Large numbers of children of low income families in the United States arrive at kindergarten already far behind their more affluent peers on measures of school readiness. In the absence of any federal preschool policy and amidst alarm about this growing divide, universal prekindergarten (UPK) programs have been launched around the United States,…

In 2010, the California Early Learning Quality Improvement System (CAEL QIS) Advisory Committee recommended a structure for a voluntary quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) that could apply to the state's 11,000 licensed centers and 36,600 licensed family child care homes (FCCHs). The proposed design consisted of an unweighted block system…

Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC) has been linked to increased teacher competence and efficacy, as well as increased social skills and decreased challenging behaviors for participating children (Green, 2009). Partnerships for Early Childhood Mental Health ("Partnerships") is an ECMHC program in Southeastern Ohio. This…

Childhood overweight and obesity is a public health concern not just because of its growing prevalence but also for its serious and lasting health consequences. Though height and weight measures are easy to obtain and New Hampshire Head Start sites measure height and weight of their enrollees, there are numerous challenges related to accurate…

This article discusses the kinds of instructional activities that young children need to develop basic language and literacy skills based on recent research and program evaluations. This includes approaches to develop alphabetic understanding, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and oral language. Activities and materials from the Pre-kindergarten…

This article is an essay review of the book "Project Head Start: A Legacy of the War on Poverty," coedited by Edward Zigler and Jeanette Valentine. (DB)

This article reports on the use of single-case accountability designs for examining outcomes and evaluating the Ohio Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) project. Procedure guidelines were successfully used to help structure the process of ecobehavioral analysis, collaborative consultation, and naturalistic intervention design for 34 children (ages…

This summary report describes Maine's early childhood demonstration sites--three model programs within the schools which serve as demonstration and training sites for public school and preschool educators and which increase access to quality programs for four-year-old children and their families. Demonstration sites were designed to provide an…

This report is Part I of a study of program implementation in 12 models of Head Start Planned Variation. Chapters examine (1) how well models are implemented, using sponsor ratings of teachers as the data source; (2) the factors which may influence the extent to which models are implemented, such as sponsor input, staff reaction and input, and the…

The evaluations of substance abuse prevention programs have been criticized for being incomplete, for lacking a comprehensive approach, and for lacking a process evaluation component. Context factors have been found to have distinctive patterns among alcohol and other drug abusers. Among the variables of interest, family cohesion, family…

The first-year report of the El Paso (Texas) Family Literacy for Parents of Preschoolers program describes the program and evaluates its progress toward stated objectives. The introductory section addresses the following topics: demographic and literacy characteristics of the community; the needs assessment; project design; and objectives for…

This handbook is a response to the information problems that may arise in the planning of a Head Start program. It is especially designed for use in San Mateo County, California. It purports to bring together an explanation of the requirements for Head Start programs and suggests how these requirements might best be met with the resources…

A review of ERIC literature, descriptions of 20 preschool bilingual education programs around the world, and information obtained that would be useful in Swedish program development and research are presented. A section giving background on bilingual education looks at types of programs, relationships of programs with external factors,…

Olympus Research Centers, in a joint effort with the Salt Lake City School District, designed and produced a package of material to extend the benefits of career education to preschool children in the home. The materials were to serve as resource tools and discussion vehicles for parent training groups. The guiding concept was that parents should…

Provides brief descriptions of major types of early childhood programs, and reviews what is known about the effects of early childhood programs on children and their families. The authors also consider how those effects come about and why effectiveness varies across programs. Five policy questions and recommendations are discussed regarding how…