Examines the roles of childcare involvement and parent-child interaction quality on the development of school readiness and social skills among low-income, minority kindergarten children. Findings provide mixed evidence on the role of childcare exposure, with early entry into childcare predicting higher levels of social skills ratings and…

Study follows 106 kindergarten students through 11th grade examining the effects of family characteristics, school readiness, socialization, and student demographics on academic achievement and behavioral adjustment outcomes. Results demonstrate that retained students' initial school readiness, socioeconomic status, mother's level of education,…

Research Findings: Integrated services for young children and families are part of the new policy landscape in early childhood, but there is limited evidence of the effectiveness of these programs and how they develop on the ground. This study examined the use of the Early Development Instrument (EDI) as both a summative program evaluation tool…

In 1990, the National Education Goals were established by the President and the 50 state governors. Great attention has been given to Goal 1, dubbed the "readiness" goal: By the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn. The Goal 1 Resource Technical Planning Groups were asked to suggest ways in which Goal 1…

The effects of being six months younger than grade level were studied using seventh through twelfth grade students in Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools. The racial, sexual, and academic characteristics of the accelerated students and the effects of age/grade differences on selected academic areas and social activities were examined using…

Argues that since 17 percent of a child's growth occurs between four and six, kindergarten programs should stress all aspects of child development; cognitive, social, affective and psychomotor, rather than being school readiness programs. (MS)

Makes two assumptions in examining the transition to kindergarten: (1) multiple risk factors are expected to predict early school social and academic success or failure; (2) classroom and playground experiences will exacerbate or mitigate the effects of those risk factors. Notes the importance of identifying child, family, child care, and…

Measures of quality are now in widespread use across states as part of quality improvement initiatives. For example, many states are currently using global measures of quality that were first developed for research and practice purposes (such as the Environmental Rating Scales) in their Quality Rating Systems (QRSs). Although global quality…

Stability of the Early Screening Profiles (ESP), developed by P. Harrison, was examined with a sample of 23 non-handicapped preschool children (14 females and 9 males) ranging in age from 3 years 0 months to 6 years 0 months at the time of initial testing. The sample was drawn from a rural/suburban community in the midwest with a predominantly…

Describes early admission as the first step in adjusting formal educational programing to meet the educational, social, and emotional needs of intellectually advanced children. Emphasizes the benefits to the child and potential benefits to society of meeting the intellectually advanced child's needs, advocating that school systems establish early…

The current emphasis on children's academic preparedness continues to overshadow the importance of children's social and emotional development for school readiness. This Digest presents a brief overview of longitudinal research linking children's emotional development to school readiness and early childhood success, and then discusses…

Assessed the role of attention processes as mediators between family environment and school readiness, analyzing data from 1,002 children and their families participating in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. Found that sustained attention partially accounted for the link between family environment and achievement and language outcomes.…

Describes an empirical study that examined the impact of being carried on a parent's back on a child's visual integration pathways. Draws on a previous study (Pretorius et al.) postulating that this cultural behavior could have a negative impact as it prevents the child from crawling adequately or enough during the sensorimotor stage. (Author)

In this article, the author describes some of the key research findings that demonstrate the relationship between school readiness and preschool play. She begins with definitions of both school readiness and play, and then describes the teacher's role in ensuring that play is used effectively to promote school readiness. The author goes on to…

The study examined the multivariate relationship between dimensions of preschool emotional and behavioral adjustment assessed at the beginning of the year by the Adjustment Scales for Preschool Intervention (ASPI) and multiple learning and social competencies at the end of the year with an urban Head Start sample. This study also examined the…