Literacy-Embedded Play Centers (LEPC) are important components of preschool classrooms. These centers encourage the development of literacy skills in an environment that promotes play and interaction with literacy tools. By highlighting the process teacher candidates used to plan, construct, and implement LEPC, a framework for development is…

One approach to halting the childhood obesity epidemic has been the modification of foods available to children during the school day. In recent years there has been an increased focus on obesity prevention efforts among children ages birth to 5 and the role of child care settings in prevention efforts. Head Start serves as an important venue for…

Institutional characteristics of preschool centers can influence the successful implementation of professional development programming. This article provides an overview of a dynamic Head Start teacher professional development program. The program, conducted by a well-respected theatre-in-education organization, was designed to help preschool…

This article describes a music and movement intervention for children in preschool classrooms. The intervention, consisting of sequenced music and movement activities, has been studied as a curriculum conducted by outside interventionists (Yazejian & Peisner-Feinberg, 2009/this issue) with results providing some support for the beneficial effects…

Many preschool, Head Start, and kindergarten educators of young children express concern about the number of children who exhibit frequent challenging behaviors and report that managing these behaviors is difficult within these classrooms. This article describes research-based strategies with practical applications that can be used as part of…

Preschool teachers face increasing pressure to ensure that "all" children acquire the competencies they need to start on the path to becoming successful readers in the early grades, including children who may enter preschool with exceptionally weak skills. This article describes efforts to provide individually tailored supports to relatively…

This article discusses the kinds of instructional activities that young children need to develop basic language and literacy skills based on recent research and program evaluations. This includes approaches to develop alphabetic understanding, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and oral language. Activities and materials from the Pre-kindergarten…

Authentic assessment is a growing alternative to conventional testing. This research-to-practice article describes a framework for implementing authentic assessment. The R-E-A-L framework shows how roles, equipment, assessment tools, and location can be incorporated into early childhood practices.

Although experts in early childhood mental health services make clear the need to infuse mental health services into all program components, many have suggested that the mental health services in the majority of Head Start programs are narrowly focused and that mental health consultants are often used in limited ways (see D. J. Cohen, Solnit, &…

Among risk factors associated with reading difficulties, poverty and underdeveloped oral language skills can be particularly detrimental to reading success. The City Early Reading First (CERF) project implemented a comprehensive curriculum, professional development, intensive mentoring, and home supports to enhance children's language, literacy,…