Recent research on early brain development holds several implications for parents, teachers, health professionals, and policymakers. This report, based on the proceedings from a 1996 national conference on the importance of early brain development for the nation's future well-being, highlights major findings, summarizes their implications for…

Noting that the role of culture in the development of child attachment provides a provocative arena for debate among a wide array of scholars, this book details two studies of cultural differences in the meanings given to attachment behavior by middle- and working-class Anglo and Puerto Rican mothers. The book reviews the cultural adaptationism…

The training and support needs of early years workers is a key issue in Great Britain, especially as it relates to recognizing and responding to the needs of children under age three. This professional development pack, developed by the Educare for the Under Threes Project at Manchester Metropolitan University, is comprised of a workbook with two…

This case study used a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of three children starting child care, the adult who accompanied them to the center during the settling-in period, and one of the child caregivers. Data were collected by means of field notes, videotapes, interviews with the mother and teacher, journal entries by the…

Noting that millions of young American children are at-risk because they have been denied bonding and communication with a caring adult, this book serves as a call for national attention and provides a guide for developing the parenting skills needed by today's parents and child caregivers. The book contends that caregivers' qualifications must…

This Kids Count special report examines how children born in each state fared on selected measures of a "right start." This statistical portrait is based on trends in eight indicators of well-being: (1) percent of total births to teens; (2) percent of repeat teen births; (3) percent of total births to unmarried women; (4) percent of…

Used kinematic measures to compare relative contributions of growing body dimensions, age, and walking experience in walking skill development in 9- to 17-month-olds, kindergartners, and college students. Found that with increased age, size, and experience, children's steps became longer, narrower, straighter, and more consistent, reflecting a…

Training materials in special section include "Places for Babies: Infants and Toddlers in Groups," by Jim Greenman; "Bonding with Your Babies," by Alice S. Honig; "The Wonder of the Everyday," by Amy Laura Dombro; "The Dual Challenge: Meeting the Needs of Parents and Babies," by Karen Miller; and…

Describes the various direct and indirect effects of HIV and AIDS on children's development and the implications for early intervention assessment. HIV and AIDS effects include disorganization during the neonatal period, failure to thrive, motor difficulties, cognitive dysfunction, expressive language behavior, attention problems, and…

Background: Grandparents are increasingly involved in the care of young children, but little is known about factors associated with this type of care, or its implications for children's behavioural development. Methods: We used information collected from 8752 families in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) on grandparent…

Background: Methodological challenges such as confounding have made the study of the early determinants of mental health morbidity problematic. This study aims to address these challenges in investigating antenatal, perinatal and postnatal risk factors for the development of mental health problems in pre-school children in a cohort of Western…

Perceptual grouping by luminance similarity and by proximity was investigated in infants with Williams syndrome (WS) aged between 6 and 36 months (visit 1, N=29). WS infants who were still under 36 months old, 8 months later, repeated the testing procedure (visit 2, N=15). Performance was compared to typically developing (TD) infants aged from 2…

For decades researchers have been aware of the extraordinary development of a child's brain during the first five years of life. Recent advances in neuroscience have helped crystallize earlier findings, bringing new clarity and understanding to the field of early childhood brain development. Children are born ready to learn. They cultivate 85…

The upcoming Congressional reauthorization of the Early Head Start program provides an opportunity to focus on what can be done to achieve even greater impacts for infants, toddlers, and families in Early Head Start. In this policy brief, the Zero to Three Policy Center presents its recommendations for Congressional action and discusses scientific…

Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides funding to states to provide services for children from birth to three years of age with developmental delays and disabilities. States have flexibility--and therefore variation--in determining the criteria for eligibility. A study published in the Journal of Policy and…