As the end of the century nears, it is important to reflect upon the history of early childhood education and what the future holds. Centuries before the Christian era began, Plato wrote that the welfare of children from birth onward was a responsibility of the entire community. In 1628, the first written guidance for out-of-home education of…

This study used longitudinal data from the Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP) to examine three issues regarding effects of economic deprivation on child development: (1) the effects on children's developmental outcomes of poverty and such poverty correlates as single parenthood, ethnicity, and maternal education; (2) the developmental…

This volume presents observations and thinking of scholars from a variety of disciplines about parental cultural belief systems. The chapters are concerned with the sources and consequences of parental ethnotheories in a number of societies. The following chapters are included: (1) "Introduction" (Sara Harkness and Charles M. Super); (2)…

Earlier research on girls in a single-sex private school found that girls at adolescence tend to lose a sense of self and undergo a developmental crisis that inhibits their self-expression. This report focuses on 26 girls in grades 8 and 9 from poor and working class backgrounds. The unique concerns of these girls from different races and cultures…

The papers in these proceedings focus primarily on features of the Head Start Program, contributions made to its research and its future direction. The first part of the proceedings contains presentations from the nine symposia, dealing with the following topics: (1) Head Start demonstration projects; (2) issues relating to education and the…

Understanding the quality of the day care environment is useful for practitioners and policymakers in the evaluation and improvement of day care provisions. Regulated features, interactive dimensions and global indices of quality have been examined in relation to child developmental outcomes. This study investigated the effects of variations in…

This study examined the relationship between varying patterns of maternal employment, the use of child care, and the infant's establishment of a reciprocal, responsive relationship with the mother. Parental and non-parental caregivers were located within a family system to examine attachment theory within an ecological framework. The subjects were…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the M-TIKES (Missouri-Training Individuals to Care for Exceptional Students) Outreach Project, which used a "train-the-trainer" model to increase the number of child care providers trained to integrate children with and without disabilities. The project's major objectives were…

These three newsletter issues provide organizational news from the program that awards the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential to caregivers. Each issue provides a CDA profile of an exceptional educator or caregiver. The March issue introduces the new director of the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition and describes…

Home learning enablers (HLEs) are easy, carefully timed (5 to 10 minutes each), parent-child activities intended to encourage parents to learn to talk and interact with their children. The HLEs call for materials easily available in the home. Many were tested with 200 children in a pre- and post-test control group design; this study showed an IQ…

This book presents an integrated theory of cognitive development in infancy and early childhood, emphasizing the role of language in memory, processing narratives, forming concepts, and understanding others' intentions. Chapter 1, "Language, Cognition, and Culture in Developmental Perspective," presents the experiential theoretical…

Recent research has provided great insight into the impact of early experience on brain development. It is now believed that brain growth is highly dependent upon early experiences. Neurons allow communication and coordinated functioning among various brain areas. Brain development after birth consists of an ongoing process of wiring and rewiring…

In 1994, the U.S. population included an estimated 22.6 million immigrants, over one fourth of whom were from Mexico. Family networks play a crucial role in immigration. Based on a national symposium, this book includes 15 chapters that examine the role of the family in international immigration and the impact of migration on families and…

This collection includes four quarterly issues of "Interaction," a publication of the Canadian Child Care Federation. Each issue addresses several topics and is arranged in four sections: opinions, practice/pratique, focus/a propos, and news/nouvelles. The opinions section includes letters and editorial/review columns, the practice…

In order to provide data to help schools respond to the diversity in the backgrounds and educational needs of children entering school, a U.S. Department of Education study asked parents of 3- to 5-year-old children who had not yet started kindergarten about their children's accomplishments that indicated emerging literacy and numeracy skills and…