There has, in recent years, been a reemergence of interest in the early years and a renewed emphasis on the importance of early education programs to ensure that all children start school ready to learn. At the same time, the move toward evidence-based policy development has led to the need to demonstrate the effectiveness of early education…

The "Coordinators' Notebook" is a twice-annual publication of the Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development. This issue summarizes some important information about early childhood care and development (ECCD); shares case studies of effective examples of ECCD; helps ECCD advocates think through what they may need to do…

A child who is not granted a familial environment that is fundamentally consistent and harmonious will be more than likely to develop inconsistently, primarily psychologically and, perhaps even physically, in comparison to the accepted standards. This would idealistically make for a scenario within which the child grows into an adult who is under…

The importance of integrating developmental research and social policy is becoming increasingly evident as researchers focus on ways to address the needs of children and families. This article discusses these developments, focusing not only on the possibilities but also on the challenges inherent in bridging the disparate worlds of research and…

This book is designed to provide future and experienced educators and other professionals with a fundamental understanding of traditional and contemporary perspectives on the assessment of children and youth, aged 3 through 21. It features broad coverage of traditional and contemporary assessment approaches. Individual tests are discussed at…

In child-centered programs children construct their own knowledge from their experiences and interactions with the world around them, and teachers foster children's growth and development by building on children's interests, needs, and strengths within a safe and caring environment. The Step by Step educational program developed a series of…

A major objective of this collection is to involve researchers in a wide range of disciplines who share an interest in the long-term effects of early childhood education on poor children and their families. The book begins with a series of reviews that provide general overviews of research on the long-term effects of early childhood education. The…

This paper summarizes recommendations from and actions taken as a result of the 1996 Caribbean Conference on the Rights of the Child. It also presents the tasks for the Second Conference on Early Childhood Education in the Caribbean related to supporting Caribbean early childhood initiatives. Section 1 of the paper considers whether participating…

These papers were presented at a 1999 conference that examined expert, practitioner, and community based knowledge and perceptions about factors that facilitate or inhibit successful multilevel partnerships to improve education and other important results for children and families by connecting collaborative services with education reform efforts.…

This study surveyed 68 Taiwanese preservice English elementary teachers regarding their beliefs about language learning and teaching. The survey examined their beliefs in five areas: child development, teaching English to children, teaching strategies and techniques, the nature of language learning, and self-efficacy and expectations. Data…

This paper describes a community service program in Singapore that involves voluntary mentoring, focusing on its impact upon adolescent girls. The paper highlights some of the ways in which community service providers come together to exchange ideas and practices to build up the social and emotional capacities of adolescent girls. After discussing…

Although most nineteenth-century American parents relied staunchly on common sense in raising their children, by the 1920s numerous parent education programs had been established to urge a scientific approach to child rearing. Today, American parents are besieged with medical and psychological advice about bringing up "normal" children.…

This document consists of the three 2000 issues of The Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Early Childhood Matters." This periodical, addressed to practitioners in the field of early childhood education, evolved from an in-house publication directed to projects funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation. Articles in the February 2000 edition…

A computer-based questionnaire was developed to help parents who have not received specialized training to determine whether their young children need further assessment for diagnosis of developmentally at-risk status. The computer automatically determines a starting point for a series of questions according to the child's chronological age. The…

Children in grades one, five, and nine viewed painting reproductions for different lengths of time to determine whether viewing time affected their memory of color and subject matter placement. Results indicated that children's memories of these properties are affected by length of viewing time and that recognition improves with age. (Author/IS)