The Technology Enhanced, Research Based Instruction, Assessment, and Professional Development (TRIAD) was developed by Clements and Sarama (2009) in order to support low-income children's mathematical development in the preschool years through professional development for preschool teachers in mathematics. TRIAD includes a classroom component…

Head Start's performance standards require that the nutrition programs "serve a variety of foods which consider cultural and ethnic preferences and which broaden the child's food experience" (Head Start Program Performance Standards and Other Regulations, 2006). In this study, food service modifications were made via a participatory…

The purpose of this study is to critically investigate the association between preschool teachers' mathematics instruction and their participation in a preschool mathematics intervention program in terms of 2 perspectives. First, the study examined whether preschool teachers' participation in the preschool mathematics intervention program had…

This article describes the successful stories of the Early Mathematics Education Project at Erikson Institute in Chicago. It intends to address three questions related to the project's work: What is the purpose and scope of the program? How does the program work to enhance the mathematical competence of early childhood teachers? What are the…

An evidence-based approach to professional development used to promote Head Start teacher adoption of evidence-based early childhood intervention practices is described. The article, includes a summary of findings from a meta-analysis of adult learning methods, a description of an approach to professional development informed by the meta-analysis…

Two purposes for early childhood assessment systems are informing program development and providing accountability. Based on findings from a case study of a local Head Start program implementing the National Reporting System (NRS) in 2004-2005, we provide 5 lessons learned from experiences with the NRS that may have implications for other…

This study describes the results of an evaluation of the Individualized Learning Intervention, a mentoring program for early childhood educators. This mentoring program includes 3 components: Mentor Teacher Seminar, Mentor teachers supporting professional development of Protege teachers throughout the school year, and Mentor coordinator meetings…

The Head Start National Reporting System (NRS) exemplified an assessment system where significant ambiguity existed regarding its purpose(s). This article considers the perceived purposes of the NRS from a local program perspective through observations and interviews with staff members during the 2004-2005 school year. This study found that a…

This article addresses the impact of intensive, job-embedded mentor-coaching for 36 teachers and teaching assistants in relation to their language and literacy proficiency and the fidelity of their implementation of the Opening the World of Literacy curriculum. The literacy scores for the majority of teachers in both the treatment and comparison…

Results from a study of 100 Head Start children and their teachers suggested that teacher-child relationship quality was associated with children's classroom behaviors. Specifically, teacher-child conflict was strongly related to children's externalizing behaviors. Based on these findings, we present recommendations for the development of policies…

Early interventionists struggle with supporting parents to prepare their children to be socially successful. Systems of support in which parents matriculate through a series of progressively intensive interventions depending on their need have been identified as a potentially promising framework for delivering family support services (McIntyre &…

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…

Early childhood educators are concerned with the growing number of children who enter programs lacking social competence and exhibiting challenging behaviors. This article describes how early childhood programs in New Hampshire are addressing this challenge by adapting evidence-based School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports to meet the needs of…

This article describes the initiation of a statewide public-private partnership to expand and enhance services for infants, toddlers, and their families. It presents information regarding the initiation and implementation of the project; the program requirements, including those for professional development; and the design of a three-phase program…

Research on social skills interventions has been mixed. This study evaluates a group-administered, manualized social skills intervention program. Twenty-three boys and 9 girls between the ages of 7 and 13 participated. Participants were included in the groups based on peer relationship difficulties rather than diagnostic status, resulting in a…