This article considers the story of 3-year-old Mia and her mother's request that teachers keep Mia away from messy projects. It offers an opportunity to apply the Code, with a special emphasis on its 2011 reaffirmation and update. This revision has sharpened the focus on the importance of nurturing two-way communication between teachers/caregivers…

Surveyed programs for young children in six states to identify how they included fathers. Determined barriers to fathers' participation in such programs, including work schedules, sex differences in interactional styles, and power issues. Gleaned suggestions for facilitating fathers' participation in children's programs, including recognizing…

Explores the complexities of making teachers' work more visible to mothers of kindergartners, through focusing on one day's events as seen by their teacher and a university professor. Considers teachers' fear that parents will witness their mistakes and teachers' wish to maintain dominance over parents in the educational hierarchy. (KB)

Discusses the special quality of the relationships teachers, caregivers, and parents have with young children, focusing on aspects of the relationship which help the adult develop as much as they help the child grow. (CM)

Describes Bedtime Story Nights, a county-wide project where parents could observe techniques for reading aloud to their children. Parents and 2- to 8-year-olds met monthly in the evenings for 30 minutes of stories, rhymes, and snack. Details benefits for children and parents, site variations, and family reactions to the program. Includes tips for…

Discusses the impact of parent education programs, describing the effects on child and parent of such interventions and summarizing research on different types of programs. Differences in parent participation and outcomes, the problem of sustaining program involvement, and directions for the future are also outlined. (KS)

Uses a psychoanalytic approach to examine effective ways to articulate concerns to parents about their child's difficulties. Presents methods for developing trusting relationships, planning prior to the conference, conducting the parent-teacher conference and post-conference follow-up, and meeting teachers' concerns. Describes two situations in…

Describes a violence prevention program called "Choosing Non-Violence" (CNV) incorporated into Chicago Head Start and Title XX Day Care in 1988. Children, teachers, and parents learn to apply three key concepts of CNV: (1) the understanding and recognition of violence; (2) the power of personal choice and self-control; and (3) the power…

Describes the outdoor adult education classes conducted by a community college in California designed for parents and their children ages 5 through 8 years. Classes include parenting topics, music, movement, crafts, stories, hiking, and nature awareness, focusing on sensual outdoor experiences for children. Describes what children gain from…

Describes how early childhood teachers can provide a developmentally appropriate environment that fosters therapeutic play for children of substance-abusing parents. Describes the impact of substance abuse on the parent-child relationship, and discusses the importance of providing daily routines, consistency, firm boundaries, open expression of…

Considers the public's growing recognition that early childhood education is good for young children. Addresses misconceptions that education and care are different and that the purpose of early childhood programs is to prepare children for school. (BG)

Identifies benefits of family involvement in the early childhood classroom for the child, parents, and teacher. Describes barriers to parent involvement: parent availability, parent and teacher awkwardness, schedule conflicts, and school resistance to full parent inclusion. Provides six principles for involving parents in their children's…