This is a report on a one-year demonstration of the Appalachia Educational Laboratory's Home-Oriented Preschool Education Program conducted in Kanawha County, West Virginia, by the Kanawha County Board of Education. It involves 150 children, ages 3, 4, and 5 from a rural isolated section who watched 170 daily television lessons broadcast over a…

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, passed in 1965 to improve the educational opportunities of educationally deprived children, is the largest Federal aid to education program. One of the things they hoped for was the involvement of parents and other citizens in Title I projects. This manual was written as a guide for local and…

Father involvement enhances children's well-being. A growing body of research supports this conclusion, showing that children with involved fathers exhibit greater school readiness, increased cognitive development, higher levels of empathy, and other positive characteristics (Administration for Children and Families 2004a). Research also indicates…

Nearly 30 years ago, leading child psychologist Michael E. Lamb reminded us that fathers are the "forgotten contributors to child development." Since then, much work has been done to explore the ways fathers uniquely contribute to the healthy development of their children. Scholars now know that boys and girls who grow up with an…

This study consisted of a national survey of 117 state administrators of early childhood programs to examine specific challenges, strategies, and beliefs around serving Latino children and families. Four types of early childhood programs were represented: child care, Head Start, Part B-Section 619 preschool special education programs, and Part C…

This paper discusses the impact of Follow Through, a comprehensive program for low-income children in grades 1-3 and their parents previously enrolled in Head Start programs. The program was designed to help families make the transition from preschool to early elementary school. The paper notes that the longevity of Follow Through (over 25 years)…

Chapter 1 is the largest federal education program in existence. It provides extra services to help low-achieving students and is targeted primarily at areas where low-income families reside. Parent involvement in designing and implementing the program is an essential part of Chapter 1. However, the parent involvement component is often not as…

Evaluation of a Title I Prekindergarten Program serving thirteen elementary schools is presented. Through a screening test, children most needing prekindergarten experience were chosen for participation. The program followed the Piagetian theory of child development concentrating on the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. Both process…

This paper reports factors influencing developmental growth of disadvantaged 3- to 5-year-old preschool children in a Title I program at Euclid School, St. Louis, Missouri. A Preschool Academy was designed to serve 45 preschool pupils in an area served by two neighboring elementary schools. Pupils were divided into three groups and each group…

Educational research cited in this paper suggests that the involvement of low socioeconomic status (SES) parents in the educational process has a positive influence on their children's academic achievement. At the preschool level, programs in which parents were instructed in ways to promote their children's intellectual development were found to…

This report describes Home Start, a sequential, highly individualized enrichment program for disadvantaged 2- to 5-year-olds. The program, based on the theoretical need hierarchy of Maslow, focuses on community and family dynamics. Home Start encouraged interdisciplinary collaboration, using the services of psychologists, social workers, home…

Provides insights into the problems involved in legislating social services for families and children. (ED)

Parent involvement in Head Start has been key since its inception in 1965. In contrast to other early childhood intervention programs in the early 1960s, the program broke ground by viewing parental participation as essential to both children's and families' growth and development. Research has demonstrated that greater parent involvement links to…

This report describes achievements and activities of the Parent Early Evaluation of Kids (PEEK) Outreach Project at the University of Oregon. This project focused on assisting state agencies, regional and tribal entities, and local health and education programs to develop comprehensive, low-cost systems for child-find and referral. Rural and inner…

The Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship is given annually by The Heritage Foundation to recognize extraordinary efforts by American citizens who are helping their communities solve problems the government has been unable to solve. The 1999 Salvatori Prize has been awarded to seven principals who prove that there is no excuse for the failure…