The Even Start program represents an innovative combination of programs for adult basic education, parenting education, and early childhood education. Focusing on parents and children as a unit, Even Start projects have three interrelated goals: (1) to help parents become full partners in the education of their children; (2) to assist children in…

This report presents data collected in a pilot study of 55 day care programs in 14 states by the National Child Care Association. Information was gathered through: (1) day care center self-evaluations; (2) surveys of staff, parents, and children; and (3) on-site visits. The first of the report's two sections presents data from the self-evaluations…

In the spring of 1991 the first full-scale National Household Education Survey (NHES:91) was conducted for the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The NHES:91 was a national random digit dial telephone survey of about 14,000 parents of 3- to 8-year-old children concerning the educational experiences of young children. A reinterview…

The use of performance based evaluation on a national scale with 7-year-olds in the United Kingdom is described, and the impact of national assessment on teaching practice and implications of this type of assessment are considered. The national assessment program in the United Kingdom started in earnest in 1991 when all 7-year-olds were assessed…

This document, which is designed to serve as a resource for school districts that are formulating comprehensive parent involvement programs, provides a representative sampling of parent involvement programs in California. Section 1 lists programs operating at the local educational level that: (1) help parents develop parenting skills and foster…

This digest presents the main elements of a regional seminar held in Sucre, Bolivia, to analyze and assess basic education and literacy programs that have been implemented in Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to UNICEF and UNESCO officials, some 36 experts from 11 countries participated in the meeting. Although the initial aim of the…

Originally developed as part of a project for the Department of Defense Schools (DoDDS) system, this learning package on language learning and the young child is designed for teachers who wish to upgrade or expand their teaching skills on their own. The package includes an overview of the project; a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a…

Intended for parents, the manual contains suggestions for play and games with visually impaired children. Parents are advised to tell the children what they are doing and using while engaged in activities, to increase their knowledge of the world and of themselves. Ideas span eight areas: body awareness (touching body parts while naming them);…

The purpose of this national policy conference was to discuss key issues and policy options in the care and education of young children, and to identify policy recommendations. At the conference, 116 speakers shared their expertise with each other and an additional 300 participants from 38 states. Speakers and participants represented a broad…

An instructional unit that enhances student interest and curiosity about animals and promotes conceptual growth through development of observation and listening skills is discussed. The lessons and activities are for use with limited English proficient students in kindergarten through fourth grade who are receiving services from the…

A close relationship exists between children's capacity for learning in school (especially learning to read) and the amount and kind of reading aloud done by parents and teachers to children. Children's literature, especially the illustrations and the language contained in fine picture books, has the potential to provide six benefits that…

The findings of three surveys (Conference Planning Survey, Demographic Survey and Rural Project Survey) designed to assess the state of the art of rural programs for young handicapped children reveal that the most critical issues faced by rural service providers are transportation, recruiting staff for rural areas, and securing funding for rural…

This document summarizes research into early childhood education programs for 3- to 8-year-old children in Ontario. The document focuses upon the problems, priorities, and practices which characterize these programs. Two factors in Ontario prompted research into its early childhood education programs: public concern over rising educational costs;…

This document is Part I of a two-part project whose goal was to identify the sequential development of child behavior from birth through age seven and to identify the materials which could be used to strengthen or initiate a behavioral facet. Research on child development was collected, organized, and analyzed for correlative events pertinent to…

This book summarizes theory and discusses major issues pertaining to child development in the early childhood years. Chapter I provides an introduction to the conceptual framework and major theories of child development. Chapter II deals with motor, sensory, and perceptual development. Chapter III focuses on the cognitive-developmental theory of…