Smart Start is a broad-based community initiative to ensure that all of North Carolina's children arrive at school healthy and ready to learn. This study examined the effect of Smart Start on the quality of child care from 1994-1996. Data were collected from child care centers in 12 counties implementing the initiative. Data collectors visited 180…

The Illinois Model Early Childhood Parental Training Program was implemented to help parents develop skills needed to foster their children's health and enhance their children's readiness for school. This report presents a summary and analysis of the annual evaluation data obtained from school districts participating in the program for the 1990-91…

The Illinois Model Early Childhood Parental Training Program was implemented to help parents develop skills needed to foster their children's health and enhance their children's readiness for school. This report presents a summary and analysis of the annual evaluation data obtained from school districts participating in the program for the 1991-92…

The Title I Early Childhood Component of Boston's Elementary Enrichment Program (1977-78) was intended to provide children (including the hearing impaired) with enriched educational experiences that would contribute to socialization skills and general readiness for school and later life experiences. The Component was also intended to provide…

To determine the effectiveness of Sesame Street in imparting basic facts and skills to children aged 3-5, data from the first year study was reanalyzed and a second-year research study was undertaken. The second-year study included a new study of 283 disadvantaged children and a followup study of 283 disadvantaged children from the first year…

This evaluation of the Kentucky Preschool Program (KPP) focused on two broad areas: (1) readiness for kindergarten; and (2) promotion of language and literacy in the classroom and at home. Key findings include the following: (1) most children who were ineligible because of family income status successfully transitioned to kindergarten; (2) several…

An in-depth assessment of all aspects of the San Francisco School District's Child Development Program (CDP) was conducted. Assessment measures included: (1) on-site observations of preschool, kindergarten, and school-age child care classroom environments and of teacher behaviors and sensitivity; (2) reviews of physical environments and provisions…

During the first half of the 1990-91 school year, 446 children were served by the Chapter 1 Prekindergarten Program of the Saginaw, Michigan school district. A process evaluation was conducted to monitor the program and assess whether it was being implemented as planned. This year, the process evaluation consisted of half-day classroom…

A 5-year longitudinal study, still in progress, was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of prekindergarten programs in Texas. The components of the study include a statewide survey of school districts, a case study of 10 schools' prekindergarten programs, and a longitudinal study of 2,000 students enrolled in prekindergarten during the 1989-90…

The 1984 "Introduction to High School" program provided seven weeks of academic training for about 600 underachievers in reading and/or mathematics at six Chicago high schools. Evaluation findings indicate that (1) the process of student selection and program implementation during the 1984 program was markedly better that that of the 1983 initial…

This report describes and evaluates a bilingual early education intervention program, designed to provide children with successful experiences, using the concept of responsive environment in language development (English and Spanish) and in cognitive and affective development. Instructional, community-parental involvement, staff development, and…

In 1999, South Carolina's First Steps to School Readiness was launched as a comprehensive early childhood initiative to improve childrens school readiness by improving the efficiency and coordination of existing services to children from birth to age 5 and their families, and by providing new services where gaps are identified. A legislatively…

The federal Even Start program was implemented to improve the educational opportunities of low-income children and adults by integrating early childhood education, adult education, and parent education into a unified family literacy initiative. Because children's first formal educational experiences may significantly influence the course of their…

This 10-year study compared the achievement of 3 samples of students designated at-risk for school failure and 1 sample deemed not at risk, and followed a transitional first-grade school readiness program (SRP) population from prekindergarten through eighth grade to identify contextual factors associated with student progress. At-risk samples were…

This document reports the proceedings of a conference on early childhood and family research sponsored by the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF). Presentations at the conference consisted of reports of research, literature reviews, descriptions of projects funded by ACYF, and commentaries on research and practice in Head Start.…