As educators and parents of children with disabilities, we recognize that students with significant disabilities benefit from research-based strategies to support the development of academic and social learning. We regularly use systematic instruction and behavior supports to provide day-to-day instruction, yet this same detailed planning is not…

When children and youth feel unsafe, adults need to act. The damaging effects that feeling unsafe and being exposed to violence have on young people and their ability to succeed are well-established. These scientific insights make clear the urgency with which the people of this country must intervene in schools and communities to change the…

This essay addresses two types of disasters that can affect early childhood classrooms, which deserve more attention during teacher preparation. The first includes such natural phenomena as earthquakes and hurricanes, as well man-made events, such as fires and, incredibly, school shootings. They are almost always unexpected and happen in real…

Gun play results in hundreds of childhood injuries and deaths each year in the United States. Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is used to teach children the skills needed to resist gun play when finding a firearm. Although effective, existing BST programs are time and resource intensive and therefore lack the efficiency required to be widely…

This curriculum was first published in June 1998 to be used by qualified health and safety trainers to fulfill part of the learning needs and licensing requirements of child care providers (Health and Safety Code, Section 1596.866) in California. This second and updated edition of Module 2, Prevention of Injuries, covers the content of the…

Noting that children's educational success is a high priority for California parents, voters, public officials, and business leaders, this report card documents how economic, health, and other conditions affect California children's learning and well-being. The report's introduction discusses factors influencing educational success, including…

Noting that California is in the middle of a decade during which its adolescent population will increase by 36 percent to nearly 5 million by 2005, this report examines the well-being of California's adolescents. The report's introduction notes that although California youth are more likely to complete high school, less likely to be unemployed,…