Family engagement is essential to high quality services for all children in early childhood care and education. From the beginning of life, families nurture their children and the capacities they will need to be ready for school. The Parent, Family, and Community Engagement (PFCE) Framework for Early Childhood Systems is a guide to understanding…

A marketing plan designed to increase enrollment and community support for early childhood education programs in Hawaii is presented. Expansion, economic and demographic trends, changes in state funding policies, and inadequate marketing had resulted in a drop in alternative school enrollment. The resulting support base was unable to support…

This guide is designed to help parents make important decisions in the development of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), which outlines the partnership between the family with a special needs child and the practitioners who provide early intervention services. The guide begins with a definition of an IFSP, followed by discussions of:…

This resource booklet focuses on the definitions, developmental stages, and the benefits of socio-dramatic play. The booklet deals with the players, shows how adults can support children's play, describes the play environment, and offers some suggestions for development of curriculum based on play. The booklet discusses children's approach to…

This second booklet aimed at stakeholders in South Africa's early childhood development (ECD) system focuses on two areas related to how learning in the country is going to be designed, assessed, and recognized by the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Part 1 examines the new approach being established as the foundation of the country's…

This guide was developed to provide effective and practical strategies to meet the needs of prenatally substance-exposed children in preschool or day care settings. Techniques are based on good child development practices and are equally effective for both teachers and parents. The first chapter outlines information about prenatal substance…

This guide offers suggestions for cooperation between the school or child care center and the home, and provides guidance to parents for their participation in centers and schools. It describes the necessary steps in planning for varied parent involvement and includes examples of parent involvement activities. Topics addressed in planning the…

Describes a program for parents and preschool teachers that has produced positive results in emergent reading behaviors in young children with developmental disabilities. Essential program elements include parents as literacy role models, frequent and regular exploration of print, interactions with adults in reading situations, and family…

This manual is intended to facilitate the integration of children with mental handicaps into child care centers in Canada and elsewhere. The first chapter looks at the background of integration in early childhood child care programs in Canada and identifies concerns of parents. The second chapter explores the practice of labelling children with…

This book developed as an outgrowth of a two-year study of 300 children discovered during preschool or kindergarten to be advanced in their mathematical thinking. Among other findings, the study revealed that the children tended to remain advanced in math over the two-year period, that their spatial reasoning related more closely to their math…

These three videotape recordings focus on provision of inclusive, family-centered programs for children with disabilities, birth through age 8. The first video is 14 minutes long and is titled "ICC Parents Share Their Stories." In it, four parents who serve on state interagency coordinating councils (ICCs) for early intervention share…

The purpose of this paper is to provide information about the current status of available programs, research findings related to quality programs, and issues surrounding programs for 4-year-old children. The paper is intended as a resource for multiple audiences, including decision makers, legislators, regulatory administrators, advocates,…

This handbook focuses on the distinguishing characteristics, variations, advantages, and disadvantages of family day care services. Following a brief description of family day care, the following three sections provide specific information for parents, caregivers, and agencies: (1) "What Parents Should Look for in Selecting a Family Day Care Home…

This package was developed through the outreach activities of Project STEPS (Sequenced Transition to Education in the Public Schools), which developed an early childhood transition model to facilitate the development of state and community-wide systems for transition. The package covers four major component areas of transition: interagency…

This manual provides information for pastors, parents, and church members who are starting a child care program in their church, and for churches that are changing or expanding their child care program. Chapter 1 reports the results of a 1982 survey of child care in local parishes by the National Council of Churches. Chapter 2 explains four steps…