Grad Students
MA students can take PSY510 Research in Psychology as well as consider PSY600 Research Report and PSY610 Thesis. PSY510 Research can be taken for 6 credits and is a prerequisite in our lab for Research Report, which includes writing an intro and method section for a potential thesis project. PsyD students often have the opportunity for paid graduate assistantships (GAs) as well as dissertation projects with ECCEL. The PSY740 Research Practicum (6 credits) and PSY800 Dissertation (9 credits) courses support development of the dissertation projects.
ECCEL Involvement
There are no prereqs, but priority is given to students who have interest and experience working with children, those interested in the arts and mindfulness, and those interested in working to end poverty, classism, and racism. In addition to the time in the field, there is a Monday evening team meeting on campus. Students who have another required course that conflicts can potentially complete alternate assignments in place of the team meetings. Students interested in ECCEL involvement are encouraged to contact Dr. Brown at ebrown@wcupa.edu.
ECCEL Presentations and Publications
Students who make substantive and sustained contributions to ECCEL research often have the opportunity to be part of our research presentations and publications. Typically, these opportunities are offered to students who have worked with ECCEL for at least one day per week across multiple semesters.
Here are a few examples of recent publications (WCU students/alums italicized, *co-first author):
Brown, E.D., Gensbauer, J.,* Garnett, M.L., & Holochwost, S.J. (in press). Parent anger relates to cortisol levels for children attending Head Start Preschool. Family Relations.
Brown, E.D., Schnarr, E., & Guzi, C. (in press). Parent-reported daily poverty-related stress relates to preschoolers' emotion regulation. Early Education and Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2025.2598585
Brown, E.D., & Kriebel, D.K.* (2025). Parents’ implicit theories of intelligence and children’s responses to academic challenge. Early Child Development and Care, 195(4), 357–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2025.2486327
Holochwost, S.J., Wolf, D.P., & Brown, E.D. (2025). Addressing inequity in arts education: The potential of a systems perspective. Arts Education Policy Review, 126(2), 65-81. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2024.2332779
Brown, E.D., King, S.,* Garnett, M.L., & Holochwost, S. (2025). Emotion knowledge relates to cortisol for children attending Head Start preschool. Early Education and Development, 36(1), 204–218. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2024.2370292
Varnell, S., Brown, E.D., Holochwost, S., Allen, A., Malatesta, J., Garnett, M.L., & Velazquez-Martin, B. (2024). Visual arts activities relate to interest and cortisol for children in Head Start preschool. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000711
Brown, E.D., Shokunbi, F.X., & Garnett, M.L. (2024). Playtime and bedtime relate to cortisol levels for children facing economic hardship. Family Relations, 73(4), 2805-2822. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.13016
Holochwost, S.J.; Volpe, V.V.; Collins, A.N.; Propper, C.B.; Mills-Koonce, W.R.; Brown, E.D.; Jaffee, S.R. (2024). Allostatic load in childhood, adolescence, and Young Adulthood: Are Assumptions of Measurement Invariance Warranted?. Psychosomatic Medicine, 86, 169-180. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001292
Brown, E.D., Holochwost, S.J., Wolf, D.P., Allen, A.A., Garnett, M.L., Velazquez-Martin, B., Varnell, S., & Malatesta, J.L. (2023). Music education and neurophysiological regulation in early childhood: Should teachers guide or get out of the way? Mind, Brian, and Education, 18(3), 360-372. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12370
Holochwost, S.J., Mills-Koonce, W.R., & Brown, E.D. (2023). Fulfilling the promise of applied developmental science: Is it time to reconsider our approach? Infant and Child Development, e2401. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2401
Holochwost, S.J., Winebrake, D., Brown, E.D., Happaney, K.R., Wagner, N.J., & Mills-Koonce, W.R. (2023). An ecological systems perspective on individual differences in children's performance on measures of executive function. Journal of Cognition and Development, 24, 223-240. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/hxb84
Brown, E.D., Weaver, Z., Streich, M., Shivde, G., & Garnett, M.L. (2023). Cortisol across preschool day relates to teacher ratings of executive functioning for children facing economic hardship. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 62, 31-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.07.006
