This digest explores the question, What types of activities and experiences should a good learning environment offer to the young child to help him grow normally and happily? Part 1 focuses on basic considerations in the development of early childhood care and education (ECCE) curricula. Four chapters concern: (1) the learning needs of the young…

This Child Development Associate (CDA) training module, the fifteenth in a series of 16, focuses on preparing trainees in a bilingual/bicultural preschool teacher training program for their administrative responsibilities as CDA staff members. The first section briefly discusses verbal, non-verbal and tactile communication and suggests five…

This Child Development Associate (CDA) training module, the last in a series of 16, focuses on preparing trainees in a competency-based bilingual/bicultural preschool teacher training program to help Mexican American children to develop positive self-concepts. The first four sections of the module text deal with the effects of the following…

This document presents a descriptive typology created to characterize the diverse program approaches of the Follow Through Planned Variation Experiment. Program approaches are described with respect to two orthogonal dimensions: (1) Program Elements (Instructional, Service, Participatory and Employment) with the major focus on instructional…

This document presents the Massachusetts Early Childhood Program Standards and Learning Guidelines for Three- and Four-Year-Olds, required for programs receiving funding through Community Partnerships for Children (CPC). The standards were developed in accord with the accreditation process of the National Association for the Education of Young…

This document presents standards created for parents, preschool teachers, and child care providers as they endeavor to develop the best learning environment for the 3- and 4-year-old children in Utah. The document is organized in six sections. Section 1 defines the elements of a positive learning environment related to the unique nature of each…

As a result of lengthy deliberations and review of evidence-based proven practices by the Leadership in Action Program in Maryland, this action agenda details 6 goals, 25 strategies, and 106 action steps determined as most critical to ensuring that all of Maryland's children will enter school ready to learn. The action agenda was submitted to the…

This book includes practical scripts, games, activities, pictures, and circle time role plays and plans that teachers can use with children age 4-8 years to promote their social and emotional competence. Activities are based on the empirically validated Dinosaur Social Skills, Problem-solving and Anger Management Curriculum. The book features an…

The unique characteristics of migrant and seasonal families are important concerns for the Office of Head Start, yet the research and evaluation efforts that address this segment of the Head Start program have been limited. This study was designed to ascertain the state of research knowledge about Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) programs;…

This report summarizes evaluation results of the AISD prekindergarten program for the 2001-2002 school year.

Early educational enrichment is a powerful tool for breaking the cycle of low achievement, school dropout, and dysfunctional adult behaviors. The article examines major areas related to preschool and school functioning that require consciousness raising and activism during early childhood education, suggesting ways to help sustain children's…

Introduces the articles presented in this special collection and provides the appropriate context for discussing the relationship between changes in the child development knowledge base and their implications for early childhood teacher preparation and practice. Presents an overview of recent developments in both the preparation and practice…

Early childhood education in Hong Kong is in a transition time. The Hong Kong government's Education Commission is urging the field of early childhood education to engage in a substantial paradigm shift in order to achieve the goals of educational reform (Education Commission, 1999a). Informed by recent overseas research, government directives…

This research targeted the impact of service-learning experiences in one course of a teacher preparation program in an urban, private university. Participants chose either an indirect (food or toy drive) or direct (food pantry or homeless shelter) service-learning experience. Twenty-four undergraduate and graduate education majors participated in…

Inverness Research studied the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Seminars on Science program for eight years, from its inception in 1998 to 2006. This paper presents teacher survey ratings for "The Diversity of Fishes", along with profiles of two teachers who took the course. Course takers report on the annual follow-up surveys…