The School Readiness Language Development Program is one of several programs developed by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in response to the original court order to integrate LAUSD schools. The program includes oral language opportunities for 4-year-olds, a parent education component, a staff development component, and an…

Examined predictors of welfare families' participation in early-childhood programs, and development of welfare-family children who were enrolled in early-childhood programs. Found that maternal employment, maternal education, and number of children in the family were predictors of program participation, and that participation was associated with…

In November 1994, a study was conducted at Miami-Dade Community College (M-DCC), in Florida, to determine outcomes after 1 year for first-time-in-college students who began in fall 1992. Specifically, the study sought to determine the percent of first-time students continuing enrollment at MDCC beyond their first year, the effect of student…

In l975, a longitudinal evaluation was begun of the New York State Experimental Prekindergarten Program to determine its effects on children's cognitive and non-cognitive development. The population consisted of 5,000 disadvantaged 4-year-olds enrolled in the program. The study provides evidence that the program had a general effect, not…

Noting that there are special considerations to take into account when creating appropriate and effective programs for young children, this issue of Progress of Education Reform focuses on early childhood care and education. The report is intended for use by policymakers who are considering implementing and/or reforming early care and education…

Minnesota's Family Service Collaboratives and Children's Initiative Partners encourage cooperation between communities and schools to improve the health of babies and children, increase school readiness, provide stable family environments, and promote basic academic skills. To fulfill the evaluation needs of these programs, this resource manual…

This study compared the academic progress of children who had been recommended for and attended a Readiness program with those children whose parents had declined the Readiness program placement for their children. Participating were 215 students chosen over an 11 year period who had been recommended for a Readiness program and a comparison group…

The Education Improvement Act of 1984 established the half-day child development program in South Carolina for 4- year-olds to help children who were most at risk for school failure get ready to learn before they entered the first grade. Students in the program met from 2 to 2.5 hours per day and used the High/Scope Preschool Curriculum. Each…

Since its inception in 1985, the effectiveness and quality of the Michigan School Readiness Program (MSRP), the state's early childhood education program for 4-year-olds at risk of school failure, have never been evaluated. This report details the first evaluation findings for 1995-97. The program is comprised of a child development program for…

Does an increase in a welfare mother's education improve her young child's academic performance or behavior? Positive correlations between mothers' educational attainment and children's well being, particularly children's cognitive development and academic outcomes, are among the most replicated results from developmental studies. Yet,…

Notes that Zaslow study marks an important advance in understanding of child-care-utilization patterns and how center-based programs in low-income communities may influence children's development and school readiness. Asserts that researchers should not become complacent after finding that simply being in a child-care program makes a difference in…

This working paper considers ways to tackle the critical issue of early drop-out and under-achievement of children at school. It draws on evidence of the benefits of early childhood programmes to children's learning and success in school. It particularly examines how well-designed early childhood programmes can effectively address poverty and…

Helping families access affordable, quality child care has been the primary focus for the Orange County, North Carolina Smart Start Partnership for Young Children. This study investigated the effects of Smart Start efforts on children's skills at kindergarten entry. Kindergarten teachers rated the cognitive, language and social skills of 39…

As part of the second phase of a collaboration project between the Florida Head Start Association and agencies and programs in the state serving young children and their families with the purpose of enhancing school readiness programs, this document compiles the resource papers that were created based on regional meetings of partners in the…

The federal Even Start program was implemented to improve the educational opportunities of low-income children and adults by integrating early childhood education, adult education, and parent education into a unified family literacy initiative. This study was designed to assess the impact of Even Start on children's early school performance…