Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is widely accepted to have deleterious effects on the well-being and development of children and adolescents. However, rigorous meta-analytic methods have not been applied to determine the degree to which SES supports or limits children's and adolescents behavioural, cognitive and language development. While…

This brief summarizes the working paper, "The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain," and explains why neglect, or the absence of responsive, supportive care, can affect the formation of the developing brain, impairing later learning, behavior, and health. The brief also includes…

This paper analyses how countries in UNICEF's East Asia and Pacific Region (EAPR) have engaged in the Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) process. ELDS has been developed by the governments of Cambodia, China, Fiji, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam over the last 3 years with technical and financial support from…

The two purposes of this paper are to provide the uninitiated reader with a skeletal overview of Piaget's cognitive development theory and to identify general educational implications, especially for the development of early childhood industrial arts (ECIA) programs. The "Piaget Primer" for ECIA educators overviews such topics as (1) the…

This report, seventh of eight in a series, discusses the views of California parents about the significance of a child's early years, their preparation for parenting, and how well their communities meet their child care needs. The California Center for Health Improvement's (CCHI) Children and Youth Survey asked California parents several questions…

This manual describes the benefits and procedures for implementing a developmental play program. It is intended to be used by both the leader--a counselor, teacher, or other professional--and students who have been trained in the peer facilitator skills. The manual does not include a detailed training program for peer facilitators, but the nature…

Instructional implications of cognitive development theory are discussed, and it is proposed that the current theoretical framework offers a view of development that, applied in instructional contexts, leads to a reconceptualization of the traditional notion of developmental curricula. Piaget's theory offered a framework for how children should be…

This workshop was convened by the Office of Child Development (OCD) to identify research issues and to set priorities for research related to bilingual/bicultural early childhood development programs proposed by OCD. Workshop participants were researchers and persons with expertise in the development of bilingual/bicultural preschool programs. The…

This curriculum guide outlines 10 inservice training courses for group day care and nursery school personnel. Each course outline presents a list of learning experiences and related resources from which the instructor can choose to meet the needs of his/her students. Materials are designed to meet the Minnesota Department of Public Welfare…

One hundred and twenty-four learning activities designed to give Child Development Associate (CDA) trainees many opportunities to practice and demonstrate knowledge of child development and related skills are provided in this training module. Section One of the module consists of 21 general learning activities that enable the trainee to develop…

This report surveys writings by National Institute of Mental Health grant recipients who have investigated this first five years of life. The authors attempted to identify and correlate ideas, themes, perspectives and issues which can be useful in the formulation and evaluation of social policies related to infant and child development. Major…

Early childhood education is the topic of this chapter from "Six Crucial Issues in Education." The Foreword and introduction to the book are provided. The following areas are discussed in this chapter: (1) Research--Bloom, Hunt's "Intelligence and Experience," Piaget; (2) Head Start and Other Compensatory Programs; (3) Public…

This collection of articles deals with the plight of preschool children in developing countries and contemporary thought in the field of child care. In "Speaking Freely--Highlights of a Roundtable Discussion on the Preschool Child, with a 'Commentary' by Dr. William M. Schmidt," 18 doctors exchange ideas about the major problems in child…

The project reported on is designed to develop a model program of infant and child day care in a municipal setting. The development of the program is discussed under the following topics: (1) physical caregiving routines; (2) guided learning through play; (3) supervising children in free play; (4) staff guidance and communication: inservice…