A modified approach to the development of verbal expression in young children is proposed as an alternative to either the prescriptive-instructional method or the developmental viewpoint which relies on self-initiated learning. The Bereiter-Engelmann method, the method based on operant conditioning, and the Montessori method are representative of…

Twenty children (10 from a Day Care Center and 10 from a Head Start Center) were administered a 28-item, parallel form language comprehension task. The method utilized concrete materials (i.e., puppets and other familiar objects, spoon, flower, ball) which subjects manipulated when presented with sentences of 7 different grammatical constructions.…

Existing legislation applicable to day care programs is examined to discern what the Federal role has been. An overview of existing Federal legislation is given, and legislation is then analyzed as to its effect on the five components of the day care delivery system. These components are: (1) a product--the kind of day care program, (2) providers…

School readiness problems of disadvantaged children include: the failure of preschool and parent training programs; restricted learning environments and motivational problems; mothers with low intelligence and verbal skills; and a need for comprehensive family rehabilitation. The school psychologist's role in early screening and in fostering…

This article comments on a study that found children (ages 0-3) who were disadvantaged, from minority groups, or without health insurance were 2 to 30 times more likely to have unmet health care needs. The "medical home" philosophy is discussed, in which medical care is accessible, comprehensive, and family centered. (Contains 8 references.) (CR)

Parenting practices, including the use of physical discipline, are shaped by multiple influences. Although much research focuses on how parent, child, and dyadic characteristics shape parenting practices, extra-familial resources may also play a role. This paper focuses on how children's experiences of child care during the preschool years may…

This research study evaluated the efficacy of the "Bracken Basic Concept Scale-Revised" (BBCS-R; Bracken, 1998) and the "Bracken Concept Development Program" (BCDP; Bracken, 1986a) in a test-teach-test paradigm with students from a Head Start program. Prior to the intervention, 54 children were administered the BBCS-R and were…

Tens of thousands of California's 4-year-olds are not enrolled in preschool, ranking California 37th in the nation in preschool enrollment. Pioneering communities throughout the state are working to meet the demand for preschool in their neighborhoods. The achievements of these innovative local efforts indicate the future success of a statewide…

This study used longitudinal data from the Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) to examine three issues regarding effects of economic deprivation on child development: (1) the effects on children's developmental outcomes of poverty and such poverty correlates as single parenthood, ethnicity, and maternal education; (2) the developmental…

Using the tools of systematic grammar, this case study examined 3- and 4-year-old children's experiences with storytelling and the potential effects of those experiences on the children's future success in learning to read. Subjects were students attending one of two nursery school classes held at a large primary school on the south coast of…

This longitudinal study evaluated the effects of a preschool project designed to serve children between 3 and 5 years of age in a disadvantaged inner-city area in Dublin, Ireland. The preschool, established in 1969, emphasized the development of children's cognitive skills and established structures to increase parents' involvement in their…

The purpose of the Chapter 1 Early Childhood Education Program in Portland Public Schools is to provide disadvantaged children the experiences needed to ameliorate the disadvantages resulting from their circumstances. This evaluation report of the 1989-90 school year concludes the program's 18th year of operation. The preschool program consisted…

This yearly evaluation report of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program in Dayton, Ohio, presents research results for five areas of program assessment. These areas are (1) measurement of four- and five-year-olds' educational experiences and development in areas such as cognitive skills and personal-social responsiveness, using the Caldwell…

A study of economically disadvantaged children in free play nursery contexts provided further evidence for the cross-cultural applicability of Schaefer's three-dimensional scheme in assessing classroom competencies. Several implications of the configurational approach are a new way of thinking about competence measurement, its differentiated…

Playground 81 was a recreational program available to children in the Mission Hill Extension Housing Development in Roxbury, Massachusetts. It was operated by 10 mothers, both black and white, indigenous to the project. It was supported by funds allotted by the Office of Economic Opportunity to the Research and Development Center at Harvard…