When the Model Work Standards were first crafted more than two decades ago, they were built on the premise that quality child care jobs are the cornerstone of high-quality services for children and families. The intent of these standards is to make it possible for those who choose family child care as a career to reasonably and responsibly support…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Family Engagement." Contents include: (1) Effective Family Outreach in the…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Teaching Quality." Contents include: (1) Using Project-Based Learning and STEAM…

Communication between home and school is good for kids. Keeping families up-to-date about upcoming events is important, but it's not enough to fully engage parents as partners. When schools and families really work together, that sets the stage for all kinds of benefits. The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education reports that…

Engaging families in their children's growth and learning can support the healthy social, emotional, cognitive and physical development of young children. These affirmative relationships also support positive life long outcomes for children. The Kansas Family Engagement and Partnership Standards for Early Childhood provide guidance for families,…

Initiatives such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) reflect America's recent emphasis on literacy and educational accountability. Policymakers have a heightened interest in educating children earlier and fostering brain growth, in part due to the increased awareness of research on brain development and the importance of the early years…

A study examined the relationship between perceived communication competence and its importance in business organizations and the need for additional training of college business students in communication competencies. A survey was sent to all individuals who had indicated to a university center for management education and services an active…

Because many parents are beginning to recognize the need for improvement in family communication, a lecture-forum program presented in the South Louisiana area encompasses the skill of listening to children. Defining communication as any behavior that carries a message that is perceived by someone else, the program explores the difference between…

To describe those behaviors leading to productive appraisal interviews of sales representatives, questionnaires were administered to 27 branch sales managers who supervised 160 sales representatives. Eleven managers received a preliminary questionnaire asking them to cite behaviors of the sales representatives that caused productive or…

This packet contains six information pages providing basic answers to questions commonly asked by people involved with individuals who are deaf blind. The first one is on understanding deaf-blindness and addresses what the condition is, its impact on the ability to receive information, how the condition affects caregiver strategies, and what it is…

This is a participant's workbook for a workshop on coping with conflicts and targeted to married couples, especially those in young marriages, and to employees of businesses or corporations. The session titles are: (1) Mismatching Scripts; (2) Changing Scripts; (3) PIESS (Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Social, Spiritual) Needs; (4) Getting…

Guidelines are offered for using appropriate terminology to describe individuals with disabilities and for interacting with people with disabilities. A list of outdated expressions and recommended alternatives is provided. Specific suggestions are presented for interacting with people with speech impairments, deafness, visual impairments, physical…

This manual was written to empower and inform the members of community support programs in the state of Kansas. A community support group is defined as a supportive community of people which works together in partnership to help each other master the symptoms of mental illness and develop healthy and meaningful lives. The manual was designed to be…

The guide provides a brief introduction to the culture and language of the United States, and is designed for visitors, students, and business travelers. It offers practical information on various aspects of daily living, including: money and banks; food; restaurants; drinking and smoking laws; hotels; postal and telecommunications services;…

Two booklets, in English and Spanish, are addressed to disabled adults and offer guidelines for building adult relationships within the family. Stressed are the importance of feeling good about oneself, learning to make decisions, and developing good communication skills so that family balance is maintained. Also included are lists of the types of…