Presents a summary of readers' responses to a survey on recurring ethical dilemmas in early childhood education: the dilemma concerns divorced parents and what early childhood educators can do that is most beneficial to the child when the noncustodial parent (mother) requests confidential information about the child and its father. (BB)

The roles of the child, family, sending and receiving teachers, and educational agencies are emphasized in this review of transition planning for handicapped children who are moving from special education preschool programs to mainstreamed kindergarten placements. Activities to encourage successful transitions and to support collaborative planning…

Analyzes examples of parent-teacher talk and printed materials sent to parents of students attending various secondary schools in and around a large city. The article focuses on extracts in which responsibility for student surveillance is negotiated. Findings indicate that parents, teachers, and students regulate themselves and each other through…

Discusses the need for early childhood programs to develop strong partnerships with families in order to support each parent's role as his or her child's primary educator and to provide a foundation for ongoing family involvement. Outlines the steps for establishing high-quality parent involvement programs and offers examples of how parents can…

Presents an ecologically based training model to guide parents and teachers in reflecting on family involvement in early childhood programs. The two-phase process involves developing a philosophy of family involvement through brainstorming, identifying family involvement themes, and creating a philosophical statement, and examining roles shared by…

Used grounded theory to study programs integrating special needs children in preschool classrooms. Found that the core variable emerging from comparative analysis was the role of assistant teacher; across all programs, the assistant assumed a primary caregiver relationship with the child, engaged in teaming with other teachers, and interacted with…

Describes the illness and death of a young boy enrolled in an early childhood program. Discusses how maintaining open communication, sharing genuine reactions, talking with parents and a clinical psychologist, sharing carefully chosen books, and supporting the child and his family throughout the experience were helpful in coping with this event.…

Makes recommendations for raising happy, achieving children, focusing on the role of parents and teachers. Discusses how parents and teachers build child self-esteem and how they can support one another. Presents positive discipline suggestions for teachers and parents. Outlines the importance of applying brain research findings in child rearing.…

Interviewed parents and teachers to determine their communication preferences. Determined that teachers and parents prefer face-to-face communication, find it difficult to schedule meetings, and rarely discuss personal or emotional issues. Proposed strategies to improve communication patterns between teachers and parents, especially those working…

This book offers time-saving tips from teachers on writing effective report card comments. The book presents the best strategies, tips, and lists of useful phrases that encourage children and lists words to avoid. It is a resource that will allow teachers to collect assessment information easily and to describe students' performances clearly and…

Play is pivotal in making inclusion work and in providing learning opportunities for all children in inclusive early childhood settings. The nature of inclusive early childhood settings forces a reexamination of the underlying assumptions about play, its role in child development, and its place within the curriculum. A continuum of interventions…

This guide is designed to help schools and teachers communicate better with parents. Communication is seen as the basic foundation for learning and the means for developing parent involvement programs and building a strong home-school partnership. The guide presents strategies that schools and teachers are using to communicate with parents and…

The sixth in a series of teacher education units continues a discussion of specific problems faced by teachers of disadvantaged students. Stressed in this document are the teacher's role in working with the parents of these students. Also discussed are compensatory programs and those which use a curriculum content relevant to and derived from the…

Understanding how to respond to cultural diversity is one key to successful interaction with young children and their families. This book for early childhood professionals introduces the strategy of Skilled Dialogue, a field-tested model for respectful, reciprocal, and responsive interaction that honors cultural beliefs and values, and that will…

Discusses seven steps that early childhood teachers and caregivers can take to help toddlers and their parents cope with the separation process. (BB)