This article describes an 11-step "buddy" skills training procedure that helps children in an inclusive preschool work and play together more cooperatively. Steps include initial assessment, sensitization, peer training, implementation, positive reinforcement, evaluation, targeting specific interaction skills, teaching interaction…

Compares the capability of three kindergarten screening instruments to correctly predict which children (n=95) would be recommended for referral to remedial programs or for retention: a Piagetian-based instrument, a general screening test, and a language-specific screen. Although the Piagetian-based test had poor predictive qualities, both the…

Compared 64 inner-city Los Angeles preschoolers' spontaneous story narratives, recorded immediately after the 1992 riots, with narratives told by a matched comparison group of 128 preschoolers living in other cities. Found that children with direct exposure to the riots told more narratives with aggressive thematic content than did the comparison…

Explains that children have a better sense of environmental awareness and introduces the EarthCare Interactive software that is designed for preschoolers to fourth graders. Briefly describes how to navigate in EarthCare and describes four other software packages: "Job City Literature Connections,""Perfect Landing,""Classroom Occupation," and…

A cross-sectional survey of Indiana preschoolers compared their ranking of health as a value relative to selected non-health-related values, noting the effect of demographic variables. Although subjects ranked health as high, it was perceived as less important than rules. Significant group differences were observed for variables of subject race,…

Identifies pioneers in the 75-year-old National Association for the Education of Young Children. Notes that they defined central issues for the field, worked to marshal public opinion regarding early childhood education, helped to develop public policy, and achieved support for early childhood programs. (KB)

Qualitative and quantitative measures were utilized to explore the abilities of 11 young children nominated by their parents as gifted. Characteristics nominated by parents as indicators of their child's giftedness were consistent with indicators in the research literature and were generally supported by norm-referenced test results and teacher…

Describes the history and development of parent cooperative preschools in 20th-century America. Traces the beginnings of the movement, the opening of the first American cooperative in 1915, and subsequent characteristics of cooperatives. Notes that throughout the century, cooperative preschools provided direct parental contribution, involvement,…

Comparability of a Spanish language translation of the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS) was examined in relation to the English language version. Children were rated concurrently by respondents on English and Spanish versions of the PKBS. Results showed virtually identical internal consistency of scores on both forms on Social…

Characterizes the influence of various conditions of word exposure upon children's receptive and expressive learning of novel words occurring within storybook reading interactions with adults. Examines adults' questioning versus labeling of novel words and adults' use of perceptual versus conceptual questions about novel words. Suggests that…

Examined what children learned spontaneously from each other in everyday activities within the preschool culture. Findings from two preschool classes of 14 children aged 1 to 3 years and 18 children aged 3 to 6 years show the knowledge and skills, often tacit, that children learn from each other through social practices. (SLD)

Evaluation of a developmentally based early intervention program for young children with autism in Scotland by comparison of treatment (n=14) and no-treatment (n=6) groups found treatment children improved significantly more than control group children on measures of joint attention, social interaction, imitation, daily living skills, motor…

Narrative attainment was assessed in 76 four-year-old children at risk for brain injury because of histories of early corrective heart surgery. Despite considerable heterogeneity in narrative performance, children with early corrective heart surgery produced fewer narrative components than typically developing children. Implications for clinical…

Estimations of enrollment age and schooling duration for Tanzanian children revealed different patterns for boys and girls. Although girls have lower levels of education, they enroll earlier, either because of lower returns to preschool experience for girls or parental desire to prepare them for the marriage market as soon as possible. (SK)

Investigated in preschoolers whether the bilingual advantage in cognitive control or selective attention could be found in a nonverbal task, the dimensional change card sort, requiring minimal demands for analysis or representation. Found that bilingual children were more advanced than monolinguals in solving problems requiring high levels of…