Noting that a high-quality preschool program is one that promotes learning through rich play experiences, this book gives parents information needed to select the right preschool for their children. Chapter 1, "Thinking about Preschool," discusses questions parents ask, practical considerations, beginning the search, and the screening phone call.…

Recognizing the importance of providing high-quality preschool education for helping to ensure children's future educational success, this document presents guidelines for what constitutes high-quality programming across a broad spectrum of curriculum and practice for California preschools, taking into account the state's move toward higher…

Presents six myths about early childhood education and care. Myths concern day care quality, the impact of day care on families and communities, academically oriented curricula, the importance of caregiver training, and parent involvement. Emphasizes that professionals need to dispel these myths, recognize the complexity of good child care, and be…

This study examined predictors of process quality among Hong Kong preschools. Findings indicated significant intercorrelations among structural, management-related, and process measures of quality. Process quality (teacher-child interaction, curriculum goals) was higher in preschools exceeding government requirements for staff qualifications,…

The Illinois Governor's Task Force on Universal Access to Preschool is part of a broad-based effort to increase the quality of life for all children in Illinois. This report presents the action plan developed by this task force and calls for the creation of Illinois Preschool, a program giving all Illinois families quality preschool options for 3-…

The Illinois Early Learning Standards were developed by the Illinois State Board of Education with the assistance of hundreds of educators. The goal of the standards is to provide teachers and caregivers useful information that is directly needed as part of their daily classroom work. Based on comments from educators, parents, and various experts…

This study draws from the National Center for Early Development and Learning's Multi-State Pre-Kindergarten Study to examine the extent to which program, classroom, and teacher attributes of the program ecology predict observed quality and teacher-child interactions in a sample of 238 classrooms representing 6 states' pre-kindergarten programs.…

This document provides guidelines for administrators, practitioners, and parents to use in developing high quality preschool education programs for 4-year-olds. Ideas presented in the document are based on principles set forth and confirmed by research on individual needs of young children, child development, and the conditions under which…

This document is comprised of the one issue in volume 7 of "Bridges," a publication produced by the California Head Start-State Collaboration Office to detail the activities of the educational partnership and to provide relevant information to programs participating in the partnership. The Summer 2002 issue focuses on several topics of…

The purpose of this study was to explore the philosophical basis of novice preschool teachers in South Korea and how this pedagogical orientation was reflected in their classrooms. Through interviews and observations, this research gave Korean preschool teachers the opportunity to voice their beliefs about child-centered pedagogy, and illuminated…

This policy brief provides the context and the research supporting the American Federation of Teacher's call for universal early childhood education. It focuses on the current challenges the nation faces in achieving such a program; and it includes the signs of progress, a description of what other industrialized countries are doing, the features…

This guide details the 2003-2004 program guidelines for Georgia prekindergarten programs, designed to assist educators in providing a quality educational prekindergarten program to eligible 4-year-olds and their families. Guidelines are delineated in six major areas: (1) operation and services, including eligibility, enrollment, instructional…

Demand for child care services has grown steadily over the last few decades due to demographic trends, public policies, newly discovered links between brain development and early environments, and the number of parents entering the labor market for reasons such as welfare reform. As a result, most U. S. children under five spend time on a regular…

As part of efforts to improve school readiness by enhancing the quality of early childhood education, the state of Maryland developed standards for the use of staff in center-based child care and Head Start programs to mirror the standards in place for public school prekindergarten programs as well as a state accreditation process for center-based…

Currently there is a lack of affordable, accessible, quality child care in America. A substandard child care system not only negatively affects families, but also impacts broader societal and political issues, such as the economy, gender equity, tax and budget policies, and welfare reform. In this report, the authors propose two recommendations to…