Early childhood programs have been shown to enhance school readiness, increase the efficacy of investments in primary schools and human capital formation, foster beneficial social behavior and, thereby, lessen social welfare costs, and promote community development. The World Bank has directed investment toward young children, including supporting…

A discussion of language in preschool education reviews research findings on children's language acquisition and its relationship to their general development and examines issues to be considered in making decisions for each community and program. The first section summarizes basic knowledge about preschool language development, facilitating…

As the Suzuki method of music instruction has spread from Japan to other countries, its methods have been modified to adapt to the culture of those countries. In this paper the Japanese cultural background, and the principles and methods developed in Japan are discussed and compared with the adaptations made in the United States. The Suzuki method…

Modeled on a similar study conducted in Scotland, this study reports on preschool children in two cities of England's Midlands Region (Birmingham and Coventry). Subjects had special needs including physical, mental, behavioral, speech, and second language problems; in addition, some were gifted. A survey identified children with special needs in…

Experts tell us that 4-year-olds have much to gain from a stimulating and nurturing preschool experience, and mounting evidence suggests that these benefits accrue to society on a much larger scale as well. Although numerous proposals acknowledge the benefits of and need for improved early childhood education, few contain specific recommendations…

Interactions of children, parents, and staff of four multicultural, parent-run day-care centers were analyzed for methods of task analysis, communication symbols, and structures of pedagogical assistance. Results showed the presence of parents created rich cognitive interactions, suggesting the cognitive effects of a socially disadvantaged milieu…

These conference proceedings comprise 19 papers and the plenary session presented at the Early Years Schooling Conference held in Melbourne, Australia. The plenary session was "A Developmental Approach to Teaching Young Children" conducted by Lilian Katz. The keynote addresses and breakout sessions were: (1) "Developmental Learning:…

The sequel to a personal account of the bilingual development of two children in one family looks at subsequent development and issues in bilingualism for those two and an additional child, occurring over a five-year period. An introductory chapter defines bilingualism and considers briefly its advantages and disadvantages. The second chapter…

This report examines effects of the Self-Sufficiency Project (SSP) for three age groups of children (younger cohort aged 3-5, middle cohort aged 6-11, and older cohort aged 12-18) at the 36-month interview. A companion report on effects of the SSP on adults is available separately. Chapter 1 describes the SSP incentive, project design, and SSP…

Noting that the preschool period is important for the formation of individual habits and modes of behavior related to health, the Czech Republic initiated the Healthy Kindergarten (HK) Project, thereby expanding the Healthy School Project for primary schools introduced into the country by the World Health Organization. This report describes the HK…

The U.S. Office of Education has undertaken the preparation of a series of basic studies on education in a number of Central and South American countries under the sponsorship of the Interdepartmental Committee on Cultural and Scientific Cooperation. This series of studies is part of a program to promote understanding of educational conditions in…

Interviewed 22 Melbourne families from non-English-speaking backgrounds who had a child with a disability about child care needs and awareness. Found a significant lack of information about child care options and out-of-school-hours care. Recommended that child care options, including family day care, be promoted more within ethnic communities.…

This volume offers a full country study of the structure and content of the educational system of Slovenia, together with a formal set of placement recommendations for admissions officers placing Slovenian students in U.S. higher education institutions. The chapters are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Overview" (of the Slovenian…

These articles on scaffolding in language and speech pathology/therapy are included in this issue: "Strategies d'etayage avec des enfants disphasiques: sont-elles specifiques?" ("Scaffolding Strategies for Dysphasic Children: Are They Specific?") (Genevieve de Weck); "Comparaison des strategies discursives d'etayage dans un conte et un recit…

To enlighten the reader on the status of environmental education internationally, this paper discusses current environmental concerns, trends, and problems; reviews environmental-related communications between countries since 1965; and describes environmental education programs in selected countries. Environmental education is interpreted to…