Building on extensive feedback from the field as well as vigorous new research on how best to support infant and toddler development and learning, the authors have revised and updated the widely used "Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale." ITERS-3 is the next-generation assessment tool for use in center-based child care programs for…

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…

The Saginaw Prekindergarten program for educationally disadvantaged children is designed to provide 4-year-old children with an environment that will enable them to develop skills needed for future success in school. The process evaluation conducted in 1995 consisted of an on-site, half-day classroom observation at 8 of the 15 prekindergarten…

The results of an evaluation of an educational home visiting (EHV) program in Scotland that utilized home visitors (attached to nursery schools) to promote parents' involvement in their children's educational development are presented in this report. Two assessment strategies were employed. One strategy (S1) was used to investigate the practical…

One segment of a three-year study to examine the relationship between first- and second-language acquisition in light of instructional practices is presented. The study's major focus is the development of literacy skills, including school-related language forms as well as reading and writing, and in this segment, the services delivered to language…

The study describes an experimental program in Vancouver to teach English as an additional language to older immigrants who were excluded from existing programs for one reason or another. Classes were held during the morning hours on two consecutive days for seven weeks (with a five-week extension course) in a community center; 45 adults were…