Children face increased demands for interpersonal as well as learning-related social skills, especially by the vulnerable stage of school entry, due to the more structured setting, new academic requirements, and the fact that children are supposed to interact successfully within a larger and heterogeneous peer group. Although a plethora of…

During the 2013-2014 school year, a charter school in Central Florida (which will be given the pseudonym "The Unity School") known for its practice of full inclusion launched an unconventional project. The Unity School, which serves children from preschool through grade five, began offering foreign language to all pre-kindergarten…

This article discusses the kinds of instructional activities that young children need to develop basic language and literacy skills based on recent research and program evaluations. This includes approaches to develop alphabetic understanding, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and oral language. Activities and materials from the Pre-kindergarten…

Described is the preschool program developed in rural Putnam County, Ohio. The program is self-supporting and was developed to meet the needs of parents and children in a rural area. (SI)

Until the past few years, our nation's approach to designing federal programs for preschool-age children lacked coherence and paid little attention to what had worked (and not worked) in the past. In this article, the authors propose that credible information useful for designing effective programs will require the ongoing, systematic development…

Noting that there has been steady growth since 1986 in the number of children and families served in early intervention programs for infants/toddlers with disabilities, this report excerpts an article examining the current status of early intervention and outlines five issues believed to be critical in the coming decade. These issues are: (1)…

The Therapeutic Preschool Program serves 3- and 4-year-old children of average intelligence who are diagnosed as having emotional and/or behavioral problems. The primary goal of the program is to provide a framework for teaching the social, emotional, and cognitive skills necessary for eventually mainstreaming the children into a regular education…

Early intervention programs are very diverse in clientele served, ages served, staffing, focus of services, location of service, length of service, agencies responsible, and funding. The Early Intervention Research Institute at Utah State University is investigating the efficacy of early intervention programs; 13 of its ongoing longitudinal…

This paper overviews the organization, objectives and impact of an experimental interdisciplinary training program at Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, for preparing specialists to work with infants and preschool children. (Author/RH)

Describes a project with two aims: (1) to develop, with the help of practicing teachers, strategies and ideas that would be of benefit to young socially handicapped children, and (2) to evaluate these strategies in a controlled environment. (CT)

The Glendive Migrant Program, a 1989 exemplary Chapter 1 program, is a 5-week summer project serving the children of migrant families working in a 60-mile area along the Yellowstone River valley, Montana. The program serves approximately 110 students, ages 1-18. Instructors, supervisors, and aides work with nursery, preschool, and elementary-age…

The Peers Early Education Partnership (PEEP) program was established in 1995 to make a significant long-term positive impact on the educational attainment of children and families in disadvantaged areas of the United Kingdom. This report examines the work of the PEEP program for the period April 1998 through March 1999. The sections of the…

Addresses continuous developmental education, focusing on the theoretical foundations of continuity between the preschool and primary school stages. Describes the Russian "Program of Cultural Development of Four-Year-Old and Five-Year-Old Children" that is an approach to designing developmental preschool education. Discusses the…

The purpose of this handbook is to guide rural school districts intending to establish a preschool program. The program described was established in the Trimble Local School District in the rural Appalachian area of northern Athens County, the third poorest district in Ohio. Contents concern: (1) the district's beliefs about children; (2)…

While parent education has become popular among educators and reformers, the long-term implications of the emphasis on parent education deserve careful and dispassionate examination. Are exclusively center-based developmental programs for preschool children to be discredited? Should federally-sponsored intervention programs insist on parent…