The aim of this research was to examine parental practices aimed at supporting children's school readiness in social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic and self-care domains. A case study design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the research. The study group of the research included 25 participants. The participants were…

Background: Poverty-related disparities in school readiness are well documented (Dreyer, 2020). Increasing cognitively stimulating parenting practices can contribute greatly to addressing such disparities, and therefore represent a key modifiable target for preventive interventions beginning early in life (Brooks-Gunn & Markman, 2005).…

Background/context: Exposure to community-level violence in childhood is a strong predictor of developmental and cognitive outcomes. Several systematic reviews, as well as meta-analysis have documented how being exposed to violent crimes in developed and developing countries predicts externalizing and internalizing symptoms (Löfving-Gupta, et al.,…

The early home language environment, and parents in particular, form the foundation of children's language development. In this article, Dina Kapengut and Kimberly Noble explore the intersection of neuroscience and developmental psychology to explain how language experiences in the home, and the "home learning environment" more broadly,…

A robust body of research shows that the most important factor in a child's healthy development is a positive parent-child relationship, characterized by warm, loving interactions in which parents and other caregivers sensitively respond to their child's cues and provide age-appropriate activities that nurture curiosity, exploration, and learning.…

School-ready children are children who are prepared to learn successfully in school. These children show growth over time in their physical, social and emotional, language, and cognitive development. They also show increasing interests in new experiences and in mastering new skills. Getting "school-ready" starts long before the weeks or…

In six analyses using the Child Language Data Exchange System known as CHILDES, we explored whether and how parents and their 1.5- to 5-year-old children talk about writing. Parent speech might include information about the similarity between print and speech and about the difference between writing and drawing. Parents could convey similarity…

The Early Head Start evaluation included 17 sites drawn from the first two waves of programs started more than a decade ago. By design, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) selected programs that would reflect the range of service options and context of all extant program rather than choosing a representative sample. The sites…

Afrikaans and Sesotho are two of the 11 official languages of the Republic of South Africa. Data on the acquisition of these languages are scarce. It is interesting to compare the acquisition of the two languages because they are very different in grammatical structure. In addition, cultural differences may possibly be visible in the style of…

Data from 226 adoptive and 224 nonadoptive families was used to explore the etiology of individual differences in communication development. Children's scores from the Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development (SICD) were compared with verbal and cognitive ability measures of their parents. Sibling correlations were also examined. (SKC)

The paper explores the role of parents and the nuclear family in optimal development of gifted preschool children. The family helps the child accomplish basic developmental tasks by adapting to the child's critical needs and interests in appropriate ways. While stimulating academic skills is important, affective education to aid the acquisition of…

Analyzes mother and child speech in free play conversation for different semantic and syntactic categories. Based on the study of changes taking place over time in children's use of semantic categories, argues against the hypothesis that the mother's speech is gradually adjusted to the child's performance. (Author/MES)

The value of infant stimulation is stressed in a report on the characteristics of infant development. The following five areas of development are discussed: sensorimotor, language, mental, emotional, and social. Stages of development during the first year in each of the areas are surveyed, and traditions in different countries are highlighted to…

Examines the interaction between a preschool girl and her father during story reading time. Argues that such observations can lead to an understanding of ways in which children become more mature readers-thinkers and enable teachers to match reading expectations to the students' reading level. (HTH)

An evaluation of the New Parents as Teachers (NPAT) program concluded that a high quality parent education and support program conducted during a child's first three years measurably increases the child's intellectual, achievement, and language abilities. Parental involvement with parent educators during home visits is the single most important…