Early Head Start (EHS) is an evidence-based, federally funded, and community-based program with a two-generation approach to child development for children under age 3 and pregnant women in poverty. The mission of EHS is to support healthy prenatal outcomes; enhance the intellectual, social, and emotional development of infants and toddlers; and…

Social disadvantage is not simply a question of income poverty but is a combination of deprivation and social exclusion (Saunders 2006). Those living in poverty, lone parents (Saunders 2006) and minority ethnic groups (which is often confounded with poverty) are all at risk of social disadvantage (Bradley 2001a). Social disadvantage can have a…

Specific suggestions are offered for mother-infant activities, sequenced according to developmental levels, which foster the physical and mental development of the infant and the socio-emotional relationship between mother and infant. The activities are intended for use by professionals, paraprofessionals, and mother-teacher aides who work with…

A small but increasing number of school-aged children are engaging in home schooling--pursuing learning at home or elsewhere in the community. This digest summarizes research findings on and issues around home schooling. It describes the historical roots of home schooling, the estimated number of participants, the constitutionality and legal…

Part of a series on early childhood demonstration programs designed to improve early parent-child relationships, stimulate positive child development, and prevent later behavior difficulties, the pamphlet describes the Mother-Child Home Program, in which low-income mothers are educated to become more effective developmental guides for their 2 to 4…

This report describes a survey of Appalachian parents conducted to determine what abilities they expect their children to develop before entrance into first grade. The survey was designed to help establish an empirical base for the curriculum of Appalachia Educational Laboratory's Home-Oriented Preschool Education Program (HOPE). HOPE is an…

The paper presents the results of an evaluation research that studied the impact of a nationwide home intervention program, the Mother-Child Education Program, on both children and mothers immediately after the termination of the program and at the end of the children's first year of formal schooling. A pre/post control group quasiexperimental…

Overview: A recent evaluation of children who had participated in the Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) as toddlers found that at kindergarten age, these children were performing at levels expected for their age, despite the fact that they had multiple factors putting them at risk for school failure. The Study: In the winter and spring of 2002, 135…