Early intervention (EI) home visitation programs are central to delivering services that support infants and toddlers displaying developmental delays or disabilities and their families. Entities that oversee such programs continually seek to strengthen the quality of program practices. The "Getting Ready" approach is a professional…

Getting it Right from the Start (GIRFTS) is a research study that aims to implement a response to intervention (RTI) framework in early primary school (Foundation and Grade 1) to improve oral language and reading. RTI is a multi-tiered conceptual framework that supports student learning through delivery of high-quality classroom instruction, early…

This study examines the effectiveness of a simultaneous intervention in kindergarten and home to improve ball skills in children. Two kindergartens in Ibaraki, Japan, were divided into intervention (N = 98, mean age = 5.5 [0.6] years) and control groups (N = 88, mean age = 5.6 [0.6] years). The intervention was for 4 weeks. Parents received emails…

This paper describes consultation training experiences offered through a decades-long partnership between a university school psychology graduate program and a local Head Start center. The collaboration provides a field placement setting where beginning students engage in activities tied to first-year coursework, and an advanced practicum site for…

Prior research suggests that partnerships in early care and education have the potential to enhance the quality of care and offer comprehensive services to more children and families. This brief draws on data from the national descriptive study of Early Head Start-Child Care (EHS-CC) Partnerships to describe the activities partnerships engage in…

High quality early learning experiences can promote young children's development and help to reduce achievement gaps between children from low-income families and children from more affluent families. Early care and education programs also promote parents' ability to support their children's learning, and allow parents to work or go to school.…

The Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation's (OPRE's) Division of Child and Family Development (DCFD) is responsible for research and evaluation related to Head Start programs, early childhood development, child care, child maltreatment, and child welfare services. OPRE's research in the area of child and family development focuses on young…

The transition from preschool to elementary school is an important period for all families but can be particularly difficult for children from low-income families (Pianta, Rimm-Kaufman, & Cox, 1999). Transition involves not only the children's "readiness," especially in terms of literacy, but also how families, preschools, and schools interact and…

A university-community collaborative initiative to provide an interdisciplinary approach to personnel preparation is described. Twelve students (i.e., undergraduate, graduate) from various academic disciplines participated in early intervention coursework and practical experiences. Specifically, students were prepared to provide early intervention…

Children grow and change more rapidly during the first eight years of life than any other time in their life span. Progression through the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional developmental stages varies for each individual child. Children with atypical development experience a wide spectrum of variability in their development. Over the past…

Policymakers and early childhood experts have long recognized the important role early childhood programs play in meeting the needs of young vulnerable children. Federal programs such as Head Start and Parts 619 & C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are specifically designed to target young, vulnerable children and…

High quality training is necessary to ensure that early childhood and child care practitioners are equipped to meet the diverse needs of the children and families they serve. This book presents the professional development partnership model of The Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education, a strategy to build a comprehensive career…

This special double issue of the "Early Childhood Bulletin" explores issues for parents who are members of Interagency Coordinating Councils (ICCs) for their states' early intervention programs. The first article discusses issues parents may want to consider before they assume new roles in their ICC and in related activities. It also…

Across the country, states are developing more unified and comprehensive education systems for young children. The authors of this article outline seven features that help connect various early education programs across a state. First, supportive governance ensures that all parts of an early care and education system complement, rather than…