In this paper a relationship is established between writing and early literacy in young children. The age at which early literacy begins to develop in young children varies with each child. For many children, literacy begins to appear in activities such as pretend play, drawing, conversations about storybook plots, and conversations about words or…

This annotated bibliography describes in brief approximately 60 resources on transition of individuals with disabilities. It is organized into five sections: (1) transitions in the early childhood years; (2) transitions in the public school years; (3) transitions after school; (4) transitions across the lifespan, and (5) general support resources.…

Three types of intervention strategies are helping children make a successful transition into kindergarten: early intervention programs, school survival skill training, and delayed school entry. Early intervention programs are early childhood and preschool programs such as Head Start. The overall long-term effectiveness of such programs has…

This report is issued to citizens of Utah to inform them on the progress being made in the state toward the national education goals, established in 1989. Because the goals are "cradle to grave" and cover the preschool years and the afterschool years, the information has been compiled by many state agencies. The report devotes a section…

A practicum was developed and implemented to address developmental and intellectual delays in primary students in a Georgia elementary school. The program's need resulted from the identification of 18 to 21 percent of the kindergarten and first-grade level students as developmentally delayed or academically unprepared for their grade placement.…

This report describes early childhood activities of state departments of education, identifying and discussing six areas of activity that were determined to be significant. These six policy areas, which were identified as emerging as focal points of early childhood activity, were: (1) the School Readiness Education Goal; (2) passage of the…

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…

The "National Education Goals Report: Building A Nation of Learners, 1993" provides the most current information on where U.S. schools stand in regard to achieving the National Education Goals. Some of the key findings of the report are summarized in this digest. The six goals pertain to school readiness; high school completion; student…

The purpose of a 1992 course on emergent literacy in early childhood education was to formulate a shared definition of literacy; create awareness of the developmental process involved; test previous assumptions, methods, and techniques in the light of new knowledge; and develop pedagogic approaches and curricula relevant to the existing conditions…

Educators commonly recommend that children born during the summer months, especially boys, be given an extra year to mature before entering kindergarten so that they will not suffer from the academic disadvantages of being among the youngest children in a class. Terms such as "academic red-shirting" and "graying of the…

The Arizona Head Start--Public School Transition Project is 1 of 31 demonstration projects designed to test whether advances by Head Start children could be maintained by continuing Head Start-type services into kindergarten through the third grade, and to identify, develop, and implement transition practices to bridge the gap between Head Start…

There is a growing awareness today of the critical impact of the preschool years on a child's later academic success. Some studies indicate that many children today are less well prepared for school than were children beginning school 5 years ago. This publication examines what is known about school readiness; discusses the reasons why some…

This book reports on the High/Scope Perry Preschool Project, a longitudinal study assessing whether high-quality, active learning preschool programs can provide both short- and long-term benefits to children living in poverty and at high risk of failing in school. For almost 3 decades the study has followed the lives of 123 such children from…

This hearing examined issues concerning Project Head Start quality and expansion. Testimony was offered by: (1) Senator Edward Kennedy, who discussed the importance of strengthening Head Start; (2) Mary Jo Bane, Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, who presented highlights…

This report outlines the Pre-kindergarten Educational Program (PREP) of Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate in Hawaii, an integrated early education program serving families with children from the prenatal stage through age 5. The paper first discusses the program's three components and how they adapt to developmental changes in children and…