Describes and evaluates a Head Start project, Bringing Out Head Start Talents, designed to train staff, parents, and volunteers to identify and develop appropriate programming for funtionally or potentially gifted children, and to develop procedures to ensure smooth transitions and appropriate programming in public schools. (BB)

Demonstrates feasibility and benefits of involving parents in learning by explaining the Coventry Community Education Project (CEP). Gives practical examples of strategies used and discusses research data to support belief that high standards can result from such intervention programs. Implications for curriculum planners and educational policy…

The Minnesota Child Development Inventory was used to obtain parent observations on 59 children before the start of the kindergarten year. Results indicated that the parent report on a number of variables from the MCDI correlated highly with postkindergarten success in reading. (Author)

In anticipation of the 35th anniversary of Project Head Start, the National Head Start Association (NHSA) launched a national initiative to discover how Head Start can best serve children and families in the new millennium. A series of hearings and open forums were conducted throughout the country in 1999, along with a special session featuring…

A major restructuring of public education for young children underway in California is committed to the idea that the first eight years of a child's life are the most important in determining the future success of all citizens. (Author/JN)

Describes Missouri's programs for early childhood education. Programs range from day care in the inner-city schools of Kansas City to classrooms on wheels that carry teachers and materials to children and their families in rural areas. Heavy stress is placed on helping parents. (Author/JF)

Based on a paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association (41st, Chicago, Illinois, May, 1969).

A Parent Assistance Plan (PAP) was designed to teach parents to work on their children's language at home. Of four matched groups of nursery children, one received PAP, one PAP plus Distar language at school, one Distar only, and one no treatment. PAP groups showed significantly greater language development. (Author/SJL)

Describes current action which emphasizes the need to match the resources of people in neighborhoods with those provided by social agencies. (Author/MP)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on 3- and 4-year-old children of exposure to a four-month program administered by mothers at home and organized through the local primary school or nursery. The expectation was that significant cognitive and linguistic gains would accrue from program participation. (Author/RK)

Two groups of preschool children received a ten-week language facilitation program, with one group experiencing parent participation in classes and with language development material at home. Children whose parents were involved made significantly higher gains on the English Picture Vocabulary Test and the Sentence Comprehension Test. (Author/AV)

Describes a program of New York's Keller School (a school for toddlers and preschoolers with communication, cognitive, and emotional disorders), which promotes meaningful family involvement through parent education. Activities to promote parent participation are described, including an annual poster session to present the parents' own data on…

Explains the importance of developing parent ownership in a cooperative early childhood program. Touches on several aspects, including: (1) decision making; (2) classroom involvement; (3) friendly interactions; (4) goal setting; and (5) staff attitude. Addresses the consequences of giving up some staff control, and benefits, including empowerment,…