"Early Childhood Development in Tonga: Baseline Results from the Tongan Early Human Capability Index" offers a comprehensive assessment of early child development across Tonga. This book reports on a census of child development using the Tongan Early Human Capability Index. The data includes information on more than 6,600 children ages 3…

Head Start is a valuable federal program that improves the lives of our nation's most vulnerable children and their families. Research shows that Head Start programs improve children's learning at school entry and have a positive impact on long-term life outcomes. Research also suggests that Head Start could have a stronger impact on children's…

Engaging families in their children's growth and learning can support the healthy social, emotional, cognitive and physical development of young children. These affirmative relationships also support positive life long outcomes for children. The Kansas Family Engagement and Partnership Standards for Early Childhood provide guidance for families,…

Recent research provides evidence of the strong connections between quality of play in preschool years and children's readiness for school instruction. Mature play, characterized by imaginary situations, multiple roles, clearly defined rules, flexible themes, language development, length of play, helps students' cognitive development. (Contains 12…

This brochure provides information to educators about the Alaska Kindergarten Developmental Profile, which is prepared for each child entering school. The profile includes developmental information in the areas of physical well-being and motor development, language and literacy development, personal-social development, thinking and cognitive…

A mother of one set of boy-girl twins observes that boys and girls use different strategies for learning. Contends that educators and child development specialists need to reevaluate the criteria they use to determine readiness for school. (MLF)

Family-school partnerships are increasingly touted as a means of improving both student and school improvement. This recognition has led to an increase in policies and initiatives that offer the following benefits: improved communication between parents and educators; home and school goals that are mutually supportive and shared; better…

Illustrating major points with specific examples (including a "Doonesbury cartoon), the main article faults schools' organizational efficiency and educators' ignorance of child development for forcing young children to work beyond their developmental readiness. An inset article presents the 19th century kindergarten as a haven for children to grow…

Discusses two related early education issues: providing public school programs for younger children and serving children who do not do well in kindergarten. Recommends ungraded, child-centered developmental programs for all children from birth to age 9 and prekindergarten summer enrichment programs for children assessed at certain devlopmental…

Under the state's Quality Schools Initiative, each Alaska school is required to take a number of steps toward improving the quality of education. This brochure provides information to educators about the first requirement of the Quality Schools Initiative: completing the Alaska Developmental Profile. This profile is completed for each child…

There is a growing awareness today of the critical impact of the preschool years on a child's later academic success. Some studies indicate that many children today are less well prepared for school than were children beginning school 5 years ago. This publication examines what is known about school readiness; discusses the reasons why some…

KIDS COUNT, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the United States. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all…

Parents have a pervasive and continual influence on their children's career development, beginning with early childhood and continuing as the child progresses through fantasy, exploration, tentative and trial stages of career development, and as the child responds to the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The child's readiness for…

This book for parents and child care providers describes a program for home-based, early childhood education that does not use formal, disciplined instruction. The program uses the technique of "incidental teaching," which emphasizes learning activities that occur while children participate in typical daily activities, such as eating,…

A workshop designed to present teachers and administrators with information on assessment issues and instruments related to developmentally appropriate practices in early childhood classrooms is presented in this guide for trainers. The workshop is process-oriented, meaning that participants will be engaged in activities that require them to…