Explores four questions: (1) definitions of the terms empowerment, disempowerment, and parent empowerment; (2) whether parents need to be empowered and the stresses and conditions that disempower them; (3) the role early care and education services play in the empowerment or disempowerment of parents; and (4) how government regulations provide…

Analyzes policy implications of compensation and working conditions of teachers in three publicly funded early childhood systems: public school prekindergarten and kindergarten, publicly funded child care, and Head Start. Unacceptable levels of teacher turnover and vacancy in nonpublic school programs resulted from differences in compensation and…

Offers a report on Visions for Children--an early childhood demonstration program with the goal of facilitating intellectual development and academic achievement and enhancing self-concepts of African-American preschoolers. Base-line data from the first two phases of child testing comparing program participants and control group children is…

Notes the lack of male staff in early childhood settings and discusses benefits to young children from having positive interactions with men in a variety of roles and settings. Suggests making the presence of men a formal part of program policy and philosophy, and recruiting male volunteers as a way to bring men into a program. (TJQ)

Presents interview with Weikart, founder and president of High/Scope Foundation, on a multi-national study of the nature, quality, and effects of children's experiences prior to formal schooling. Discusses findings related to international similarities in children and parents, engagement levels, the impact of training on teachers, parent roles,…

A study examined experiences of infants and toddlers in New Zealand child care centers to determine if those experiences provided opportunities for learning in the context of shared attention. Results provided evidence of staff sensitivity and responsiveness, close child/caregiver relationships, the importance of language and shared meaning, and…

This ethnographic study examined one inclusive early-childhood setting over four weeks. Observations indicated that children with special needs regularly imitated behaviors, words, and skills of typically developing peers, more advanced peers with special needs, and teachers. Individualized interventions were regularly conducted within general…

Investigated Canadian university and community college faculty's responses to increased diversity of clients of child-care centers and graduates' perceived level of preparation. Found that faculty believed that the majority of their students were not well prepared to work with diverse populations. Graduates working at child-care centers did not…

Investigated two approaches to all-day kindergarten to determine their differential effects on the students. One approach provided teacher training and support; the other did not. Found that children in the program with teacher training and support were rated by teachers as more developmentally competent, exhibiting more prosocial classroom…

Teachers and parents rated the developmental status of 225 preschool children with and without disabilities on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. The study found a significant correlation between teacher and parent ratings for children with severe disabilities but not for children with mild/moderate or no disabilities. (DB)

This ethnographic study describes continuities and discontinuities between bilingual kindergarten and the homes of two Spanish-dominant Puerto Rican children. Findings highlight the complex web of continuities and discontinuities and the importance of the joint construction of a culture of teaching and learning by parents, teachers, and children.…

Describes the work of Australian and Eritrean early childhood educators to establish early childhood education in Eritrea. Discusses how Australian educators are learning about managing multicultural and multilingual communities; Eritrean educators are learning about a holistic approach to education to meet social, emotional, physical,…

Examined attitudes of 186 early childhood educators regarding the "Desirable Outcomes for Children's Learning on Entering Compulsory Education" survey in the United Kingdom. Found that, although there is some consensus among preschool workers in different settings concerning early-years curriculum priorities, those within an education…

Used focus group discussions to determine child care providers' opinions about the content of training necessary for providing quality care and providers' beliefs about the level of training and education required for child care workers. Examined findings in terms of providers' perceptions of professional worth and the design of educational and…

Examines role of teacher observation in children's free play at classroom computers. Considers Piaget's theory of interaction and Vygotsky's theory of zone of proximal development as groundwork for discussing the benefits of teacher observation to a developmentally appropriate classroom, including promoting confidence, selecting software, working…