The director and two teachers in an inclusive preschool, faced with forces within and outside the school that challenged school policies and practices affecting children with special needs and their families, responded by engaging in a year-long process of practitioner research. This voluntary, systematic, and intentional collaborative study of…

This report summarizes findings from the second year of an implementation study of the Early Childhood Cluster Initiative (ECCI). ECCI is a prekindergarten program in ten elementary schools and a community child care center in Palm Beach County, based on the design of the High/Scope Perry Preschool model. The initiative is characterized by low…

This publication reports findings from the second year of an implementation study of the Early Childhood Cluster Initiative (ECCI). ECCI is a prekindergarten program in ten elementary schools and a community child care center in Palm Beach County, based on the design of the High/Scope Perry Preschool model. The initiative is characterized by low…

There has been a marked change in the Singapore Educational System where general and special education schools will receive extra funding for special needs children. While this financial support is encouraging, it is uncertain if preschool teachers and their respective kindergartens are ready for integration. This study investigated how teachers…

This study is one of the few that have addressed the teacher's involvement in children's peer interactions. Some of the ways in which teacher beliefs and intentions interact reflexively with contextual factors to produce particular social realities in preschool settings are examined. Four experienced early childhood teachers of acknowledged…

This practicum was designed to reinforce the importance of meeting the needs of the whole child in the classroom--the social, emotional, and psychological needs, not just the intellectual needs. The practicum was implemented in the Montessori Learning Center, a small private preschool and elementary school located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, by…

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that male influences both at home and at school would promote a positive self-concept in preschool children. More specifically, it was thought that preschoolers with both a father at home and a male teacher at school would have a slightly more positive self-concept than preschoolers with either a…

This analysis of the relationship between mothers' attitudes toward TV and children's viewing habits, and the relationships between this behavior and the personal and/or social problems of the child, is based on data gathered in interviews with 250 preschool children, their mothers, and their teachers. Findings indicate a positive correlation…

The important role of spontaneous play in preschool education programs is emphasized. At present too much emphasis is placed on structured learning activities and it's suggested that more "open spaces" be allowed for in a child's day. In spontaneous play, adequate space and time must be allotted for investigation and unhurried experience. Good…

The problem of concurrent validity of the Barber Scales of Self-Regard for Preschool Children is addressed by calculating product moment correlations for Self-Regard ratings and total Self-Concept and Motivation Inventory-Kindergarten From (SCAMIN) self-concept scores. The SCAMIN was admininstered to four and five year old children shortly after…

The relation between time spent in day care by preschool children and their social behavior was investigated at three child-care centers through observations of the children's free play. A positive relation was found in a large community center and in a small university center, but not in a small private center. (Author/BN)

Noting that concerns about the qualifications, turnover, diversity, and compensation of the early childhood workforce are growing as more children attend private and public preschool programs, the Foundation for Child Development convened a meeting to explore early childhood workforce issues surrounding career development of the workforce serving…

In its 80 years in Iceland, preschool has evolved from caregiving to the first level of schooling in the nation with a national curriculum organized by the Ministry of Education. This study used a cultural psychological perspective to examine whether Icelandic core cultural beliefs such as freedom and independence are evident in the daily…

Norway and Sweden have similar histories within the field of early childhood education and similar traditions of state financial support for children. Recently, both countries adopted national preschool plans for children ages 1 to 5 years old. When comparing the two plans, the first noticeable difference is that the Norwegian approach gives…

Presents a questionnaire which can be used by teachers to assess individual differences in the social behavior of nursery school children. Evidence for the instrument's reliability and validity is included. (CM)