In this article, we report a study in which we asked 137 parents and caregivers to evaluate a year-long family literacy program in which they participated. Parents valued the insights they gained about children's learning in general and literacy development in particular. They reported that they learned from each other as well as from the program…

Recent research has shown that behavioral skills training with in situ training is an effective strategy to teach children the safety skills needed if they ever encounter an unattended firearm. The current study evaluated the use of parents as trainers to increase the efficiency of training. The success of parent training on their children's…

This document is the first report on an evaluation of the Parents as First Teachers Programme (PAFT) in New Zealand, an established parent education and support service for parents of children birth to age three. This preliminary report details the findings of an analysis of a family exit survey completed by 400 families participating in PAFT.…

Examined the impact of a program in Quebec to improve parents' abilities to introduce their preschoolers to the written word. Found evidence for parents' progress and gains in skills. Concluded that the program has significant potential for parental skill development. (Author/KB)

The extended day kindergarten (EDK) program in Detroit's 87 Chapter 1 schools in the 1984-85 school year was designed to serve children "least ready" for kindergarten, by providing a full day program 4 days per week. The fifth day of each week was reserved for inservicing teachers, school service assistants, and parents. Parents were…

This report presents the findings of a reassessment of an ongoing, multi-site evaluation of the Parents as Teachers (PAT) home visiting program. The evaluation had, from its inception, included data collection and analyses regarding engagement; however, a reassessment of research questions driving the evaluation shifted engagement from a secondary…

The Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a home-based, early intervention program for young, disadvantaged children and their families to enhance their potential for academic success when they enter school. This book describes the components of the program and reports on the research related to HIPPY's effects on the…

Reported is an evaluation of a program providing information and services to first-time parents and their children from the third trimester of pregnancy until the children were three years of age. Interventions were designed to provide educational guidance to parents, to make parenting less stressful and more pleasurable, and to help parents…

This study examined the impact of an intervention for primary school students and their family adults that involved two science meetings at school and home-based project work in astronomy. Results in terms of enhanced interest and enjoyment of astronomy were very positive. Assessing precise learning gains posed difficulties. (Author/KB)

This document evaluates a series of weekly activity guides developed for families of at-risk preschool children. The purpose of the guides was to increase communication between teachers and families, the amount of time families spent with their children on developmentally appropriate learning activities, and parental understanding of…

The Monongalia County (West Virgina) Even Start Program begun in 1993 to address family literacy and to prepare children for entrance into school, consists of three interrelated approaches: adult education, parenting education, and early childhood education. In June 1996, the program was serving 62 families (mostly low-income) with an average of…

The Parents as Teachers (PAT) program is increasingly turned to as an option in broadening parent education and family support program offerings. In order to provide evidence of PAT's effectiveness in general and with low-income families in particular, a public-private partnership was formed to conduct a multi-site evaluation in three communities.…

This report describes the early childhood education programs of the Des Moines Independent Community School District and provides evaluation of the programs' context, process, and product. Following a preface that includes the city's early childhood philosophy, the first section of the report presents a context evaluation of the programs,…

The Family Life Early Education Project (FLEEP) operated from September 1993 through August 1994 in Chicago public schools. The project sought to assist parents in acquiring skills that foster their young children's cognitive, social, physical, and emotional development, thus increasing children's readiness for school. To accomplish these goals,…

This document presents an evaluation report and parent handbook of for a federally supported 6-week residential summer program for children and adults with developmental disabilities developed by the Hebrew Academy for Special Children (Brooklyn, New York). It also includes the program's parent handbook. Evaluation focused on three groups of camp…