Children's earliest years are times of significant development and learning, yet the professionals who provide care for young children often do not receive the economic or professional support they need and deserve. Given the unique situations of child care professionals, especially those running their own family child care businesses, we must…

In spring 2012, Sherry Kaufman, a consultant at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago, was asked to support kindergarten teachers in deepening their practice of constructivism and exploring the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Central to such an approach is the belief that all learning is socially constructed through interaction…

The human brain develops rapidly in the first five years of life. High-quality early learning experiences can have a profound and lasting positive effect on young children during these years, setting the stage for success in kindergarten and beyond. This is especially true for young children with high needs who are from low-income families; who…

There has been an escalation in the number of children identified with autism spectrum disorders in recent years. To increase the likelihood that treatments for these children are effective, interventions should be derived from sound theory and research evidence. Absent this supportive foundation, intervention programs could be inconsequential if…

Described is the Program in Early Childhood Development (PECD), a school-community project initially funded under Title III to provide identification, diagnostic, and intervention services for 3-to 5-year-old children in Evanston, Illinois prior to kindergarten entry. Two major sections deal with screening procedures (in such areas as…

This report describes the ways in which programs sponsored by the Ounce of Prevention Fund (OPF) are using innovative strategies to provide children and families with opportunities for health, education, and employment. A program summary lists agencies participating in OPF programs. For each agency, the summary includes a racial and ethnic…

Six papers focus on aspects of the Macomb (Illinois) 0-3 Regional Project, a rural home based program to assist parents and their handicapped and high risk infants and toddlers. The first paper discusses the role and operation of home visits, with emphasis on the functions of the child development specialist (CDS). The second paper describes the…

These collected conference papers, which originated from diverse campus child care centers across the United States, provide guidance for day-to-day decision-making about campus day care. Contents concern: (1) campus child care's mission and challenges; (2) campus child care in relation to the national picture, an in-depth look at campus child…

The federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) has launched a five-year initiative that will support state efforts to build comprehensive early childhood service systems. This initiative--the State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (SECCS) Initiative--provides planning and implementation grants to the state and territory Maternal and…

This report outlines the national and state environmental context for the SECCS Initiative in supporting MCH strategic planning in early childhood systems building. This strategic context has implications for roles, relationships, and activities within a planning process and ultimately an implementation process. It summarizes the opportunities and…