A practicum was designed to increase the lines of positive and effective communication between parents and teachers in a preschool setting. Poor parent-teacher communication (due to lack of knowledge or experience) was documented. The program sought to improve communication regarding the child's developmental and personal progress. The 8-month…

The practicum was designed to determine if teachers' skills in the area of hyperactivity management could be significantly increased by providing a series of in-service training workshops. The training program was aimed at increasing knowledge about the causes of, and programs associated with, hyperactivity, and also at promoting feelings of…

This practicum report describes an intervention to improve children's experiences of transitions to and from a day care center and from one activity to another throughout the day. Training workshops for parents and staff were held for 32 weeks. The purpose of the training, which included lectures for large groups and meetings for small groups, was…

Daycare directors in northern Canada, with little or no post-secondary education, face the difficulties of programming for children from diverse cultures. Directors often feel isolated in their small communities, and a lack of programming expertise and early childhood development training for them has become a concern. This practicum designed,…

A practicum was designed to increase participation of families in home-school literacy activities. The school was located in a suburban village in the northeastern United States. Data indicated that many families of first- and second-grade minority students who were bused to the school for integration purposes were not participating in home-school…

A preschool director designed and implemented a classroom safety curriculum plan to increase the safety knowledge of preschool children. Implemented for 10 weeks, the plan consisted of classroom lessons, hands on practice, and activities for music, art, and language development. Parent education articles were sent home to reinforce what the…

The practicum was designed to increase parent participation in a preschool (birth to 3 years) special education program serving children with handicaps in Chicago, Illinois. The practicum was intended to provide parents with an effective and meaningful involvement in a structured program of transition services. Input from both staff and parents…

This practicum was designed to heighten preschool teachers' awareness of gender bias in the classroom and provide information on gender equity issues and the pursuit of the study of mathematics by girls. Its goal was to enable 20 preschool teachers in 3 preschool programs to increase their knowledge of gender equity and to use this knowledge in…

A teaching master at a community college in Central Ontario implemented a practicum designed to increase the rate of child-directed activities in early childhood education programs. The primary goal was to increase awareness of early childhood educators, parents, and board members regarding the benefits of child-directed activities at early…

A music educator designed for elementary school students who were musically unskilled a curriculum that was based on the methods of Kodaly and Orff, the philosophy of Warrener, and traditional music education concepts. A heterogeneous group of 606 second- through sixth-grade students in 4 schools participated in implementation of the curriculum.…

The director of a proprietary child care center implemented a practicum designed to train child caregivers in child development and developmentally appropriate practices. The practicum consisted of three evening workshops and used supplementary reading materials, discussion groups, classroom observations, and individual conferences. After…

A kindergarten teacher implemented a practicum designed to increase parent involvement in their children's kindergarten and give parents information about the kindergarten program. Specific goals of the intervention were to inform parents about kindergarten routine, kindergarten requirements and concepts of child development, and to help parents…

This practicum report presents a plan to reduce referrals for psychological evaluations in the schools in Dade County, Florida. Three goals of the plan are identified: (1) to reduce the backlog of referrals in three elementary schools; (2) to improve the placement rate of those students who are referred; and (3) to help teachers identify children…

Because hospitalization is often a frightening and traumatic experience for children and their families, a practicum designed a system of inservice training experiences for hospital personnel. These experiences were intended to enhance or develop skills that would assist them in addressing the needs and concerns of hospitalized children and their…

The practicum focused on the lack of sufficient speech therapy for 90 physically and mentally handicapped infants and preschoolers in a program for developmentally delayed children. Two workshops were conducted and a speech videotape library was established consisting of demonstrations of 49 receptive language goals in developmental order. Videos…