This pamphlet, in English- and Spanish-language versions, offers information to parents on the functioning and benefits of Head Start, a federal program for preschool children from low-income families. The pamphlet's sections answer the following questions: (1) "What Is Head Start?" (2) "What Can the Head Start Program Offer to Your…

A playground safety checklist provides an up-to-date play area inspection system based on standards from the American Society for Testing and Materials' F 1487-95 and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Handbook for Public Playground Safety (1994). Guidelines address "public" playground equipment installed in parks, schools,…

Suggests strategies for caregivers to encourage peer interactions in infant/toddler programs. Strategies include helping children become familiar with surroundings and one another, maintaining social groups and friendships, varying the number and types of toys available at one time, controlling the number of children in a particular space, and…

Discusses how field trips can build a community of experience in preschool settings. Focuses on what to consider when planning field trips, how to reduce field trip costs, adjustments to be made during the trip, and ways to bring the trip to the preschool setting. Suggests activities after the field trip, and destinations related to the arts,…

Teachers' judicious use of humor in the classroom can have such positive effects as improving communication, focusing attention, provoking thought, liberating creative capacities, motivating students, and reinforcing desirable behaviors. Activities are suggested for exposing deaf students to various types of humor and helping them explore their…

This paper describes the development and application of individualized intervention procedures in a classroom for preschool language-impaired children. Language development principles utilized in the program focus on determining the setting, timing, interactive participants, purpose, and content. Resulting changes in language comprehension and…

Demonstrates how bulletin boards can be used by teachers of infants and toddlers to display photographs of the children and classroom, student art work, dictated stories, and even scribblings (as borders). Suggests that bulletin boards can be an effective device for involving infants and toddlers in their environment. (MDM)

Examines how children learn, particularly how they learn violent behavior, and discusses why and how one preschool limits children's aggressive superhero play. Describes how the school teaches cooperation and caring, and lists the benefits of limiting superhero play. (HTH)

Many deaf students become perennial "outsiders," never really becoming an integral part of their mainstream classrooms. Factors contributing to this may include family dynamics, teacher attitudes, and lack of interactions between deaf and hearing children. Parents can promote their child's integration, through accessing home, school, and community…

The Ashtabula County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities in Ohio has developed 27 new procedures for infection control that follow a comprehensive study of infection control and disease transmission. Many of these procedures are applicable to schools. (MLF)

The Multimethods Model organizes the learning activities of preschool classes for gifted children and assures a differentiated curriculum geared to the individual student. Model components include prescriptive instruction, acceleration of content, building self-direction, creative divergent problem solving, affective guidance, cultivation of…

The article reviews research on children's use of time with emphasis on maintaining "engagement" (developmentally and contextually appropriate behavior). Techniques for preschool teachers to use to promote high levels of engagement by children with or without disabilities are identified. (DB)

Provides background on cuing systems that children use in reading. Suggestions for parents on helping children learn to read are offered; the importance of reading to children is emphasized. Several resources for parents are recommended. (Four references) (MES)

A model is presented for planning the transition of handicapped children from early childhood special education (ECSE) programs into kindergarten/elementary school mainstream classrooms. The model, developed through Project TEEM (Transitioning into the Elementary Education Mainstream), enables parents, ECSE, and elementary school program staff to…

Providing continuous, personalized, high-quality staff development programs fosters the delivery of effective, comprehensive services to Head Start children and families. This article suggests directors follow the following staff development principles: draft a philosophy; define staff development; assess staff development needs; focus on the…