Based on an Oregon pilot project to explore alternatives to court termination of parental rights, the four Parent Empowerment workbooks and the Practice Manual which make up this set are intended to help caseworkers or mediators assist parents in self-examination and decision making, allowing the parents to consider both parenting and adoption…

This report discusses the activities and outcomes of a project designed to expand inclusive child care options for families of young children with disabilities through replication of the SpecialCare model of training, while developing linkages for collaboration through interagency planning groups with priority given to empowerment zone or…

Presents guidance for child care administrators when customers, parents, children, or employees depart. Argues that a positive final impression is achieved by providing closure, maintaining service levels, and creating a plan for withdrawal. Provides guidance for helping children say good-bye, obtaining referrals from former customers, and…

Argues for developing a storytelling culture in early childhood programs to encourage staff enthusiasm and engagement. Describes five development strategies: (1) descriptive observation; (2) using children's books in staff meetings; (3) creating persona doll stories; (4) using stories from professional literature; and (5) creating visual stories…

In response to a Council of Australian Governors' proposed national framework for children's services, the Australian Early Childhood Association has prepared a paper that sets out its views on the objectives, outcomes, and features of such a framework. The Association strongly believes that the interests of children should be the paramount…

Over a 3-year period, interviews were conducted with parents, caregivers, teachers, and social workers of 29 young children with complex multiple disabilities in rural Alaska. Discrepancies were found between perceptions of parents and professionals about the nature of support and the focus of intervention policies and delivery systems. (RE)

Compares findings from the six studies in this special journal issue, focusing on the role of Mexican-descent family conversations in young children's social, emotional, and conceptual development and on patterns of maternal teaching behaviors across socioeconomic backgrounds. Discusses the need for further research that represents the diversity…

Encourages caregivers to engage children in oral language activities that will help children develop skills necessary for reading and writing. Examines: (1) oral language as a predecessor to reading; (2) talking leading to learning; and (3) rich oral environment as a scaffold. Concludes with examples of oral-language activities for infants,…

Contends that educators and caregivers are still constrained in relationships with parents, respond with resentment and stonewalling when parents express uneasiness about pedagogical practices, and too frequently treat parents and children from other cultures differently. Suggests that true dialog may transform practitioners as educators, children…

Presents guidelines for managing children's cursing and name calling in early childhood classrooms. Considers community language values, changes in language styles, and dealing with children's unacceptable language or inappropriate language. Defines types of unacceptable or inappropriate language. Examines antecedents and consequences to…

The Daycare Book-a-thon is a project that targets at-risk preschoolers, providing books donated from preservice teachers in a children's literature course along with bookmarks highlighting ways parents can read and extend the books with their children at home. Through this activity, preservice teachers come to understand the diverse student…

Nondisabled only children (N=10) were observed and videotaped at home with their mothers in scripted, free-play, and novel contexts to probe uses of temporally displaced (TD) communication and maternal contributions to its development. Scaffolded maternal speech was found important to TD speech development and context-sensitivity underscored as a…

Recent developments in infant mental health are outlined, with implications for work with at-risk populations. Discussed are: the biobehavioral-developmental perspective, the infant as a social being, the infant-caregiver relationship, the transactional model of the infant-parent relationship, assessing developmental disabilities, conceptualizing…

Describes 12 ways in which early childhood educators can actively display their respect to children. (BB)

Examined the effects of parent involvement on child adaptation and growth of autonomy during a home-school transitional year. Found that parent involvement had significant potential for change in children who struggled with problems of attachment and other issues of adaptation, and enhanced the quality of the nursery school experience for the…