Describes a parent-focused, home-based early intervention program known as HIPPY, the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters. Explains the program's basic philosophy and elaborates on programmatic tensions as it gains a national scope and presence. Offers an insider's view into a few inherent tensions and issues associated with home…

Beliefs about and attitudes toward child care were examined among 134 mothers, 55 child care providers, 46 kindergarten teachers, and 62 employers in 11 rural Missouri communities. Mothers were very satisfied with quality of child care services and degree of employer support. However, teachers felt that their students were less ready for school…

Examines influence of household income on cognitive stimulation during the transition to school. Cross-sectional and longitudinal fixed effects regressions are estimated to examine income's effect. Household income was positively related to level of cognitive stimulation in children's home environments across both sets of analyses. Implication for…

Explored how children's literacy skills and resources at the start of kindergarten relate to their reading and mathematics achievement at the end of kindergarten and the start of first grade. Data are from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (National Center for Education Statistics). Findings show that children…

Examined relationships among intelligence, gender, social maturity, and school readiness in first-grade elementary school students (N=125). Determined school readiness was related to intelligence and sex but not to social maturity. Found social maturity to be related to sex and intelligence. (Author/ABL)

Investigated attitudes of 194 teachers toward a policy which allowed children to enter school at the age of 4 years, 6 months in a single intake at the beginning of the school year. Although teachers were generally in favor of the single intake, many were concerned about the entry age. (RJC)

Compares school readiness expectations of preschool and kindergarten teachers. Results indicate that preschool teachers had higher expectations than did kindergarten teachers for kindergarten entry skills. Preschool teachers' expectations approximated kindergarten teachers' expectations of children's performance at kindergarten exit. (Author/BB)

This article analyzes why schools fail to provide for early admission of intellectually advanced children. Reasons cited include misinterpretation of research findings, bias of school personnel, expense of screening, convenience of administering a uniform entrance age procedure, etc. Benefits accruing from early admission are discussed. (JDD)

Reviews the historical and current theoretical contexts that have contributed to the concept of readiness, especially reading readiness. Discusses connectionist, emergent, social constructivist, and critical theories of early literacy. Ends with a discussion of the future of research, debate, and practice in the area of early literacy. (DR)

Examines research on the importance of understanding children's biological timetables for mind and brain development, and forces that can threaten this neurodevelopmental timetable during critical periods. Discusses the brain's adaptability, and focuses on the importance of knowledge derived from the study of special populations for understanding…

Describes the Governors' Campaign for Children and its three major objectives: (1) to increase public awareness of the needs of young children; (2) to simplify and improve federal and state programs to focus on the needs of children and their families; and (3) to help communities across the nation better respond to the needs of young children.…

Discusses the concept of school readiness and the process of making the transition to school. Reviews early signs of successful school transitions and identifies some fundamentals of young children's early learning environments. Almost all children are eager to learn and show remarkable progress when they are in school environments that tailor…

Evaluated chronological age and results of Gesell School Readiness Test as predictors of kindergarten performance as measured by Stanford Achievement Test. Results from 284 kindergarten children indicated that both chronological and developmental age provided good predictors of Stanford Achievement Test performance in kindergarten. Findings have…

This article recounts the experiences of a pioneer of the Head Start program, a program developed to provide disadvantaged young children with school readiness skills. Influences in the early development of the program are discussed, along with program challenges. The need for standardized performance measures and program evaluation is urged. (CR)

"America's Kindergartners," a National Center for Education Statistics report, suggests that kindergarten is becoming increasingly academic. Children's scores on the 1998-99 Early Childhood Study-Kindergarten reflected their mothers' educational and racial/ethnic backgrounds. Two-thirds of black and Hispanic kids fall into the lowest…