Although a good beginning is well recognised as the foundation for future development, health and wellbeing, not only in the early years, but also throughout life, policy and practice in early education and care in Australia still lack focus and integration. Using metaphors of patchworks and crossroads, the author discusses this issue, outlining…

Compulsory schooling commences for children in New Zealand when they are 6 years old, but all primary schools accept children from the day of their fifth birthday. On any school day, a new pupil may enter the class for new entrants and become part of the school system. This article explores the creation of an appropriate environment for these new…

This paper discusses the importance of collaboration across social service and educational sectors as a way of achieving a coherent and integrated system that assures that young children receive the high quality of care and education they need and that also maximizes the use of federal, state, and local resources. Section 1 of the paper discusses…

The effects of age at entrance into school on subsequent elementary school performance were studied in a cohort of children who started grade 1 in the Dallas school system (Texas) in fall 1981. Most of the subjects were born on or after September 1, 1974 and before September 1, 1975; the spread of ages was 1 year. A total of 3,028 male and 3,019…

The cognitive development of a group of children who, at age six, were more than one standard deviation above the mean on a culture-fair measure is described. The relationship of influences at discrete time points which impinge on measures of mental attainment at elementary school entry is schematized. (DWH)

As part of the second phase of a collaboration project between the Florida Head Start Association and agencies and programs in the state serving young children and their families with the purpose of enhancing school readiness programs, this document compiles the resource papers that were created based on regional meetings of partners in the…

This report examines how state welfare-to-work programs have affected young children since the 1996 welfare reform act, which moved millions of women into low-wage jobs. Researchers followed a sample of 948 mothers and young children for 2-4 years after the women entered new welfare programs in California, Connecticut, and Florida. After…

This issue of a publication informing health policy and health care services in California in support of Proposition 10, the Children and Families Act, focuses on building community support for preparing children to enter school ready to learn through the use of Proposition 10 Commissions. These Commissions would help ensure that school readiness…

Scientists who study how the brain works have shown that children learn earlier--and learn more--than we once thought possible. From birth through age 5, children are developing the language, thinking, physical, emotional and social skills that they will need for the rest of their lives. This booklet is for families and caregivers who want to help…

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. This study was designed to assess the impact of Even Start on children's early school performance…

Describes a high school day care program which allows teenage mothers to stay in school and provides their child with school readiness opportunities. (BB)

The workshops presented in this training manual identify methods and strategies that can be used by parents and professionals to improve the process of transition to public school for children with special needs and their families. Workshop participants develop the following competencies: (1) identify critical transitions for families with young…

The goal of ensuring that all children are "ready for school" has become a national priority. As a result, programs that support children's school readiness are becoming more and more important to policy-makers, funders, and parents. It is becoming very clear that efforts to improve school success cannot begin at kindergarten, nor focus…

The National Center for Rural Early Childhood Learning Initiatives at Mississippi State University, known as Rural Early Childhood, commissioned the nonpartisan research organization Child Trends to conduct such an analysis of the ECLS-K and ECLS-B baseline data, focusing on selected indicators related to child and family health and socioeconomic…

A Senate committee hearing received testimony on the educational needs of Native Hawaiian families and young children and on existing programs that serve them. Oral and written statements were presented by Senators, parents, teachers, school and program administrators, and organizations concerned with Native education and culture. These statements…