This briefing paper focuses on the choices of instructional language in Pacific classrooms, as mandated by national or state policies, and discusses consequences of such choices on students' academic achievement and career preparation in the changing Pacific region. The paper first notes that in most South Pacific secondary schools, English is the…

Studied perceived education interests, experiences, and learning preferences of parents of young children, usefulness of group characteristics in planning parent education as evidenced by a needs assessment process, and the importance of such a process. Found (1) parental interest in parenting help; (2) parental education level effects on learning…

The paper briefly describes Public Law 99-457 (The Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments, 1986) with emphasis on implications for families, service providers, and early childhood educators. Among the law's components are the following: all the rights and protections of Public Law 94-142 (Education for All Handicapped Children Act) are…

The APMI (Assessment, Placement, and Monitoring Index) is a non-categorical placement procedure designed to facilitate objective assessment, placement, and monitoring of exceptional children (ages 4 and up). The purpose of the APMI is to offer an "alternative" model for determining "severity" that (1) describes the needs of the…

Contains a series of short, experientially oriented articles on circle time entitled "You Can Make Circle Time Developmentally Appropriate"; "Using Circle Time as a Hub of Curriculum"; "Working It Out Together in Circle Time"; and "Starting with Stories: Building a Sense of Community." (SD)

Presents an overview of social skill interventions with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers and emphasizes parent training approaches, dyadic (parent-child) therapy, and treatment which directly change the child's behavior. Discusses the range of services which could be provided within the community to foster social competence in young children.…

Children of Hispanic migrant farmworkers are more susceptible to health problems than children in the general population. This paper discusses the common health problems seen in these children, highlighting special health needs of preschoolers pertinent to this multicultural population. Implications for professional preparation in health education…

The article discusses mainstreaming of students with HIV/AIDS into physical education classes, describing HIV/AIDS conditions and presenting facts about prevalence, concerns related to the preschool and school-aged population, risks associated with the gym, safety precautions, and issues of confidentiality. (SM)

Highlights the importance of home-Head Start partnerships in helping children learn and behave in optimal fashion. Provides four ideas that could help strengthen the home-Head Start partnerships already underway in center programs: (1) the play and learn system; (2) the educational display; (3) the parent-teacher communication system; and (4) the…

This report presents the most recent salary and benefits data available for the U.S. child care workforce. Data for average wages for preschool teachers and child care workers are presented for each state. A graph comparing median hourly wages between child care jobs and other occupations is also included. Appendix 1 of the report presents:…

This article addresses the health and safety risks associated with child care facilities, including injuries and infectious diseases. Related health education needs for child care providers, parents, and children are examined, and recommendations for health educators are provided. (SM)

Vermont experienced a rapid expansion of federal childhood funding and programs (accompanied by their voluminous and sometimes contradictory regulations), and identified the need to unify the system after recognizing that the complexity of the early childhood education service delivery system was bewildering for parent-consumers. This report…

This paper provides a brief review of the issues regarding families in early intervention programs for handicapped children and proposes the assessment of family needs as a first step in designing family-focused interventions. While traditional approaches to early intervention tend to be exclusively child-focused, professionals are encouraged to…

Despite guaranteed access to primary education and seemingly comprehensive enrollment, many Latin American countries have high rates of illiteracy. Four sets of factors affecting academic performance have been identified as contributors to the situation. External material factors include: the impact of malnutrition on intellectual development; the…

A summary of the findings and recommendations of the Swedish Government's Committee on Linguistic Minorities among Children of Preschool Age is provided in this report. The first six chapters supply background material. Chapter 1 describes the target group and its estimated size, and suggests new definitions for use in native language backing…