Describes the development and field testing of a handbook for nursery school staff on the management of children's behavior problems. The handbook includes four schedules (for behavioral assessment, general assessment, parent interviews, and agency resources) and discusses play activity, behavior modification, and problem-solving approaches to…

Studied attitudes of Scottish university students preparing to be preschool teachers regarding their preschool placement experiences and how those experiences relate to competency guidelines used to assess their learning. Found that students believe that preschool experience will make them better primary teachers, and appreciate teamwork, the…

Describes two Head Start projects designed to make the transition from preschool to kindergarten less stressful for Head Start children and their families. Programs are the Mille Lacs Reservation Head Start program in Minnesota and the East Coast Migrant Head Start project in Fort Pierce, Florida. Project evaluations are summarized. (BB)

Identifies a continuum of instructional strategies to promote the entry of children with moderate-to-severe disabilities into regular preschool classrooms. The continuum is based on the concept of power judgements, which result in the use of strategies that are likely to produce the desired effect with the lowest expenditure of effort, resources,…

Discusses methods for promoting cooperative learning among preschoolers and the history of these methods. Describes class projects and activities at Dai-ichi Preschool in Japan, which uses group and individual activities to build a classroom group that fosters children's growth and creativity and supports children's efforts. (BB)

Children's attachment to their mother, measured by the Strange Situation procedure, reunion behavior at four years of age, and the Attachment Q-Set, was stable from infancy through preschool. The quality of teacher-child relationships, measured by the Attachment Q-Set, was stable if the teacher remained the same. (BC)

Describes two early intervention projects used on the Navajo reservation. A Head Start teacher training project uses innovative methods built on the Navajo oral tradition. A parents-as-first-teachers project involves Navajo parents reading culturally relevant material to their children, and children reconstructing the story content. (BC)

Discusses the Management and Planning System (MAPS), a developmental assessment system initiated in Head Start. The system consists of instruments which assess preschoolers' and kindergartners' development of math, science, literacy, and social skills and children's motor development. Describes the use and benefits of MAPS observational…

Describes Turkey's preschool system and discusses the outcomes of (1) an investigation of the effects of social class and preschool center type on child and staff behaviors; and (2) a project to develop an intervention model for disadvantaged environments, while comparing the impact of educational preschools, custodial preschools, and home care on…

The idea that children are not objects nor subjects but participants constitutes children as social actors with a part to play in their own educational processes and research connected to these processes. As a consequence, there is growing awareness that knowledge about children should be constituted on the basis of listening and hearing them.…

A practicum was designed to increase the lines of positive and effective communication between parents and teachers in a preschool setting. Poor parent-teacher communication (due to lack of knowledge or experience) was documented. The program sought to improve communication regarding the child's developmental and personal progress. The 8-month…

This Australian study examined the attitudes of preservice early childhood teachers toward their male colleagues working in child care centers or preschool kindergartens. The study also investigated differences in perspectives between new students and graduating students, and whether students enrolled in child care courses held views different…

This study investigated the characteristics and beliefs of Head Start teachers and teacher aides and the classroom structural dimensions that are associated with Head Start classroom quality. The quality of classroom teaching practices was assessed using the Assessment Profile for Early Childhood Programs: Research Version. Teachers completed the…

This study investigated whether classroom quality is related to child progress in meeting developmental milestones. The study used the "Assessment Profile for Early Childhood Programs: Research Version," a developmental checklist administered by teachers in a Head Start program. Findings indicated that pre-assessment and child age…

An evaluation of a prekindergarten program was conducted to assess its merit and to assist in the formative revision of program activities. The program operated in a public elementary school in a rural area close to a metropolitan area. Classroom observations, telephone interviews with 25 parents, surveys of 2 elementary school teachers, and…