This study is a collaborative project between university researchers and museum practitioners investigating ways to advance STEM learning opportunities for young children and their families in museums. The focus of the work is on how the knowledge resources that are available to families (e.g., prior knowledge, information provided by the museum…

Background: Place-based efforts offer promise in reducing childhood obesity. Yet, lack of public demand and support may hinder implementation. Aims: This study aimed to assess whether the emphasis on place-based solutions, community-wide strategies, and multisector engagement in the Healthy Schools Healthy Communities (HSHC) initiative would shift…

It is not uncommon for very young children to start music instruction on string instruments. Previous studies have examined the relationship between starting age of formal music instruction and years of study (Duke, Flowers & Wolfe, 1997; Hartley, 1996; Hartley & Porter, 2009). Duke et al. (1997) found that students who took more years of…

As new technologies emerge that can bring older adults together with children, little has been discussed by researchers concerning the design methods used to create these new technologies. Giving both children and older adults a voice in a shared design process comes with many challenges. This paper details an exploratory study focusing on…

A university course project was developed and implemented in a biology course, focusing on environmental problems, to assess community awareness of childhood lead poisoning. A set of 385 questionnaires was generated and distributed in an urban community in North Carolina, USA. The completed questionnaires were sorted first into yes and no sets…

Many children, and their families, experience stress when they leave preschool and enter kindergarten. This paper describes a transition plan for children entering kindergarten that addresses the needs of developmentally delayed children as well as typically developing children. By coordinating all the involved parties--parents, teachers,…

A comprehensive developmental screening model (CDSM) was designed to help local education agencies (LEAs), in Indiana, plan, develop, and implement screening programs for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children. The CDSM is presented in three parts; Part I provides both empirical and philosophical support to the reasons for developing a screening program;…

Reports on a program that brought together older adults (n=12) with dementia and preschool children (n=14) in one-on-one interactions, using Montessori activities. Experience indicates that older adults with dementia can still serve as effective mentors and teachers to children in an appropriately structured setting. (RJM)

A project to develop a measure of English language proficiency (MELP) for use in a national survey of income and education, to estimate the number of people of limited English proficiency, is reported. The preferred form of the instrument was a short series of questions to be asked by an interviewer and answered by an adult member of a household.…

This special issue of the "Courrier," a journal for professionals concerned with issues related to the physical and psychological development of children, provides (1) an overview of 25 years of internationally coordinated research, (2) a selection of papers published by the research teams, and (3) a description of the teams and their…