With the goal of maintaining settings most conducive to helping each child develop optimally, the essays in this book delve into realistic ways in which child care providers can move from providing inadequate or merely adequate day care to providing high quality center-based or family child care. Most of the 12 essays begin with a question or…

The purpose of this research study was to build and pilot a psychometric instrument, the Primary Childhood School Success Scale (PCSSS), to identify behaviors needed for children to be successful in first grade. Fifty-two teacher responses were collected. The instrument had a reliability coefficient (Alpha) of 0.95, a mean of 13.26, and a variance…

Based on the experiences of teachers, principals, and parents involved in the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), this book is a collection of accounts and reflections by teachers or administrators who have engaged in developing and implementing nongraded primary education programs. The articles in this book are: (1) "Reforming the…

This manual is designed to help work and family studies teachers meet the needs of students who are at risk. It uses a systematic approach to adapting the learning environment that consists of an intervention checklist and intervention strategies. The manual is divided into two general sections: Common Skills Area and Applied Skills Areas. The…

Parenting is a journey, in which the parent grows and develops along with the child. Effective parents are competent, motivated learners who actively participate in the development of their parenting philosophy. By understanding themselves as individuals and as a team, and by patiently learning about their children through observing their…

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care is an ongoing, prospective, 3-year longitudinal study of over 1,300 full-term healthy infants and families from 10 sites across the United States. While the sample is not nationally representative, the subjects come from major regions of the country: the…

This document presents a set of standards to be used in planning and establishing a high quality child care program. The standards are based on the recommendations of technical panels that studied particular facets in child care and are intended to serve as goals for practice and guidelines for implementation. The nine chapters of the text address…

This paper examines early childhood development, family, health, and literacy. It places particular emphasis on the need to consider the interrelationships of these factors when attempting to use literacy to improve the quality of life of individuals in developing countries. The paper begins with a discussion of learning capacity and a conceptual…

Youth in foster care are at particular risk for engaging in early sexual behavior due to frequent moves that have disrupted trusting relationships and schooling, and sometimes because of histories of sexual abuse. This manual was developed by experts in the field of sexuality education for use primarily by foster parents with children in their…

Preschool and kindergarten teachers have the responsibility of supporting children as they learn and develop. This guide is designed to help North Carolina preschool and kindergarten teachers and administrators establish and maintain high quality programs, frame the broad issues regarding early childhood curriculum and instruction, describe major…

This handbook on preventing child abuse is intended to help families with young children, especially young children who have or are at risk for disabilities, and to help people working with such families. After an introductory section which presents basic definitions, the first chapter presents highlights of the Education of the Handicapped Act…

The first part of this two-part book on play in public education, contains chapters authored by 23 educators, most of whom had been colleagues or students of Professor Margaret B. McFarland to whose memory the book is dedicated, addresses the need to integrate child development research with classroom practice in order to provide developmentally…

A synthesis of current research, theory, and professional opinion on how children learn to write, this report begins with a brief introduction followed by a discussion of writing readiness that suggests children's eagerness to learn to write. The third chapter examines children's use of writing to extend the functions of speech, drawing, and play,…

This revised curriculum guide, one of nine sequential manuals for elementary and secondary teachers and administrators, is designed to prevent drug misuse and abuse through activities for developing students' affective and cognitive skills. The introductory section presents the rationale for the school-community drug abuse prevention program…

This revised curriculum guide, one of nine sequential manuals for elementary and secondary teachers and administrators, is designed to prevent drug misuse and abuse through activities for developing students' affective and cognitive skills. The introductory section presents the rationale for the school-community drug abuse prevention program…