SHAPES--an acronym for the South Plains Child Care Management Services (SpCCMS) Helping, Assisting and Preparing Educators and Staff--is also the name of a preschool readiness curriculum that is being developed for use by administrators and teachers. The first phase of the curriculum development consists of the publication of five books to be used…

This final report reviews activities and achievements of the "Let's Play!" project, an effort to apply assistive technology (AT) to promote the play skills of infants and toddlers with disabilities within their natural environments. The federally supported project was designed to assist county early intervention programs and developed,…

This training guide is designed to enhance the skills of Head Start staff in nurturing children by attending to them and interacting with them so they are safe as they grow and develop. Each of the guide's modules details module outcomes, key concepts, and background information. Module 1 addresses tuning in to children, focusing on building the…

This report describes a mobile training program for directors of day care centers in which weekend workshops were conducted at 6 Michigan sites. Included in the report are descriptions of the three 2-day workshop sessions on Financial and Business Management, Personnel and Parents, and Child Development and Planning which formed the core of the…

This training guide is intended to help Head Start staff promote mental health for all members of the Head Start Community, by means of activities that build skills in creating responsive, respectful relationships with co-workers, parents, and children. The guide has five working sections, the first three of which are training modules. Each of the…

This document, provided here in separate English and Spanish versions, offers guidelines for leaders implementing the "Exploring Parenting" series of workshops with Head Start parents. The guide is divided into four sections. Section 1, "Introduction," outlines the philosophy undergirding the Exploring Parenting series and…

This guide is intended for use in training Head Start staff working with families to plan and implement the program's curriculum through an individualized child development and education approach. The guide focuses specifically on enhancing staff skills in carrying out the four steps in the individualizing process: screening; evaluation; planning;…

This manual is designed for individuals responsible for training Head Start staff and parents to lead "Exploring Parenting" groups. It focuses on the role of trainers of groups of leaders and effective training methods. Chapter 1, "Approach to Training," describes the approach to training group leaders in a nonthreatening,…

This training guide is designed to enhance the skills of Head Start education staff in applying knowledge of how children grow and develop to planning, implementing, and evaluating activities and experiences in the center, at home, and during group socialization sessions. Each of the guide's modules details module outcomes, key concepts, and…