Examined the out-of-school time of children between the ages of four and seven who were enrolled in Head Start and school transition programs. Found that watching television, playing, and spending time with friends were children's major activities during their out-of-school time. (MDM)

Parent attitudes and effects of parent participation were studied for workshops for professionals trying to become more family-focused in early intervention programs for children with disabilities. Thirty professionals and six mothers participated. Parent presence influenced the extent to which professionals perceived a need for change in program…

Surveys examined the perceptions of 22 early-interventionists about their degree of involving families in the Individualized Family Service Plan process, and assessed the satisfaction of 90 parents regarding the services they and their child received. Parents appeared equally satisfied with interventionists regardless of interventionist's degree…

Evaluation of parent-directed, intensive early intervention using trained paraprofessional therapists with six children with pervasive developmental disorder found five children rapidly acquired skills when treatment began, but only two clearly improved on standardized tests at the 2-3 year follow-up. However, parents reported high satisfaction…

Interviews with 102 families of preschool-age children with developmental delays identified 4 subgroups reflecting variations in parents' views of the impact of their child on the family's daily routine. These subgroups, in turn, were related to different domains of family adaptation or accommodation. Utility of the typology for early…

The Purdue Shyness Rating Scales were completed by 67 mothers and 21 day care teachers of 67 children, ages 4 and 5, to compare mothers' and teachers' ratings of children's shyness. Moderate correlations between ratings by mothers and teachers were found. Results suggested that teacher assessments of shyness may be closely tied to the child's…

Examined the reasoning and experiences of African American, Anglo, and Latina mothers in selecting child care while meeting welfare-to-work requirements. Critiqued three theoretical positions in light of a structured developmental psychology perspective. Found that mothers' preeminent criterion is that they trust the provider. Concluded that…

Provides information for teachers and caregivers of young children regarding the family contexts of Chinese American children of immigrant parents. Includes information on cultural beliefs, languages, child rearing, and beliefs and practices regarding education. Discusses implications for teachers and child caregivers. (KB)

A study of nine families and three service coordinators examined whether a family's level of satisfaction improves when the service coordination they receive adheres to a family-centered model. Results indicate a high degree of family satisfaction and a low degree of dissatisfaction when the model was adequately implemented. (Author/CR)

This study explored early childhood teachers' views relating to culture and play by collecting information from them on cultural differences and parental perceptions of play, culturally appropriate play (CAP) practices and barriers in its implementation. The participants of the study were 14 early childhood educators working in long day care (LDC)…

Small groups of parents experiencing problems in managing the behaviour of young children took part in parenting programmes in a Midlands city in 2001-2002 based on the Webster Stratton Parent-Child Videotape Series. Programmes were evaluated using standardised measures and qualitative data. Most participants who completed the programme (N = 29)…

Previous research on early intensive intervention in autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) has largely focused on outcomes of treatment for children. Although some account has been taken of parental viewpoints, the potential impact of intervention on families has not achieved the same kind of research prominence. This contrasts with the considerable…

This article reports on a study that investigated the importance of children possessing personal/social skills when starting kindergarten, from teachers' and parents' perspectives. The study involved a sample of 16 kindergarten teachers and 63 parents of kindergarten children from government schools in one of the six education districts within the…

Internalizing disorders are a public health issue affecting up to 20% of school-age children, yet few receive assistance. Internalizing difficulties can emerge in the preschool years, with stability from this time onward. To inform prevention programs, knowledge is needed about early internalizing indicators in community samples. This study…

This paper is a description and an evaluation of the Families First program in Sydney, Australia. The Families First program was set up to provide innovative family-centered early intervention services to families with young children with disabilities from birth to school age living within the South-Western Metropolitan Health Region. The program…