This digest, which is based on findings from a large variety of studies, reviews the known effects of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 on children to date and discusses the Act's possible future effects. Federal statistics show a positive trend in poverty reduction, though other sources are not optimistic…

This paper focuses on effective transition-to-school programs. Using a framework of 10 guidelines developed through the Starting School Research Project, the paper provides examples of effective strategies and transition programs. In this context, the nature of some current transition programs is questioned, and the curriculum of transition is…

The purpose of this research was to elucidate a continuum of postsecondary text difficulty and to use it to quantify gaps between the text difficulty of high school textbooks and various reading materials likely to be encountered in the most widely chosen postsecondary domains of endeavor--the university, the workplace, the military and…

A study investigated how children's constitutional temperament (Easy, Difficult, or Intermediate), measured at 18 months of age, influences their adaptation to formal schooling. Information was collected from 35 children and their parents who were part of a longitudinal study of development. All participants were first-born children from…

Early intervention programs are a continuing focus of public interest and debate; questions center around defining quality in early intervention and how intervention affects children's lives. This paper reviews research on center-based early childhood education programs for children between birth and school entry that emphasize school readiness as…

This document is comprised of four consecutive issues (Winter 1999-Fall 2000) of a newsletter providing information on current research and practice to professionals teaching in the primary grades. The newsletter is published by the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE); participating…

This paper explores efforts to link early childhood education and care (ECEC) with schools in countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), other than the United States. The first part of the paper discusses the context for children's transitions from ECEC to school, the ways in which transitions are understood,…

Although kindergarten entry is delayed for a significant number of children each year, many aspects of this practice have not been investigated. This study examined reasons mothers chose to delay their child's kindergarten entry and the decision-making process related to this choice. Participating in this qualitative interview study were 15…

This document is comprised of the four 2002 issues of a publication providing a forum for scholarly reviews and discussion of developmental research and implications for social policies affecting children. The topics featured in each of the issues are: (1) "The Effects of Welfare Reform Policies on Children" (Pamela A. Morris); (2) "At What Age…

Noting that full-day kindergarten has become an increasingly popular scheduling option in U.S. schools during the past 30 years, this booklet provides a brief review of recent literature on full-day programs and highlights important considerations for educators, policymakers, and parents assessing their kindergarten options. The booklet also…

North Carolina's Kinder Camp is a 4-week program designed to prepare children for entry into kindergarten. All participants must have completed Project Family Read. A North Carolina elementary school measured the programs effectiveness by using the Cognitive/Language Profile of the American Guidance Service Early Screening Profiles as a pre- and…

This manual describes an approach to enhancing children's transitions into kindergarten. This approach, developed as a collaborative effort among researchers at the National Center for Early Development & Learning Kindergarten Transition Project at the University of Virginia and local school personnel, focuses on forming a network of social…

This video-based program trains parents and other child caregivers to engage 3- to 5-year-olds in simple, motivating learning games to strengthen cognitive, social, and motor school-readiness skills. The training materials consist of a manual for training facilitators and a training video demonstrating how to play each learning game with preschool…

This report describes the progress that the 16 states in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) region have made in meeting the first of the Goals for Education 2000: that all children will be ready for first grade. The report describes SREB states' efforts in: (1) increasing the percentage of at-risk children served by prekindergarten and…

To assist state policymakers in using limited resources to enhance young children's readiness for school, this report examines the development and effectiveness of prekindergarten and parent support programs in the Southern Regional Education Board's (SREB's) 16-state region. States in the region are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,…