Building on extensive feedback from the field as well as vigorous new research on how best to support infant and toddler development and learning, the authors have revised and updated the widely used "Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale." ITERS-3 is the next-generation assessment tool for use in center-based child care programs for…

Describes the positive mental, physical, and social growth impacts that the camping experience had on the author, and urges camp program evaluation to plan and implement such changes. Sidebar lists steps of effective evaluation: program goals and objectives, goals of evaluation, implementation of evaluation, data analysis, and findings and…

Business management theory and principles as applied to the administration of early childhood programs are presented in this workbook. Following a brief survey of the historical background of early childhood education and current early childhood programs, information and guidance to help plan, operate, and evaluate program facilities are provided.…

This module provides the basis for inservice training on the establishment of Sharing Centers, which are small groups of parents and their pre-school (birth-3) children, both handicapped and non-handicapped who come together on a regular basis for shared social and developmental experiences. The Sharing Center, as created by the Macomb 0-3 Rural…

SHAPES--an acronym for the South Plains Child Care Management Services (SpCCMS) Helping, Assisting and Preparing Educators and Staff--is also the name of a preschool readiness curriculum that is being developed for use by administrators and teachers. The first phase of the curriculum development consists of the publication of five books to be used…

This report is the first annual report under the Nebraska legislature's Quality Child Care Act; it provides information on more than the past year to place the programs and services described in context. The report sought to determine the status of child care and early childhood education in Nebraska, recognizing that the younger the child, the…

This primer on youth development is intended to help communities rethink youth services in the context of the larger community. It offers guidance about the changes necessary to plan for and accept new ideas. The youth development approach advocated by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) suggests that helping young people achieve their…

This report combines neuroscience, child development research, and program evaluation data to better inform policymakers' decisions about investing in and supporting existing early childhood programs. Core child development concepts highlight the importance of early experiences on the development of brain architecture and, in turn, future…

This sourcebook, which builds on a 1993 publication, "The Prevention of Youth Violence: A Framework for Community Action," offers insight into best practices to prevent violence by children and adolescents. It was developed with input from people working to prevent youth violence and people whose positions made them likely to play a role…

The Spanish-language version of this best practices sourcebook builds on a 1993 publication, "The Prevention of Youth Violence: A Framework for Community Action." It offers insight into tested strategies to prevent violence by children and adolescents. It was developed with input from people working to prevent youth violence and people…

The features of positive youth development settings, identified in recent research, are applied to camp program planning, staff selection, and comprehensive program evaluation. A web-like model of positive features of the program's organizational and social environment provides a systemic viewpoint. (TD)

One of 10 documents developed by the Regional Demonstration Program for Preschool Handicapped Children (New York), the curriculum model is intended to describe the means by which child development theory, empirical research data, and teacher experiential assumptions are integrated into the various phases of the curriculum. Individual sections…

The booklet briefly reviews and illustrates the kinds of evaluation efforts funders and policymakers may reasonably expect from providers of services to handicapped infants and their families. It outlines the aims and characteristics of (1) outcome evaluations to determine the effectiveness of service programs and (2) process evaluations to…

The booklet reviews and illustrates program evaluation methods that can be used by providers of services to handicapped infants and their families. It distinguishes between outcome evaluations to determine the effectiveness of service programs and process evaluations to describe the actual activities of service programs and their relation to…

Translated into Spanish, this booklet is intended for parents of infants and preschoolers with visual impairments or blindness. The guide focuses on the parent's role in selecting an appropriate program and helping the child make a positive transition into the program. The first section looks at feelings about transitions and positive steps…