Growing up in poverty increases youth risk for developing aggressive behavior problems which, in turn, are associated with a host of problematic outcomes, including school drop-out, substance use, mental health problems, and delinquency. In part, this may be due to exposure to adverse school contexts that create socialization influences supporting…

In 1994, the federal Early Head Start (EHS) program was created to address the comprehensive needs of low-income pregnant women and children under age 3. EHS was launched almost 30 years after Head Start was established in 1965 to serve low-income 3- and 4-year-old children and their families with comprehensive early education and support…

Raising a child with a disability often makes it difficult to find child care. Many families learn that child care programs are simply unable to meet the special needs of their children, while specialized facilities have limited space, and specialized private care is expensive. To meet the needs of all children, Head Start and Early Head Start…

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.

The inclusion of young children with disabilities has remained a function of the Head Start program since its inception in the 1960s when the United States Congress mandated that children with disabilities comprise 10% of the Head Start enrollment (Zigler & Styfco, 2000). Standardized, norm-referenced tests used to identify children with…

The editor previews 10 articles on the effectiveness of the EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment) program, a federal effort to identify Medicaid-eligible young children with handicaps. (CL)

This volume explores whether the nation's early childhood programs are boosting child development and preparing children for schooling and proposes reforms that would improve the programs. The volume contains contrasting papers on the success of Head Start, Early Head Start, and home-visiting programs and on policies that would improve these three…

The director of the EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment) Program discusses the role of developmental assessment within the EPSDT program, and describes efforts to develop implementation guides for this component. (Author/CL)

A study undertaken by the American Orthopsychiatric Association concludes that the Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment Program as currently constituted, cannot adequately meet the urgent developmental needs of the poor children it is meant to serve. (Author/CL)

A study of five local programs in different states is said to indicate that EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment--a federal program to diagnose and remediate developmental problems in Medicaid-eligible children) is ineffective in identifying, referring and treating children with developmental problems. (CL)

A critical evaluation of the Ammons and Ammons Quick Test, a test of verbal-perceptual test which is part of the applicant screening procedure of the Job Corps. (JM)

In this monograph, methods and models for revising or developing intake and assessment activities, facilitating enrollee success, and offering other program benefits are presented. The report, divided into four chapters, describes intake and assessment in chapter 1. Intake is defined as any process controlling the enrollee's flow into a program at…