The project used a mixed quantitative and qualitative pretest-posttest design to determine the impact of consultation and collaboration of occupational therapy services in a faith-based preschool. Preschool teachers were educated on the importance of motor skill development in preschool students, as well as how to create motor skill opportunities…

Given the predictive nature of high-quality early childhood programs on children's social and learning outcomes, effective leadership is critical to facilitate program improvement. Recognizing the need for cohesive conceptual frameworks that undergird research-based practice, a 5-year training institute for early childhood program directors was…

Research Findings: Big Math for Little Kids (BMLK) is a mathematics curriculum developed for use with 4- and 5-year-old children. To investigate the BMLK curriculum's effect on children's mathematics knowledge, this cluster-randomized controlled trial randomly assigned child care centers to provide mathematics instruction to children, using either…

The number of state-funded prekindergarten programs continues to grow in the United States. The quality of these early childhood programs, however, often depends on the type of professional development provided. In this investigative study, an experimental pre-post causal-comparative research design was employed to evaluate the impact of an 8-week…

More than 2,300 teachers in 241 schools across 25 states participating in a professional development approach to character education classroom management known as Development Designs 1 and Developmental Designs 2 (DD1 & DD2) were studied throughout the 2008-2009 academic school year. Data from this longitudinal program evaluation indicate that…

This study was conducted to evaluate perceptions held by early childhood educators about the assessment process in their schools and to identify current assessment practices in early childhood settings in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. In February 2009, 230 early childhood educators completed surveys on the topic of assessment at an annual early…

During the 1988-89 school year, the Portland, Oregon, Board of Education adopted an approach based on developmentally appropriate practices for improving early childhood education in public schools. Part of the plan for implementing the approach focused on a teachers' self-study process. The goals of the self-study project, in which three…

This paper focuses on: (1) prevalent assumptions and weaknesses underlying research on preschool programs for 3- to 5-year-olds; (2) issues concerning transition to kindergarten and early elementary grades; (3) the preparation of early childhood personnel; and (4) critical research needs. The review of research findings prompts questions about the…

This guide is designed for supervisors and trainers who are helping teachers of young children implement the Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood: a curriculum that is based on child development theory and is developmentally appropriate for preschool and kindergarten children. The guide gives particular emphasis to a carefully organized, rich…