Argues that, in spite of recent legislative developments for the families of handicapped children in many parts of the United Kingdom, there is still lack of cohesive and comprehensive support from service delivery agencies. (Author/MP)

Reports on a survey of early childhood staff of 85 child care centers and 85 kindergartens in Australia regarding professional ethics. Discusses survey results in relation to Katz's work on ethics and teachers' developmental stages. Compares results with data from an earlier study of American educators (Feeney and Sysko, 1986). (NH)

Examines mother-child and father-child play and the relationship between parents' fantasy play initiations and their children's receptive vocabulary skills. The sex of parent effects during play initiations and the influence on children's cooperativeness toward the parent behaviors were tested in a laboratory playroom setting. (DT)

Examines the relationship between the mother's presence in the nursery school and the child's interactions with peers and adults. Findings reveal that children spend significantly more time interacting with peers and less time with adults in the absence of the parents. (Author/AS)

Discusses the problems involved in integrating physically disabled children into ordinary schools in England. Problems of coordination with health agencies, devising educational plans, and modifying the school environment are illustrated through a case study of a disabled child. Other issues are teacher training, responsibility for preparing the…

Describes how an English Junior School developed a parent involvement program aimed at improving reading. Provides anecdotal accounts of its success as well as a discussion of crucial elements to an effective program. (DT)

Examined how teachers divided time within the school-year and daily timetables. Data were collected from three schools, using field notes, tape recordings, photographs, discussion, and the Kelly Personal Construct Theory. Found problems of lack of support and lack of quality in interaction with students. Results suggest that better physical and…

Examined impact of a professional development school (PDS) partnership between a university and two early childhood centers on the quality of care and education within programs. Found that the partnerships increased quality of care and education in both programs. Findings suggest that universities can have an impact at a local level if they reach…

Examines the debate on the role of the state in relation to families with young children. Discusses the meaning of parental involvement in the preschool field and the implication of this growng emphasis on parent involvement for the relationship between parents and professionals. (AS)

Examined qualitative characteristics of teacher-child interaction and how they are related to preschoolers' perceptions of self and peers. Found that girls spent more time interacting with teachers than boys, and had more cooperative and positive interactions with teachers than did boys. Found that the quality of teacher-child interaction was…

Argues that it has not been fashionable to value literacy stories from parents as a source of knowledge for interpreting the home literacy environment. Compares teacher descriptions of several at-risk children to their parents' literacy stories. Concludes that understanding multiple home literacy environments can help teachers think critically…

Provides overview of major initiatives in family literacy and argues for fundamental change in the way schools relate to parents and the community. Suggests that schools and communities need to develop more effective partnerships so that parents and teachers can develop a sense of shared understanding. Concludes that such initiatives will lead to…

Analyzes the diverse services available for preschool children in the United Kingdom and considers the nature of the demand for such services. Discusses local initiatives, such as those undertaken in the Strathclyde region of Scotland in the 1980s, to coordinate and integrate services for preschool children. (MDM)

Examined the priorities in early childhood education program development from the perspectives of school staff and families. The results revealed important differences between the staff and family perspectives and indicated a need for greater staff training in the processes of delivering relationship-based, consumer-driven family services, and in…

Noting that the transition from preschool to kindergarten presents many challenges to children, families, and teachers, presents a preschool-to-kindergarten planning transition model. The goal of the model is to provide a strategy that assists children, teachers, and families to establish and implement a collaborative transition process. Five…