Addressing the complexities of families facing substance abuse can help caseworkers in assessment and treatment-planning activities. Some basic information and skills that caseworkers and foster care parents can use in the assessment of addiction and treatment-planning decisions are presented in this training manual. The manual and training…

The Early Years Project investigated early childhood education programs for kindergarten-age children in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta. This study combined quantitative and qualitative data to: (1) document changes in kindergarten and child care and their impact since 1990; (2) investigate how kindergarten…

Based on the view that the early childhood care and education environment can have a tremendous influence on infant and toddler development, this book will assist early childhood teachers/caregivers in meeting the challenge of creating an effective learning environment for infants and toddlers. The book includes ideas for planning, using, and…

This working paper is one of eleven individual research reports in which researchers with expertise in older adult populations gathered the most current available data, examined policies, regulations, and programs relevant to population aging and older Californians, and presented findings and recommendations. The issues examined-- economic…

The goals of this survey of the members of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) were threefold: (1) to describe the characteristics of NAEYC members; (2) to investigate NAEYC members attitudes about men working with young children; and (3) find out how often men apply for positions and the reasons why more men do…

Driven in part by research findings in early childhood development, the academic, business, and policy communities now recognize that high-quality preschool programs are an important way to help children reach their full potential. Although some current research suggests that teacher preparation at the four-year college degree level is the best…

The Illinois Early Learning Project (IEL) is funded by the Illinois State Board of Education to provide information resources on early learning and training related to implementing the Illinois Early Learning Standards for parents and for early childhood personnel in all settings. The IEL tip sheets offer suggestions to parents and early childhood…

This overview provides basic information on the causes of deaf-blindness and the particular challenges faced by individuals who are deaf-blind. Causes of deaf-blindness include various syndromes, multiple congenital anomalies, prematurity, congenital prenatal dysfunction, and various postnatal causes. Differences between people deaf-blind from…

This booklet provides an orientation tool and quick reference for camp counselors, and is designed to help them understand and enhance youth behavior and development. Chapter 1 discusses the camp environment, the camp counselor's responsibility as a role model, the benefits of camp for kids, establishing a positive relationship with campers at the…

This paper describes Project PLAI (Promoting Learning through Active Interaction), a 4-year research-to-practice project designed to develop and validate an early communication curriculum for infants who are deafblind and their caregivers. The curriculum provides a step-by-step approach to assist caregivers in recognizing their infants' early and…

The apparently simple question of whether there are commonly accepted "best practices" for infant and toddler care leads to further questions regarding the nature of childhood and the impact of cultural values. This report reviews recent theory, training, and practice in the care of children outside their homes. Section 1 of the report…

The state of Maine has made a commitment to expand current programs for families with young children to ensure that the state is doing all that it can to help children reach their highest potential. This document is comprised of the June 1998 report of a Maine task force to study strategies to support parents as children's first teachers and the…

This overview provides basic information on the causes of deaf-blindness and the particular challenges faced by individuals who are deaf-blind. Causes of deaf-blindness include various syndromes, multiple congenital anomalies, prematurity, congenital prenatal dysfunction, and various postnatal causes. Differences between people deaf-blind from…

This book was written for teachers, directors, and aides who have questions about the problems of working in the day care field. Part 1 of the book, "Hard Times with Directors," contains the sections: (1) "The Bad Things about Good Directors"; (2) "The Good Things about Bad Directors"; (3) "Staff Meeting…

Ratings were made of childrens' verbal-social behavior by nursery nurses and teachers in day nurseries, nursery schools, and combined nursery centers. These ratings were analyzed for group differences, and validity was assessed by comparing ratings with observations of the children's behavior and scores on two language tests. (RH)