This study surveyed 100 parents and teachers to assess frequency and patterns of accidents among preschool children. Inappropriate uses of toys and other materials; falling due to ice, water, or objects underfoot; slipping in the bathtub; and inappropriate response to strangers were identified as common causes of accidents. Implications for the…

Relations between children's peer play competence and other relevant competencies were investigated using two samples of urban Head Start children. Dimensions of peer play were examined concurrently with emotion regulation, autonomy, and language. Children exhibiting high levels of peer play interaction were found to demonstrate more competent…

Successful preschool transition is important for future educational success. We used brief functional screenings to identify low-income children at risk for difficulty transitioning into preschool. Functional screenings were conducted for 163 children prior to enrollment, in a naturalistic peer setting, and focused on multiple domains important…

The early identification and remediation of emotional or behavior disorders are high priorities for early-childhood researchers and are based on the assumption that problems such as school failure can be averted with early screening, prevention, and intervention. Presently, prevalence, severity, and topography of mental health needs among…

Head Start, the nation's largest early childhood intervention, has enjoyed public and political support. The program has also been haunted by persistent questions about its role in communities, its sustainable impacts, and its quality. This book discusses the past, present, and future of Head Start in the hope of creating better partnerships…

This report summarizes a study conducted by the New York Family Services Project (NYFSP) of Bank Street College. The study's principal objectives were the following: (1) to document the developmental status of preschool-aged homeless children in comparison to a group of poor housed children, and the special contribution of exposure to early…

In 1985, Edward Koch, Mayor of New York City, established an Early Childhood Education Commission and gave it the task of recommending how best to begin to provide public education for all of the city's 4-year-olds, beginning in September, 1986. After introductory remarks indicating the confluence and interplay of social elements underpinning the…

Preschool children's responses to "wh-questions" (those including the concepts who, what, where, when, how, and why) were studied in order to determine the influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on frequency of correct and incorrect answers. Investigation focused on three questions: (1) When a response to a wh-question is incorrect,…

THE CHILD'S CAPACITY FOR SELF-ACTUATED INTELLECTUAL GROWTH AND THE POSSIBILITY OF SPEEDING UP INTELLECTUAL GROWTH THROUGH IMPROVED OPPORTUNITIES AND INCREASED STIMULATION WERE STUDIED. SIX EXPLORATORY STUDIES CARRIED OUT DURING THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THIS PROJECT WERE REPORTED. THE THREE MAIN AREAS OF LEARNING WHICH WERE INVESTIGATED WITH THE IDEA…

In this study of the personality development of four-year-old children, we first attempted to evaluate the personalities of the children attending our research preschool in order to, on the basis of our clinical evaluations, discover a number of factors which would permit us to group the children. We then studied their families to see if we cound…

These recommendations on the uses of open-circuit television programing for preschool children are based on a four-month survey of opinions of cognitive psychologists, educators, filmmakers, television producers, and specialists in children's entertainment. The report was written in 1967 prior to the development of the Children's Television…

To improve the children's television program "Sesame Street" while it is being produced, a program of evaluative research is being conducted by the Children's Television Workshop to provide constant feedback to the producers. Progress examination involves staged achievement testing of 100 viewing and 100 nonviewing, randomly assigned,…

The purposes of this study were to determine (1) if there are sex differences in language development among children growing up in the deprived conditions of a large city and (2) if there is a significant vocabulary change in these children throughout the Head Start school year. The subjects, 52 girls and 66 boys (3 and 4 years of age) from four…

A January 1970 conference on the changing role of the art supervisor in relation to new program content, media, and facilities consisted of presentations by six experts in specific fields, task-oriented laboratory sessions, related activities to stimulate thought and discussion, and on-going evaluation sessions. (Seven priorities were implicit…

To produce and evaluate a language development program for culturally deprived preschool children based on characteristics of Piaget's theory of intelligence, a 6-week experimental study was carried out in Project Headstart, Starkville, Mississippi. Randomly-selected, 45 Negro Headstart enrollees made up three groups--two were taught the…