The role of the toy demonstrator in a home-based, mother-involved intervention effort (Verbal Interaction Project) is presented in this handbook for staff members. It is believed that the prerequisites for functioning in the toy demonstrator's role are a sense of responsibility, patience with the children and their mothers, and willingness to be…

Information to assist local institutions in operating Mother-Child Programs i s provided in this manual as part of the Verbal Interaction Project. Following an introduction, the manual discusses the following topics: (1) Ingredients and Procedures of a Mother-Child Program, (2) Major Program Components, (3) Administrative and Other Practical…

In 6 follow-up studies, hypotheses and questions regarding the effects of the Durham Education Improvement Program (EIP) were investigated. Grades of graduates were examined by analysis of variance and Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-ranks tests. I. Q. distributions at exit were fitted to the test norms. Tentative measures of hypothesized…

This study is part of a longitudinal research into the intellectual development of Quebec children aged 4 through 7 to determine the differences at preschool level between underprivileged and affluent children and show what the nursery school has to offer to 4-year-old deprived children. (MS)

Examined the effects of attendance at a large-scale public school preschool program on children's school-related skills and the relationship of elements of program quality to the program's efficacy. Found that the program provided developmentally appropriate experiences for disadvantaged young children that contributed to increased skills in first…

Preschool is not a new idea, at least not for disadvantaged children. The Head Start program, which originated in 1965, sought to give poor preschool-aged children the skills they would need to succeed in school. Head Start currently reaches half of eligible 4-year-olds and a smaller number of younger children. What is new is the emergence of…

This study examined the stability and coherence of African-American children's social support networks. Participants included a total of 106 3- to 4-year-old children attending Head Start centers located in the southeast. Children completed a social network interview in two consecutive years at the Head Start centers. These interviews tapped…

The EZ-Yale Personality Motivation Questionnaire (EZPQ) was used to measure motivation as a facet of school readiness in a sample of 133 children during the spring of their final year of Head Start. Three motivational constructs assessed by the EZPQ, academic mastery motivation, negative reaction tendency, and outerdirectedness, were associated…

The Even Start Family Literacy Program, in its fourth year of operation, provides a literacy environment based on the Family Intergenerational-Interaction Literacy Model (FILM) in the southwest area of Oklahoma City. The FILM model is designed to provide a family literacy education program for parents, extended family, and their preschool children…

As part of an effort to correct major social problems, the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) was created in the State of Washington. The ECEAP offers comprehensive, quality preschool programs for children of families who have an income at or below the federal poverty level. An introductory section of the report provides…

The context and preliminary results of an ongoing research project involving parents in the University of Sheffield's (English) Early Literacy Development Project are described. The project developed programs involving at-home work with parents and in-school work for families with preschool children. Initial discussion identified four lines of…

This paper presents the design, underlying theory, and primary outcomes of the Multiple Model Preschool Program (MMPP), a three-year longitudinal early childhood intervention program which focused simultaneously on the three dimensions of parental involvement, home-school relations, and individualized education. In both homes and schools at three…

The Preschool Academic Skills Test was developed from an analysis of first-grade reading and mathematics materials to identify those behaviors that were assumed to be in students' repertoires prior to first grade. The 105 items are grouped in 10 subtests: Vocabulary, Color Naming, Classification, Functional Relationships, Visual Matching, Auditory…

This report is the result of a 2-year study of existing day care and summer feeding programs sponsored by the USDA undertaken to provide background information, define the current status, determine restraints and make recommendations for improvement in such programs. A history of the creation of the Special Food Service Program for Children…

Looking back over the five years of Sesame Street's existence, it is possible to discern changes in the program in the areas of production, the role of research, and its audience; it is also possible to see the vast impact that the educational television show has had on preschool children both in the United States and abroad. The show's…