Professional development has historically been a "one-shot" workshop wherein information barrages the learner in a streaming fashion and little to no information is retained. Even more exasperating is the lack of follow-up support once the workshops have concluded. Due to the desire for technologically appropriate professional development and…

Contrary to earlier views, studies show that preschool children with conduct problems will likely continue to exhibit some maladjustment in adolescence and adulthood. A high rate of aggression and noncompliance in toddlers can be predictive of serious antisocial problems later in life, if not treated. Interventions aimed at changing the disruptive…

Changes in the preschool education system are provided for by a new federal law in Portugal, Law 5/97, Law for Preschool Education. This law calls for a new role for the State that involves fewer direct services, less bureaucracy, more efficient supervision, and a greater regulating and compensating role. The law requires parents to participate in…

This paper summarizes recommendations from and actions taken as a result of the 1996 Caribbean Conference on the Rights of the Child. It also presents the tasks for the Second Conference on Early Childhood Education in the Caribbean related to supporting Caribbean early childhood initiatives. Section 1 of the paper considers whether participating…

In this study, four hearing mothers with deaf children (ages 3-10) were interviewed about the process of choosing a mode of communication and school placement for their children. All of the children attended local public schools. The mothers' responses were examined in order to identify any common factors that contributed to the choice of public…

Although an extensive body of literature exists on the impact of Head Start, very few studies have used an experimental design with random assignment, a key methodological component needed to increase the weight of evaluation findings. This study used a randomized design with a wide range of outcomes related to school readiness to assess the…

Noting that parent involvement in their children's education is a crucial contributor to children's achievement, this study investigated the relations among family factors, parental involvement in children's learning activities within and outside of Head Start, and children's outcomes related to literacy, numeracy, social skills, and behavior…

The potential benefits of father participation in their children's reading and writing activities include improved literacy skills, increased bonding, and heightened self-esteem of both fathers and children. This paper identifies a training model for working with fathers--Project DADS. Using this model, early childhood professionals can foster…

This monograph provides an overview of federal laws relevant to the provision of educational services to preschool children with disabilities (as well as additional laws pertaining to children who are homeless) and examines implementation of these laws in New York City. It begins with an overview of federal legislation including the Individuals…

This paper discusses the preschool component of the Educational Agreement presented to the Portugal Parliament in May 1996 to improve the quality of the educational system. Among the 10 Action Commitments in the Agreement is the creation of a national network for preschool education. The context of the inclusion of preschool in this Agreement is…

The preschool teacher is in the unique position of being able to identify children who have developed language and speech problems during their early years. This paper is a detailed resource for preschool teachers on hearing and speech problems. Its purpose is two-fold: to emphasize the important role the preschool teacher plays in the lives of…

A study examined the effects of specific literacy-related activities in preschool on subsequent language and literacy-related knowledge. All of the subjects were eligible for Head Start or comparable programs, with half of the classrooms being Head Start classrooms. When the subjects were 3 years old, a total of 63 children were visited in 48…

This paper describes a project designed to facilitate and evaluate child and family mental health in the community, inside and outside of Head Start programs. Also detailed is a study of the effects of "Community Impact" programs and 6-week, focused, group interventions for children and families in programs predicted to increase…

This paper on facilitating skill development of infants and toddlers with disabilities within family-child routines focuses on: (1) developing a routine analysis by incorporating multiple Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) objectives into family-selected routines; (2) utilizing systematic family training procedures to integrate targeted skills…

An evaluative study in New York (New York) comprehensive half-day public school prekindergarten programs serving language minorities is reported. The study investigated effectiveness of city policy supporting the use of the children's native (home) languages for some portions of instruction. Information was gathered on: (1) supervisory staff's…