Dialogic reading is a shared reading intervention which has been shown to increase children's oral language skills. Although dialogic reading has been heavily researched and replicated with a variety of populations, this study uniquely focused on outcomes when parents of children with a developmental delay from low socioeconomic status homes were…

This study evaluates the effects of a weekly home-visiting parenting program designed to enhance parent-child engagement with educationally-enriching activities and its potential interaction with children's participation in state-funded preschool. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset linked across various administrative sources, we employed a…

Interventions are strongly recommended for preschoolers experiencing participation difficulties in their daily life, regardless of whether or not they have a diagnosis. Best practices recommend that interventions should include the child's significant adults and be delivered in the child's environments. Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) has…

Supportive early relationships are critical to young children's development. Previous research has focused primarily on aspects of specific parenting practices that impact infants' and toddlers' development. However, additional research is needed for a more nuanced understanding of the relationships among family experiences, parenting behaviors,…

Consistent, sensitive caregiving across home and childcare contexts supports optimal development. In this paper, we share the story of the development of Hearts and Minds on Babies (HMB) for Early Head Start (EHS) administrators, teachers, and parents. HMB was designed to support caregiver reflective functioning and sensitivity and reduce…

The purpose of this study was to design a community-based, needs-sensitive, and culturally appropriate parenting education program that is effective for rural Malawian caregivers. With the use of the five-stage model, qualitative methods and procedures were used for developing the program. The presented program emphasized securing sustainability…

This study examined kindergarten teachers' views about the importance and uses of school, family, and community partnerships (SFCPs) in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. We used Epstein's model of SFCPs and explored the roles of teacher, family, and community support for parenting skills, two-way communication, volunteering, learning at home,…

Childhood adversity is strongly associated with poor health and well-being in childhood and adulthood. Young children are at greatest risk during their developmental years. Child care providers can participate in preventing the impact of adversity on children by becoming communities of support for families in need. This project aimed to explore…

Social-emotional skills are equally as crucial for school success as cognitive and academic skills (Webster-Stratton and Reid in "Infants and Young Children" 17:96-113, 2004), yet many young children lack these skills (Lavigne et al. in "Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry" 35:204-214, 1996).…

Quality early childhood education programs have a responsibility to provide enriched educational services to preschool students paired with parent support, education, and outreach. Pearl Buck Preschool, a non-profit organization devoted to the delivery of preschool services for children of parents with intellectual disabilities or learning…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the effects of a modified reciprocal imitation training (RIT) on the imitation skills of children with autism. Two parents were trained and coached to use the modified RIT with their young children with autism in home settings. The modified RIT was composed of contingent imitation, descriptive…

Early intervention is critical for improved prognosis and quality of life for young children with developmental delays and disabilities. Yet, disparities persist among underserved families with young children. These disparities include knowledge of child development, use of medical providers as referral sources, and later diagnosis. The current…

Day care in Finland comprising care, education and teaching--called Educare or the ECEC model--can be used as an open care (community care) support measure for children whose development is at risk. The general aim of the study was to investigate whether the needs of child welfare client children and their parents are fulfilled in day care…

The low rates of child literacy in South Africa are cause for considerable concern. Research from the developed world shows that parental sharing of picture books with infants and young children is beneficial for child language and cognitive development, as well as literacy skills. We conducted a pilot study to examine whether such benefits might…

Homeless parents of young children face many stressors that erode their self-esteem. This article articulates these stressors and how they negatively impact homeless parents and their children. Strategies for helping parents empower themselves and their children are explained.