Brown, E.D., Blumenthal, M.A., & Allen, A.A. (2022). The sound of self-regulation: Music program relates to an advantage for children at risk. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 60, 122-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.01.002
Holochwost, S.J., Gomes, L.A., Propper, C.B., Brown, E.D., & Iruka, I.U. (2021). Childcare policy as an antipoverty strategy: The need to address neurophysiological self-regulation. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 8, 208-216. https://doi.org/10.1177/23727322211031579
Brown, E.D., Holochwost, S.J., Laurenceau, J.P., Garnett, M.L., Anderson, K.E. (2021). Deconstructing cumulative risk: Poverty and aspects of instability relate uniquely to young children’s basal cortisol. Child Development, 92, 1067-1082. https://doi.org/10.1111/CDEV.13512
Holochwost, S.J., Bose, J.H., Stuk, E., Anderson, K., Brown, E., & Palmer Wolf, D. (2021). Planting the seeds: Orchestral music education as a context for fostering growth mindsets. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586749
Brown, E.D., Anderson, K., Garnett, M.L., & Hill, E. (2019). Economic instability and household chaos relate to cortisol for children in poverty. Journal of Family Psychology 33(6), 629–639. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31169392/
Brown, E.D., Garnett, M., Velazquez-Martin, B., & Mellor, T. (2018). The art of Head Start: Intensive arts integration associated with advantage in school readiness for economically disadvantaged children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 45, 204-214. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0885200617300443
Brown, E.D., Garnett, M., Anderson, K., & Laurenceau, J.P. (2017). Can the arts get under the skin? Arts and cortisol for economically disadvantaged children. Child Development, 88, 1368-1381. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12652
Brown, E.D., Seyler, M.D., & Knorr, A.M., Garnett, M.L., & Laurenceau, J.P. (2016). Daily poverty-related stress and parents’ efforts to help children cope: Associations with child learned helplessness. Journal of Family Relations, 65, 591-602. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12217
Here are a few examples of our research as highlighted in the popular press
Popular Press Highlights:
Example TV clips
WFMZ
Arts programs lower stress levels
WPSD
The arts as therapy
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/2017/10/12/the-arts-as-therapy/
Radio Features
WHYY
The Pulse
https://whyy.org/segments/the-arts-help-kids-learn-a-scientist-dug-into-how-at-philadelphia-school/
WHYY
Creativity Sparks Success
https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-researchers-arts-education-settlement/
NPR
Voices in the Family
https://www.npr.org/podcasts/381444688/voices-in-the-family
WHYY
Arts classes may help relieve stress in kids from poor neighborhoods
https://whyy.org/articles/arts-classes-may-help-reliev-stress-in-kids-from-poor-neighborhoods/
Print and Online News Media
Cubby: Growing Homes for Growing Kids
My Kids Love Our Nightly 3-Minute Reset
https://www.cubbyathome.com/kids-dinnertime-routine-80047508
Early Learning Nation
Stress Hormones in Preschoolers Improve with Emotional Knowledge, Study Indicates
Vista
WCU Study Links Emotional Intelligence to Stress Regulation in Preschoolers
WalletHub
Happiest States in America
https://wallethub.com/edu/happiest-states/6959#expert=Eleanor_D._Brown
WalletHub
2023’s best & worst cities for keeping your New Year’s resolutions
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-new-years-resolutions/28749#expert=Eleanor_D._Brown
Grid Magazine
Music and dance education offer lifelong skills and opportunities for underserved students
Chestnut Hill Local
Germantown residents bring music into Philadelphia schools
K-12 Dive
Researchers find more reasons why the arts are good for young children
Pacific Standard
Arts rich preschool readies kids for learning
https://psmag.com/education/arts-rich-preschool-readies-kids-for-learning
Pacific Standard
Arts education reduces the stress level of low-income students
https://psmag.com/news/arts-education-reduces-stress-level-of-low-income-students#.wv37zxnwl
Pacific Standard
Arts heavy preschool helps children grow emotionally
https://psmag.com/education/arts-heavy-preschool-helps-children-grow-emotionally-46404
Philadelphia Inquirer
Closing in on proof of arts value to kids
https://www.inquirer.com/philly/education/20140323_Closing_in_on_proof_of_arts__value_to_kids.html
Philadelphia Inquirer
How can the arts benefit kids from disadvantaged neighborhoods?
