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…

The purpose of the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) program is to improve the quality of early learning and development and close the achievement gap for children with high needs. The RTT-ELC grant competition focuses on improving early learning and development for young children by supporting States' efforts to increase the…

This report describes activities related to establishing and providing technical assistance to nine new state Individually Guided Education (IGE) networks, providing technical assistance to fourteen state IGE networks operating prior to July 1974, conducting fifteen leadership workshops and establishing four regional IGE institutes. Attention is…

Programs and activities for young children in Texas are reported, based on data collected from the state agencies who administer these programs. Two sections are presented, the first dealing with early childhood development in the state, and the second with a survey of state agency programs. A history of federal and state involvement is followed…

Expressing concern for the quality of care supported by Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) funds, welfare reform legislation required states to set aside at least 4 percent of their total grant to improve child care quality and availability. In preparation for reauthorizing CCDF, this General Accounting Office report was commissioned to…

Noting that communities and states all across America are working to achieve the first National Education Goal--by the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn--this paper provides information on efforts to meet that goal. The first portion of the paper presents a definition of readiness to learn devised by the Education…

This report offers an assessment of the status of child development programs in Vermont based on information gathered by the Interagency Council on Child Development which was created by the Vermont legislature in 1974. Program descriptions for each state department, division and agency represented on the Council, and several not represented, are…

This issue of "The Future of Children" focuses on the daily care of infants and toddlers in the United States, including shifting caregiving arrangement for children younger than 3 years, developmental needs of infants and toddlers, findings of recent child care studies, public opinion regarding child care, and recent innovations seeking…

This guide to the Child Development Specialist (CDS) Program of the Oregon public schools is intended for districts considering the establishment of CDS programs of their own. Suggestions for establishing a program are drawn from experiences of primary-grade pilot projects in six Oregon school districts. The essence of the CDS Program is…

This report presents activities of the Family Connection initiative in Georgia, whose aim is systemic change and improvement in child health, child development, family functioning, school performance, and family economic capacity. Section 1, "The National Context," illustrates how Family Connection efforts reflect a national recognition…

The Louisiana Department of Education provides formalized preschool programs for handicapped children in 65 public schools, with 40 of those programs serving sparsely populated areas. The statewide program was evaluated from January 1985 to June 1986 using a multiple-model research design that included data collection via 39 program visits, 59…

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 provides descriptive information on the Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation Program of the Office of Child Development (OCD) for Fiscal Year 1976. An overview describing the mission, function and long range goals of the OCD is included along with a discussion of the Research, Demonstration and Evaluation Program and its activities…

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…