Providing high-quality education and care for young children at a historically Black university in rural South Africa was a challenging task. But despite many obstacles, two teacher educators (an American and a South African) worked together, partnered with a surprising collection of others, seized every possible opportunity, and persisted, seeing…

The author describes a parent art program, how it works, and ways to implement it. She emphasizes the strengths of parent programs as a way to support and enrich existing arts education, not as a replacement. Hansen describes the art kit--the adult's teaching resource--and the basic four-part process: presentation, demonstration, an art activity,…

Surveyed programs for young children in six states to identify how they included fathers. Determined barriers to fathers' participation in such programs, including work schedules, sex differences in interactional styles, and power issues. Gleaned suggestions for facilitating fathers' participation in children's programs, including recognizing…

Notes society's increasing demands that men assume a more active role as fathers. Lists five principles for developing a male involvement program in child care settings outside of home. Claims that these programs can be successful if female facilitators are sensitive to gender differences in communication and aware of the unique needs men bring to…

On the assumption that parents can provide significant educational experiences for their preschool children, a Parent/Child course has been initiated in conjunction with the Toy Library at the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development. (Authors/CB)

Explores assumptions teachers make when planning parent involvement strategies and barriers to family involvement that result from these assumptions. Presents two tools designed to help teachers plan and carry out successful activities by identifying family-related factors that could limit or prevent family participation and making modifications…

Describes the development and nature of learning kits used in the infant/toddler program of Tribal American Children Center Schools. A rationale and a guide for using the learning kits are offered. (Author/RH)

Reviews "Head Start: The Inside Story of America's Most Successful Educational Experiment. (Edward Zigler and Susan Muenchow), an insider's account of the early days of the preschool program, and how the program emerged conceptually and politically. (HTH)

Describes an approach used in Ramsey County, Minnesota to improve quality of family day care. (CM)

Discusses issues of employer-supported child care; these include the growing number of companies involved with meeting employee child care needs, factors that influence company involvement, company involvement in communities versus company-created child care centers, program development, the effect on business of providing child care, and future…

Describes a program in Colombia to enhance learning of lower class children by emphasizing acceptance, risk taking, and problem solving in a supportive environment. Parental involvement is stressed. The back-to-the-basics movement is discussed as an educational strategy antithetical to the author's philosophy. (DB)

Examines the roots of drug/substance abuse and the long-term positive social consequences of good programs for young children, as well as the components of a model drug abuse prevention program that easily can be incorporated into any Head Start, child care, or other early childhood program. (BB)

Provides insight into system-level changes needed to support inclusive preschool activities. Recognizes successful outcomes of inclusive programs as highly dependent on attitudes of parents and teachers. Describes a six-step process in developing successful inclusive programs in a rural Iowa community. Stresses the need for everyone affected to…

Describes the development and implementation of EL Paso Community College's model Intergenerational Literacy Project, which brings Spanish-speaking parents and their children together in the classroom in an effort to improve the two groups' literacy skills in English and Spanish. (BB)