The author shares a story about the positive power of nature in the lives of children, particularly those children who are at-risk for school failure. The setting for the story is the Central Child Development Center (CCDC) in Rock Hill, South Carolina, a public preschool with four-year-old kindergarten students (4K) and preschoolers with special…

Parents and policymakers are turning to preschools to better advance the school readiness and broader development of young children. Much remains unknown, including how preschool programs of varying quality affect diverse groups of children. This is particularly important as several California counties embark on ambitious and costly efforts to…

This paper describes the Parent Child Development Center (PCDC) model and related experimental programs at Birmingham, Houston and New Orleans and summarizes findings from data gathered during the first five years of program operation. Preliminary findings from data collected after 1975 are also reported. All PCDC programs share several common…

The Child Care Program was evaluated in terms of developmental activities, parent involvement, staff development, and supportive services. Results from the Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC) indicated that the Child Care Program's performance was better than the average of the other programs in language, for all age groups. Also indicated was…

A national indifference to children is indicated by the system of foster child care and by the treatment of mental retardates. Another manifestation is the attack on Head Start. Criticism based on the program's failure to raise standardized intelligence or aptitude scores is misplaced. Head Start is a broad developmental program having many…

A day care center operated by American Child Centers, Inc. of Nashville, Tennessee, a private nonfranchise corporation, is described. Program emphasis is placed on the emotional, social and physical development of the child, as opposed to custodial care, or services to parents or the community. Careful cost-accounting methods are used to make the…

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 a Toy Library project for low-income families in Washington, D.C., which, in addition to loaning books and toys, offers a wide range…

AN OVERALL SURVEY AND ANALYSIS OF THE SUMMER 1965 PROJECT HEAD START IS PRESENTED IN THIS REPORT. THE FIRST SECTION DISCUSSES THE INCEPTION, IMPLEMENTATION, AND FORMAL ORGANIZATION OF THE PROJECT. THE SECOND SECTION PRESENTS DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE COMMUNITIES, CHILDREN, PARENTS, STAFF, AND WORKERS INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT. THE THIRD SECTION…

This study was an attempt to discover practical ways in which a preschool director can institute positive change in socioeconomically mixed child development centers. Twelve socioeconomically mixed and six unmixed preschool centers in rural, urban, and inner-city areas participated in the research. Data was collected on 48 teachers, 127 parents,…

The development of 36 Down's syndrome infants and children (ages 3-35 months) who had been involved in an early intervention project for periods ranging between four months and two years was assessed. (Author/DLS)

This document contains a collection of activities for preschool children developed by the Title III Elementary and Secondary Education Act Developer/Demonstration Project in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. The Family Oriented Structured Preschool Activity is a program attempting to mold the expertise of the parent with the expertise of the professional…