Describes a study in which preschool children, enrolled in a Head Start Program in Texas, tested computer-assisted instruction facilitating visual discrimination. The study, in which a TRS-80 Model III displayed alphabetical characters, showed that four-year-olds are able to learn simple visual discrimination tasks from a computer. (JJD)

By age 3, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from underprivileged families. Longitudinal data on 42 families examined what accounted for enormous differences in rates of vocabulary growth. Children turned out to be like their parents in stature, activity level, vocabulary resources, and language and…

Discusses a reading project, Beginning With Books, designed to promote literacy among low-income preschool children and provide them with books. Describes the project's development and the procedure for operating the Gift Book Program. Lists 51 books suitable for a toddler book collection. (RJC)

The case study of an African Caribbean boy in a British preschool class illustrates the ways in which African Caribbean students are caught between a devalued culture and a culture with which they do not identify. Approaches to promote cultural sensitivity toward African Caribbean children are discussed. (SLD)

The present concurrent study combined developmental and ecological considerations to examine the unique contribution of multiple preschool competencies to an indicator of early academic success. Participants included 195 Head Start children from 32 classrooms representative of a large, urban Head Start program. Dimensional (variable-centered)…

The Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) collects data on a nationally representative sample of Head Start programs, classrooms, teachers, parents, and children examining the quality and effects of Head Start. Three waves of data collection have occurred: in 1997, 2000, and 2003. Information presented in this publication is…

This article reports the results of a pilot intervention to improve the social skills and literacy preparation of behaviorally at-risk Head Start children. Teachers in eight Head Start classrooms in two Oregon communities participated during the 2002-03 school year. Children in eight classrooms were screened and identified for participation using…

The Family Map is a semistructured interview developed to assess important aspects of the family and home environment associated with well-being in 3- to 5-year old children. The measure is designed so that it can be used during home visits with Head Start families. Accordingly, it was developed in collaboration with Head Start providers and…

Many programs have tried to offset the problems with which many children of low socioeconomic status (SES) enter public schools. Some of these programs have attempted to better prepare preschool children for school, while others have tried to help children already struggling in school. The United States has one of the highest child-poverty rates…

In November 1997, recognizing the critical importance of preschool as a foundation for success both in school and in life, California's State Superintendent of Public Instruction convened a task force of distinguished educators, parents, researchers, and civic and business leaders from throughout the state to consider how to make preschool…

The literature is reviewed on three curriculum models that were developed to help economically disadvantaged youngsters overcome the consequences of poverty and prepare for the academic challenges they would face in later years. The first section of the paper presents a historical overview of the developments in compensatory preschool education…

BASED IN PART ON A SKINNERIAN LEARNING ORIENTATION, 4 DIMENSIONS OF THE TEACHER'S BEHAVIOR ARE HYPOTHESIZED AS IMPORTANT IN MEDIATING CLASSROOM LEARNING--(1) INFORMATION GIVING (IG), (2) RESPONSE ELICITATION (RE), (3) FEEDBACK (F), AND (4) TEACHER CONTROL (TC). FROM 34 TO 42 5-MINUTE OBSERVATIONS WERE OBTAINED FOR EACH OF THE 4 TEACHERS IN A…

The Research and Development Center of the University of Georgia investigated the behavioral differences among advantaged and disadvantaged preschool children as part of an attempt to develop the most efficient way of assuring success at the first-grade level. A comparative study of a preschool stimulation program and the traditional kindergarten…

This report traces the development of an in-house library program for preschoolers and out-reach media mobile program for culturally disadvantaged preschoolers. Activities philosophy, problems, and success in planning library story hours, media collection development, and out-reach program development--converting a bus into a media mobile-- are…