The Montessori philosophy and environment offers opportunities for free movement within the classroom. Physical development includes the acquisition of fundamental movement skills (FMS) which children acquire through different opportunities for movement. Previous research has shown that Montessorian pre-schoolers were more physically active during…

The preschool years are essential for developing physically active lifestyles and social-emotional well-being. This article introduces the PASS (Physical Activity and Social Skills) physical education program, which identifies specific ways to develop fundamental motor skills, provide physical activity opportunities, and promote social-emotional…

Recent findings from the Kids Activity and Learning Study complement North Carolina's multidimensional approach to promoting school readiness by emphasizing the integrated nature of motor and cognitive development in early childhood. Children whose motor skills improved the most over the course of an academic year also tended to demonstrate the…

This study is a randomized control trial of full- versus half-day pre-kindergarten in a school district near Denver, Colorado. Four-year-old children were randomly assigned an offer of half-day (four days/week) or full-day (five days/week) pre-k that increased class time by over 600 hours. The offer of full-day pre-k produced substantial, positive…

The purpose of the Early Childhood Essentials Framework is to synthesize and communicate the essential skills and competencies children should be acquiring before they enter kindergarten and the related skills and competencies early childhood educators must cultivate in order to provide high-quality early learning experiences that will set all…

The second of three volumes, this document provides a description of the coding system, the rules and the procedures followed in interpreting and classifying 4,896 statements of desired program effects on Head Start children. The statements had been identified and rated by parents, staff and teachers in Input Workshops conducted by the Head Start…

This text is Volume I of a comprehensive, self-instructional training program designed to address the training needs of child care programs serving children under 3 years of age. The two volumes are divided into modules that correspond to the 13 functional areas of the Child Development Associate competency standards. The modules may be completed…

The third of three volumes, this document provides (1) a reduced list of child development characteristics obtained from parents, teachers, and staff participating in Head Start Input Workshops set up to identify desirable program effects; (2) a Tabulation of Importance Ratings, showing how workshop participants valued specific statements of child…