Philadelphia Public School The Notebook
Quantifying the benefits of arts education
http://thenotebook.org/articles/2017/04/20/quantifying-the-benefits-of-arts-education
Science Daily
Arts programming may help lower stress in economically disadvantaged preschoolers
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161206110315.htm
PsyPost
Economic instability and household chaos are linked to physiological dysregulation in children
Governmental Agencies
NEA
Snapshots of arts education in childhood and adolescence
https://www.arts.gov/impact/research/publications/snapshots-arts-education-childhood-and-adolescence
NEA
Arts education access is a human rights issue
https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2022/hypothesis-arts-education-access-human-rights-issue
NEA
Taking note: Parsing rigor in arts education studies
https://www.arts.gov/art-works/2018/taking-note-parsing-rigor-arts-education-studies
NEA
Taking note: On the value of a negative finding
https://www.arts.gov/art-works/2018/taking-note-value-negative-finding
NEA
Guide to community engaged research in arts and health
NEA
The arts and early childhood: Social-emotional benefits of arts participation
NEA
Can the arts reduce stress in children?
https://www.arts.gov/art-works/2013/can-arts-reduce-stress-children
NEA
The arts and human development
https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/TheArtsAndHumanDev.pdf
Professional and Other Organizations
APA Monitor on Psychology
Psychologists in the news: Eleanor Brown (p. 70)
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/09
KWEST
Research based lessons
https://www.kwestlearning.org/research
MacPhail Learning with Music
Learning with Music’s First Round of Formal Research
https://www.macphail.org/learning-with-music/
Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
Agenda: pre-K
https://www.philaculture.org/research/agenda-prek
SRCD’s Eureka Alert
Arts programming may help lower stress in economically disadvantaged preschoolers
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/616820
Settlement Music School
Kaleidoscope research featured on NEA webinar
Settlement Music School
The real impact of the arts shown through science
https://www.settlementmusic.org/news-blog/2016/12/6/the-real-impact-of-the-arts-shown-through-science
Settlement Music School
Kaleidoscope research
https://settlementmusic.org/kaleidoscope-research/
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_D._Brown
WolfBrown
NEA Research Lab Convening
https://wolfbrown.com/news/nea-research-lab-convening/
WolfBrown
Arts for Learning grant from U.S. Department of Education
WolfBrown
WCU and WB to receive award from NEA
West Chester University
WCU Newsroom
WHYY Features Dr. Ellie Brown’s Research
https://www.wcupa.edu/communications/newsroom/2025/04.10WHYYBrown.aspx
WCU Research Report 2023-24
Dr. Ellie Brown Start with the Art: Arts Integration + Co-Teaching
https://heyzine.com/flip-book/fcf04ea9f0.html
WCU Newsroom
WCU Study Links Emotional Intelligence to Stress Regulation in Preschoolers
https://www.wcupa.edu/communications/newsroom/2024/08.09EKstudy.aspx
WCU Spotlight on Research
The Research on Equity via the Arts in Childhood (REACH) Lab
https://www.wcupa.edu/_admin/research/spotlights.aspx#reach
WCU Newsroom
NEA awards grant to WCU for Research into Equity Via the Arts for Children (REACH)
https://www.wcupa.edu/communications/newsroom/2021/04.15EBrown.aspx
WCU Magazine
University receives federal arts research grant
https://issuu.com/wcuofpa/docs/wcumagazine_summer2019_2-mb
WCU Newsroom
University receives arts research grant
https://www.wcupa.edu/communications/newsroom/2016/12.19artresearch.aspx
WCU Alumni Association Ramblings Live
Psychology Professor Ellie Brown and her research students in the Early Childhood Cognition and Emotions Lab (ECCEL)
We welcome you to learn more about our team!
Website: https://www.wcupa.edu/sciences-mathematics/psychology/EBResearchLabs/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAw1WJvwZjZGj50J02MPIvA