Through play-centered opportunities for discovery and exploration, a child can uncover his or her interests, talents, and authentic self, and the dividend may ultimately prove to be life-defining. If engaging in purposeful play is among the most effective means through which children identify the all-consuming activities that bring them joy, and…

The Riverside Center in New York offers a persuasive argument that group infant care is an important step for sound child development and parental involvement. (CS)

This handbook is a description of the preschool program of Fresno City, California, Unified School District and was expressly designed (1) to provide specific direction to the preschool program, (2) to provide a ready source of information about the preschools, (3) to establish uniform practices where required or necessary, and (5) to provide…

This paper presents the findings of a one year national study. The research was directed at determining the status of culturally pluralistic programs in 29 urban school districts across the United States. Statistical and descriptive information was gathered from 130 urban school districts by means of questionnaires and observation teams. Among the…

This handbook was written for parents and staff of day care centers in the New York City area who are planning to include handicapped children in preschool programs. Although the manual has been developed specifically for New York City groups, it also contains information that will be useful to any day care staff and parents as they develop a…

Curriculum development, field service issues, and training are discussed in this first volume of the 3-volume progress report. The overview contains a statement of the scope of the program, its major concerns in regard to teachers, parents, and children, and presents lists of objectives for these three groups. The second section, on the…

One of the objectives of this study was to implement the school-community relations model of interaction to determine whether the specified patterns and processes were viable. Implementation began with a needs assessment, followed by an operational process involving four approaches: (1) a schoolwide focus on reporting pupil progress; (2) a…

This is a description of the Early Childhood Evaluation Unit (ECEU), which was established as a unified, comprehensive means of conducting evaluation and research activities regarding Early Childhood Programs in the School District of Philadelphia. Its responsibilities include fulfilling the evaluation requirements stipulated by federal, state, or…

Reports on a parent group model available to parents, whether or not their children live at home or in a treatment complex for disturbed adolescents. The group, led by professional leaders, focuses on the needs of the parents rather than those of the child; it is not a replacement for family therapy. Parents provide mutual support for each other.…

This report describes the second year activities and progress of California's plan for Early Childhood Education (ECE), which in 1974-1975 included more than 1,300 schools and 22 percent of the state's children in kindergarten through third grade. Topics covered are (1) An overview of ECE; (2) Why ECE works, including parent participation, parent…

This report is the second in a series designed to describe children, their families, and staff members who have participated in Project Head Start center activities. The data depicts center and participant characteristics for the Full Year 1967-1968 and Summer 1968 Head Start programs, and, in combination with data in the report on previous…

Family centers were used to coordinate the delivery of services in the Child and Family Reosurce Program (CFRP) in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, one of 11 demonstration sites in this Head Start-affiliated program. Cooperation between county service agencies was fostered by implementation of a task force whose members were executive directors of the…

Describes the development, characteristics, and effectiveness of the Everybuddy Program in South Richmond-Chesterfield, Virginia, an integrated after-school care and recreation program for disabled and nondisabled children. (BB)

This report describes and evaluates the Child and Family Resource Program (CERP) in Poughkeepsie, New York, one of 11 sites of this Head Start-affiliated program. Placing a professional in appropriate community agencies to help bring about changes in the social service delivery system (the Resource Agency Person (RAP) concept) is considered a…

Migrant farm workers were the primary target of the Child and Family Resource Program (CFRP) in Modesto, California, one of 11 sites in this Head Start affiliated program. The CFRP focused on an infant day care center operation providing day care service to families working in the agricultural fields. This report describes and evaluates: (1) the…