This report summarizes findings from the first year of an implementation study of the Early Childhood Cluster Initiative (ECCI). ECCI is a prekindergarten program in ten elementary schools and a community child care center in Palm Beach County, based on the design of the High/Scope Perry Preschool model. The initiative is characterized by low…

Using Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates of employment in day-care establishments, this study analyzes changes in day care over the past 20 years. Growth in day-care employment has been much stronger than that of other industries. Since 1972, employment has increased by nearly 250 per cent. Causes of growth includes changing trends in enrollment…

This practicum study sought to increase child care staff's ability to transfer what they learned from training to the classroom and thereby to increase developmentally appropriate educational practice. Specifically, the project sought to increase positive interactions in the child care setting, increase the use of the outdoors as a learning…

This guide is designed for early childhood educators who are helping their staffs implement the Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood, a curriculum that is based on child development theory and is developmentally appropriate for preschool and kindergarten children. A carefully organized and rich environment serves as the focus of this…

Developmental continuity refers to designing early childhood instruction that provides learning experiences based on children's prior knowledge, follows a natural progression across preschool and the early grades, and allows progress at each child's rate and style of learning. There are many ways of providing developmental continuity, but common…

This study of the use of television in full-day child care tested a variety of ways to use the Public Broadcasting Corporation's television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in child care programs. Part 1 presents the results of an initial survey of child care centers and home care providers in the Toledo, Ohio metropolitan area, while part 2…

This paper emphasizes the need for early childhood teachers to value themselves more highly in order to better their work with young children. The goal of working with children must be to build their self-esteem so they like themselves as human beings. The document (1) reviews research findings that will help teachers make insightful caregiving…

This Child Development Associate (CDA) training module, the seventh in a series of 16, focuses on preparing trainees in a bilingual/bicultural preschool teacher training program to help Spanish speaking children to develop language skills in their native tongue and English. The text of the module deals with (1) the developmental principles of…

This volume, the third in a series of seven, contains the eight learning modules which focus on the second Child Development Associate (CDA) competency, advancing physical and intellectual competence in young children, in the performance-based curriculum of the Texas A & I Bilingual Bicultural Child Development Associate Training Program. The…

This report is an assessment of the overall effectiveness of the Project Head Start Training and Technical Assistance Program (T/TA) in achieving Head Start objectives and improving program quality. Analysis in the report focuses on the overall management process, delivery system, quality of training and technical assistance provided, and its…

Early childhood education is the topic of this chapter from "Six Crucial Issues in Education." The Foreword and introduction to the book are provided. The following areas are discussed in this chapter: (1) Research--Bloom, Hunt's "Intelligence and Experience," Piaget; (2) Head Start and Other Compensatory Programs; (3) Public…

The Alaska Model for Early Childhood Education is an attempt to bring major ideas into focus for neighborhood programs. Suggested specifications for staff, facilities, equipment, activities, and parent involvement are presented. Sections deal with: (1) needs, objectives and activities; (2) child development activities and environments--physical…

Recognizing the value and need for quality early childhood education programs for children ages four through eight years, the Michigan State Board of Education appointed an ad hoc committee to develop standards of quality. Based on the draft developed by this committee, this standards guide is designed to assist administrators, teachers, and…

Despite having a genuine concern about racism and oppression, many early childhood teachers encounter significant feelings of discomfort as they try to implement antibias values in their classrooms. Based on the view that it is not possible to authentically teach children about acceptance without engaging in reflection upon one's own values and…

This policy paper focuses on what emerging research tells policymakers about why it is so important to intervene to help young children at risk for poor social, emotional, and behavioral development, and what kinds of research-based interventions seem most effective. The paper addresses the relationship between early academic learning and…