This article will explore the use of visual participatory research methods with young children. These methods have been utilized to add young children's voices to research on the impact of a quality improvement strategy in an early years' settings involved in a community-based prevention and early intervention programme. The main objective of the…

Research has shown that the first few years of a child's life are critical for developing executive functioning and emotional regulatory skills. This study aimed to evaluate how begin to ECSEL (Emotional, Cognitive and Social Early Learning), an intervention designed to promote young children's emotional competence, influenced children's…

Although many young children face risk factors for academic failure, most research about family interventions do not focus on at-risk children. For example, although Parents Interacting with Infants Model (i.e. PIWI) and Baby TALK programmes are widely used family interventions, no empirical research has been conducted about PIWI or Baby TALK…

Growth monitoring (GM) is integral in child health programming. More than 73% of children under-five years in Mutasa district were missed during routine GM in 2015. We set out to evaluate the GM programme in 20 health facilities within Mutasa, Zimbabwe. A comparative process-outcome evaluation using the Logical Framework approach was used. A desk…

There is a definite need for effective intervention programmes that address the social-emotional, character and healthy development of preschool children. Strong social-emotional skills are necessary for successful transitions to formal schooling and for healthy developmental trajectories. The "Positive Action" ("PA") programme…

As a result of public discussions regarding Germany's standing on international rankings of student achievement, increased attention was focused on enhancing cognitive stimulation in preschools. There are some concerns that preschool curricula that focus more on cognitive stimulation rather than on socio-emotional skills might neglect the…

This project evaluated the feasibility of a child-centred 24-week physical activity intervention. The "Play5" strategy encourages children to choose to play vigorously five times a day for about as long as school recess. The seven-year-old children were randomised to control (n = 176) or intervention groups (n = 132). Data were collected…

A resource kit containing information booklets about ASD, selected toys and playthings, and communication aids was developed and evaluated with 29 volunteer mothers supported by service personnel who visited on an average of six occasions. A mix of qualitative and quantitative methodologies was used in the evaluation. Nearly all mothers found the…

Today, levels of mistreatment of children are internationally reported as having reached epidemic proportions. Throughout recorded history babies and young children have suffered acts of violence by parents, care providers and others. However, "some believe that, for the first time in history, we are beginning to face the true prevalence and…

This article gives an account of the results from an assessment of an early childhood education programme, conducted over the course of two academic years (1999-2000 and 2000-2001), in a centre in northeastern Spain. The purpose of the assessment was to discover how a particular educational programme contributed to the short-term competency levels…

The present study evaluates a major education reform in Jordan--the implementation of public kindergartens--and provides an example of how evaluation can be incorporated into education reform. In the context of education reform in Jordan, 532 public kindergartens have been created over the last five years. A stratified random sample of…

The Refuge is an after-school care programme in the southeastern USA that caters to the academic and psychological needs of impoverished African-American children. This study evaluated the Refuge through interviews with staff, small group discussions with children and persistent observation. By evaluating the after-school care services they…

This exploratory study examined effects of literacy- enriched play centers and the emergent literacy of 5-year-old kindergartners. Qualitative analysis indicated that a language or literacy component can be integrated into kindergartners' play activities. Play activities promoted the invented symbols and messages in children's writing. Teachers…

The purpose of this study was to examine the quality of two types of Turkish early childhood education programs: private and public preschools. Three public and three private preschools in a district of Istanbul were randomly selected. The quality of preschools was assessed using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale developed by Harms et…

Evaluated the group treatment program Helping Encourage Affect Regulation (HEAR), developed for parents of children with symptoms of excessive aggression and noncompliance. Found significant improvements in measures of child symptoms, including level of aggression and parent-child interactions, especially parent sensitivity, intrusiveness, and…