Recognizing that a child's family is his or her first and most important teacher, this technical assistance paper stresses the importance of preschool teachers involving the family in the development of the child. It examines the fundamental principles that guide the creation of a partnership with parents and some of the objectives of building the…

The book presents 13 papers that explore the intriguing and sometimes baffling phenomenon of children's capacity to deal with adversity. It is divided into three sections. The book's opening section provides an overview of stress research and coping strategies. Section 2 focuses on the determinants of competence and investigates the complex…

Peace education is and will continue to be a goal of early childhood educators around the world. A variety of definitions of peace and peace education can be found in the literature. A plethora of resources has become available during the past decade for those wishing to teach peace in educational settings for young children. The literature is…

This report describes the initial plan, participants, and evaluation of Saint Paul (Minnesota) Children's Initiative (SPCI) during 1993. The SPCI is a family-community program to improve child health, child development, school performance, and to enhance family functioning through formal and informal support systems in Saint Paul/Ramsey county. At…

SHAPES--an acronym for the South Plains Child Care Management Services (SpCCMS) Helping, Assisting and Preparing Educators and Staff--is also the name of a preschool readiness curriculum that is being developed for use by administrators and teachers. The first phase of the curriculum development consists of the publication of five books to be used…

This practicum was designed to develop learning experiences for teachers which would improve their ability to be accountable for children's progress in play-oriented educational programs. The primary objective was to increase teachers' competence with regard to knowledge about play, and their skill in assessing and reporting developmental progress…

This practicum involved the design and implementation of a curriculum that allowed 10 students from a private school to translate the theoretical knowledge gained from a previous child development course into a hands-on experience. This was accomplished through the use of regularly scheduled class sessions and a preschool laboratory, in which the…

These proceedings report the results of 10 years of ongoing research by the Malaysian Child Development Project to develop and implement measures to study the cognitive, language, and socioemotional development of Malaysian preschool children. Part 1 of the report contains opening speeches delivered by conference organizers and dignitaries. Part 2…

This paper describes a project designed to facilitate and evaluate child and family mental health in the community, inside and outside of Head Start programs. Also detailed is a study of the effects of "Community Impact" programs and 6-week, focused, group interventions for children and families in programs predicted to increase…

This guide is intended for use in training Head Start staff working with families to plan and implement the program's curriculum through an individualized child development and education approach. The guide focuses specifically on enhancing staff skills in carrying out the four steps in the individualizing process: screening; evaluation; planning;…

Noting that all Americans are stakeholders in the quest to prevent violence in the critical early years, this Digest focuses on preventing violence in children's lives and suggests ways caregivers, parents, and teachers can reduce the damaging effects of violence. Even before a child is born, violence can have a profound effect upon its life.…

These four quarterly newsletter issues address various topics of interest to child caregivers. Each issue focuses on a theme and includes an article on that theme, along with regular columns. The Fall 1997 issue focuses on play in the world of infants, stressing its importance and advising parents and caregivers in using play to facilitate…

As girls face the serious emotional, physical, and developmental challenges during youth and adolescence, external support from a nonparental female role model is an essential, and too frequently ignored, requirement for healthy development. This book presents a process for mentoring young women and girls by providing guidance in five areas:…

This paper reports on a symposium of experts in child and family development and health care which met to discuss integrated systems of services. The symposium was part of the Carolina Policy Studies Program which is addressing policy implementation of Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The paper notes IDEA's…

Abstracts of 46 projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Even Start program in 1990 are presented. Each project is from a different public school, public school district, board of education, or regional educational cooperative. Among the projects reported are the following: Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)…