This national and state-by-state study reports on the well-being of America's children and promotes discussion on ways to secure better futures for all kids. The Data Book ranks states on 10 key indicators and provides information on child health, education, and family economic conditions. This year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation also explores how…

This annual report presents several articles related to the work of the Clinical Center for Child Development at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan. The articles are: (1) "The Functional Uses of Infant-Directed Speech of Fathers and Mothers: A Comparison Study" (Katsuko Niwano); (2) "Are Children 'Among the Gods'?: Parental…

This edition covers the basics of screening used to identify which children may have learning problems or disabilities. It offers advice for selecting an appropriate screening instrument and for setting up a screening program. The book contains reviews of current developmental screens, plus an entirely new annotated bibliography. For the first…

This study presents the most comprehensive picture, to date, of public investments in the education and development of children by three age groupings--the early learning years (roughly 0-5), the school-aged years (roughly 6-18), and the college-aged years (roughly 19-23). It is based upon detailed analysis of state, federal, and school district…

As Congress prepares to make important decisions about the future of Head Start, Program Information Report (PIR) data provide important contextual information about Early Head Start programs and the children and families they serve. In 2004, Early Head Start served a diverse group of infants, toddlers, and pregnant women, most of whom were from…

This book presents 350 classroom-tested activities for use with children to create an environment that will stimulate young children's brains. Designed to be used by families, classroom teachers, family childcare providers, or others caring for young children, the book includes information on current brain research and describes interest areas in…

This conference proceedings compile presentations from a 2000 meeting of the American Montessori International of the United States, focusing on the Montessori view toward freedom and responsibility and addressing other issues of importance in Montessori education. The papers presented at the conference are: (1) "Strategies for You and Your…

This study used structured interviews to examine the views of 101 South Australian immigrant families, grouped by country of origin, concerning their educational expectations for their children ages birth to 8 years. The overall research questions were: (1) What are the parental expectations of immigrant groups for the early education of their…

This final report describes the rationale, goals and activities of a federally funded project that was designed to develop a model intervention program for hospitalized chronically ill children between birth and five years. The focus of the program was to promote optimal emotional development: attachment, separation, individualization, and…

Early deprivation causes serious disruption in the development of brain architecture and in the behaviors related to the affected brain functions. Some brain structures, and the broad categories of development that depend on them, show more "plasticity," or sensitivity to disruption and intervention for longer periods of time, than…

Enhancing the early literacy of the nation's children is now a goal shared by parents, educators, and policymakers alike. Fundamental to this goal is a workforce of early childhood educators who are themselves literate: able to become well-informed about child development, to organize learning strategies for young children, to assess children's…

This book provides an interdisciplinary projection of the factors affecting the lives of Europe's children in the coming decades. It is a sequel to a volume of the same name, published in 1979. Europe is undergoing dramatic changes, demographic, political and technological, which will influence the health, well-being and potential of children.…

Written for teenage parents, this book is designed to help them use appropriate methods of discipline for their infants and toddlers. Chapter 1, "Discipline Is Important!" defines discipline and discusses the importance of setting limits. Chapter 2, "Infants and Discipline," concerns the importance of parents disciplining…

This comprehensive resource guide describes programs and services for young children (prenatal to age 8) and their families in Alaska. Information for the resource guide was collected from state departmental budget documents, program guides, annual reports, and program personnel. In compiling this information, certain trends concerning children's…

Noting that children are virtually born to learn, this videotape provides parents with insight into children's early learning capacity and ways that parents can facilitate that brain development. The first part of this videotape discusses the parents' role as a child's first teachers. General ways by which young children can learn are explored,…