This article examines the current status of dance education in North Carolina. Key issues impacting dance, including public school laws and policies, the impact of state and national accountability movements, graduation requirements, and health initiatives, are identified and described. Specific events that have shaped the status of dance…

Substances in the environment that are potentially harmful to children's health and development, from conception onward, include metals such as lead and mercury, pesticides, indoor air pollution, residues of synthetic chemicals, radiation from the sun, nuclear sources, and air pollution. Children's exposures to these substances, as well as…

Emerging research suggests that exposure to environmental pollutants, prenatally and in early childhood, may contribute significantly to diseases and disabilities. For example, exposures to mercury or lead early in life can impact the nervous system and brain, potentially contributing to learning, behavioral, and developmental disabilities. The…

The Hmong population in the US has grown since 1975. According to the 2000 US census, there are more than 160,000 Hmong living in the US. New waves of Hmong immigrants are re-settling in the US. Over 15,000 Hmong have come to the US from Thailand as refugees since summer 2004. California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are the States with the highest…

Substantial scientific evidence supports the role of physical activity in disease prevention and healthy lifestyle promotion, and quality physical education represents our best opportunity to provide all children with experiences that promote physical activity now and for a lifetime. The purpose of this article is to document the need for quality…

This paper estimates linear structural models using LISREL and employs MIMIC models to find out factors determining child health in Pakistan. A distinction has been made in permanent and transitory health states that lend support to Grossman's (1972) stock and flow concepts of health. The paper addresses the issue of health unobservability and…

Enjoyment and mood affection are considered to be main targets of intervention to promote physical activity (PA). Health education based on PA is seeking to explore the factors that affect children to foster and retain healthy habits. This study recognizes that the teaching methodology is crucial and attempts to investigate the effect two…

The follow-up to Pianta & Cox's groundbreaking "The Transition to Kindergarten," this book updates readers on what has happened in early childhood education in the past seven years; clarifies influential changes in demographics, policies, and practices; and describes promising early education programs and policies. More than 30 highly respected…

Excessive exposure to sunlight during early childhood increases the risk of developing skin cancer. Self-administered questionnaires exploring sun-protection knowledge, practices and policy were mailed to the directors/co-ordinators/senior teachers of all known early childhood services in Queensland, Australia, in 2002 (n = 1383; 56.5% response).…

Families In Recovery Staying Together (FIRST) is a team from Children's Hospital and Research Center at Oakland that has joined in collaboration with two local perinatal residential drug treatment programs to create early childhood mental health services at those sites. The authors highlight the collaboration strategies and challenges the partners…

The Zero Exposure Project is a public awareness campaign in Hillsborough County, Florida, designed to educate the public on the dangers of combining substance use with pregnancy. The authors describe the process of building the campaign from its original conception and share the challenges and successes of their collaborations with community…

This article presents an analysis of the factors shaping implementation of the Children Act (2004). Specific attention is given to examining the reoccurring themes and debates generated through a number of child abuse inquiries. A connection is made between these themes and debates and the emergence of the "Every Child Matters" agenda.…

The purpose of the present study is to examine associations between quality of teacher-child relationships from preschool through third grade and children's third-grade achievement using Phases I, II, and III data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Care and Education, a prospective study of 1,364…

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in detecting emotional and behavioural problems among children with chronic illness (CI). Methods: Parents and teachers of a population of primary school children in Norway (n = 9430) completed a…

This year's "Report Card" breaks new ground by providing "The Children's Agenda", which details the top ten high-priority, high-impact actions California policymakers should take to reverse the declining status of children. It's clear any sound plan to revitalize the state must prioritize children's development. California's history backs this up,…