This 4-year longitudinal study compared characteristics of different day care contexts and the home environment of young children in Turkey and their effects on child outcomes. Findings indicated that custodial and educational day care differed in quality. Short- and long-term child outcomes suggested that educational settings supported child…

Compared neighborhood variables, based on census data, to child outcomes for 5- and 6-year olds. Found that neighborhood structural aspects were associated with child development; neighborhood factors played a role in cognitive and socioemotional outcomes; and higher neighborhood SES and racial homogeneity were related to children's higher…

Describes an instructional method where undergraduate child development students and a class of grade school students prepare and exchange written questions and answers. The questions focused on their educational experiences. Discusses advantages of this method over other interactive techniques. This exercise can be adapted for other courses. (MJP)

Describes the benefits of including music in early childhood education programs, including teaching children about sounds, the elements of music, and cultural diversity. Provides a list of folk songs suitable for early childhood classrooms to support teachers' use of singing and moving. (EV)

Argues that the arts are basic to educational development, as they provide the tools and skills that are central to early language development including story, metaphor, rhyme and rhythm, binary structuring and mediation, image formation from words, affective abstraction, and others that underlie more complex learning. (Author)

Identifies key elements of Waldorf education (holistic and aesthetic), describes the experience of a Waldorf-inspired public school, discusses what mainstream educators can learn from Waldorf schooling, and presents a personal statement about the importance of such learning for educators, parents, and students in an increasingly high-tech world.…

Identified predictors of outcomes for 30-month-olds with developmental delays or biomedical risk factors in child care. Found that after accounting for selection effects, child characteristics at 12 months, and home caregiving quality, no child-care variables predicted development or attachment security. Older entry age predicted greater…

To assess the impact of maternal employment on the development of school-age children, several issues must be considered: the necessity of a two-income family, the existence of family-friendly policies at work and at school, the involvement of both parents in parenting, and the child's experience during after-school hours. Contains 30 references…

Reports on a study of 36 mothers and children to determine the role played by preschool children's intellectual and behavioral characteristics on their parents' expectations for school performance. Finds that children whose parents had lower expectations came from lower social classes and tended to be boys. (CFR)

Reports on a study of Russian parental attitudes regarding appropriate age of initial school attendance and decisions regarding secondary education. Finds that 80% of parents of young children support kindergarten education. Includes 14 tables of data from the study. (CFR)

Three articles present suggestions to help elementary teachers promote student development. The first describes games that encourage a sense of community. The second deals with making parent teacher conferences a positive experience. The third discusses how to give confused children who are involved in custody battles an alternative to acting out.…

Reviews two books that address fundamental issues of good and evil; a collection that addresses fundamental questions about child care; two books on recent developments on the study of the self; a two-volume collection on children's development within social contexts; and a comparative study of theories of child development. (AA)

Compared the use of conditional logic in adult-adult and adult-child conversation. Results indicated that conversation patterns and inferences were similar except that children made fewer independent inferences and shifts in taxonomic level and responded more frequently to socially controlling statements than did adults. (AA)

Discusses issues of concern related to children who spend long days in childcare centers. Suggests that mother-child attachment is the biggest concern, and that consistent long days for babies require special planning for both parents and teachers. Suggestions for reducing children's stress in these situations by making life predictable and calm…

Reviews the research presented in the preceding articles in this issue. Discusses (1) continuity versus discontinuity in child development; (2) the effect of child care and school settings on child development; and (3) child care and school as contexts in which children develop attachment relationships with adults. (BC)