Head Start programs provide critical comprehensive services for young children with or at risk of developing disabilities. Both the Head Start Act and federal Head Start performance standards require a mix of outreach, early child assessments, and evaluations, followed by comprehensive educational, medical, and social services provided in an…

Describes a collaborative program undertaken by a Massachusetts district to enhance preschool students' learning readiness when entering kindergarten. The program consisted of three elements: networking local and area programs and services; improving the quality of programs and services; and increasing access to family services. (11 references)…

Presents a reconceptualization of developmental risk factors that may be related to school readiness, as well as an overview of Educare, a model of comprehensive rural service coordination in Missouri which is based on early risk identification assessment. Educare provides universal early intervention beginning at birth, risk assessment in…

Describes the goals and service components of Educare, a collaborative community project in southeast Missouri since 1995, to enhance school readiness of children from birth to 3 years from low-income families. Discusses working with families, community agencies and local services, and early childhood professionals. Also explores…

Increasingly, young children are using computers; however, the role of the parent in facilitating this type of learning is not yet clear. This study investigates the relationship between parental involvement in computer use and cognitive development in their children. Parents of Head Start children who owned a computer (n = 136) reported on the…

Identifying gifted and talented children and providing appropriate educational experiences for them has been firmly placed on the educational agenda in England by the Labour government since 1999. In the U.S.A., gifted education has received a high profile for several decades. In both countries, however, the needs of the younger gifted child have…

Hispanics account for over one-fifth of newborns in the United States, and Hispanic children, on average, achieve at much lower levels from kindergarten forward than the non-Hispanic white majority and Asian Americans. One of the most important educational challenges for the U.S. is to increase markedly the percentage of Hispanic children who…

This paper addresses the issues surrounding the widely publicized problem of newborn infants who have been exposed to cocaine before their birth, and suggests ways to prevent the problems associated with fetal exposure to drugs during pregnancy. The paper presents information concerning the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on infants,…

This report describes six local government efforts to develop early learning systems to achieve the goal of school readiness--efforts that use federal and state resources but are locally owned. These efforts were identified and selected based upon discussions with a number of early childhood experts in the field. They represent some of the most…

Early intervention programs are a continuing focus of public interest and debate; questions center around defining quality in early intervention and how intervention affects children's lives. This paper reviews research on center-based early childhood education programs for children between birth and school entry that emphasize school readiness as…

To assist state policymakers in using limited resources to enhance young children's readiness for school, this report examines the development and effectiveness of prekindergarten and parent support programs in the Southern Regional Education Board's (SREB's) 16-state region. States in the region are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,…

Describes the typical kindergarten day as experienced by one child in the German-speaking region of Switzerland. Illustrates the main goal of kindergarten as preparing children for school rather than teaching reading, writing, or written numeracy. Focuses on the oral language learning approach incorporating teacher- and child-initiated activities.…

Positive findings are presented from three early educational intervention programs designed to prevent mental retardation and improve school readiness and educational progress. Evidence is presented indicating that children of mothers with low intelligence respond most favorably to intensive, systematic early intervention. Six essential types of…

Three studies evaluated the impact of the Home Instruction Programme for Preschool and Year One Youngsters (HIPPY) on New Zealand children's reading ability, school readiness, and school behavior. Findings indicated that HIPPY children showed consistently better performance that control group children on all measures used, with differences…

The Comprehensive Services Program of Palm Beach County, Florida, was an ambitious and innovative effort to improve the school readiness of low-income children in Palm Beach County by identifying needs early and providing early intervention services to support physical, cognitive, and emotional health and development. Services were delivered to…