A program was developed and implemented to train early childhood educators in two New York City school districts in how to identify and refer students who have been prenatally exposed to drugs or alcohol. Two substance abuse prevention and intervention specialists implemented the program, training 88 teachers in 4 schools. At the end of the…

Investigated two approaches to all-day kindergarten to determine their differential effects on the students. One approach provided teacher training and support; the other did not. Found that children in the program with teacher training and support were rated by teachers as more developmentally competent, exhibiting more prosocial classroom…

Used focus group discussions to determine child care providers' opinions about the content of training necessary for providing quality care and providers' beliefs about the level of training and education required for child care workers. Examined findings in terms of providers' perceptions of professional worth and the design of educational and…

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…

This pamphlet presents articles and papers which explore the role of a good kindergarten in the mental, physical and social development of the child. The importance of the preschool years, when the foundation of learning is laid, is emphasized throughout the publication. Individual articles by educators discuss a variety of topics, including early…

Examines how the forms used by teachers to document planning and assess children's progress affect three child care center teachers' practice and expectations for young children. Narratives are constructed using qualitative methods to show how requirements for documentation may lead teachers to override goals of developmentally appropriate…

This final and inclusive report discusses the findings of a national survey of training programs which were intended to prepare Head Start classroom staff to meet the competency requirements of the Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential. Self-administered survey questionnaires for project managers, field supervisors, and trainees were…

Summary statistics and questionnaires are presented in this appendix to the Final Report of the National Survey of Head Start Supplementary Training/Child Development Associate (HSST/CDA) Competency Based Training Programs. (HSST/CDA training programs are intended to prepare Head Start classroom staff to meet the competency requirements of the CDA…

This document presents congressional testimony regarding effective early childhood education. Opening statements presented by Representatives Michael Castle and Dale Kildee focused on the need to examine the effectiveness of early childhood programs and address the "pre-achievement gap" between disadvantaged and advantaged preschoolers.…

Online courses, credentials, and degree programs in early childhood education have become a significant way to deliver teacher education and professional development. Online students have many choices and can access training and courses with few, if any, limitations of times and distance. Much has been written about how to design and deliver…

This article explores innovations in assessment of student teaching practice employed in the University of Cincinnati, USA, online associate's degree in early childhood education, the Early Childhood Learning Community. The program's components are identified with a specific focus on assessment of teaching practicum. The use of a range of…

This study was an attempt to discover practical ways in which a preschool director can institute positive change in socioeconomically mixed child development centers. Twelve socioeconomically mixed and six unmixed preschool centers in rural, urban, and inner-city areas participated in the research. Data was collected on 48 teachers, 127 parents,…

This report summarizes evaluation results from AISD's prekindergarten program during school year 2000-2001.

The necessity for parents and teachers to work together collaboratively to optimize children's learning and development in early childhood education is well recognized. Yet, ways in which initial teacher education programs might prepare teachers for professional relationships with parents are rare in the literature. This paper reports on the use…

The Training of Trainers (ToT) Evaluation investigated the efficacy of the High/Scope model for improving the quality of early childhood programs on a national scale. To address this question, the High/Scope Foundation undertook a multimethod evaluation that collected anecdotal records from the consultants and 793 participants in 40 ToT projects,…