Examining why the United States is one of the few advanced democratic market societies that do not offer child care as a universal public benefit or entitlement, this book is a comprehensive history of child care policy and practices in the United States from the colonial period to the present. The book shows why the current child care system…

This paper discusses how today's children must be prepared to meet the challenge of the information age, stressing the importance of cultivating the whole child and noting the teacher's role in this endeavor. The first section describes basic education in China, focusing on required schooling, the curriculum, textbooks, examinations, and moral…

This final report describes achievements and activities of Project SELF (Supports for Early Learning Foundations), a federally funded project in New Mexico which developed, evaluated, and replicated an innovative model that provides strategies for early interventionists and families to support early learning foundations. The project identified…

A study examined the effect parental involvement through reading had on kindergarten achievement. Educators and parents today want to know how they can form home and school partnerships to benefit the children. Studies have shown that children whose parents are involved in their education have greater success in school. The study compared the…

Recognizing the valuable early learning experiences that children encounter at home or in various preschool settings, this guide presents a curriculum framework for children aged 3 to 5 years in Scottish early years settings. The guide extends the advice offered in "A Curriculum Framework for Children in Their Pre-School Year" and…

Uninformed of the power of play as an educational tool, many people view play as a waste of time and call for a return to teaching basic academic skills during the period of early childhood. This chapter demonstrates that play is a major vehicle for learning, focusing on the dynamics of sociodramatic interaction that are integral to understanding…

Theories of development in childhood maintain that equality plays an important role in peer interactions during middle childhood. One particular situation that can provoke problems is the request for help. Helping is not an easy situation because an individual's need for something creates an imbalance which children try to avoid. This study…

First Steps is a program instituted by the Western Australia Ministry of Education to improve the literacy and numeracy of primary school students, particularly those at risk of academic failure. First Steps is organized around reading, writing, spelling, and oral language; children's skills are organized along developmental continua. These…

This book synthesizes information from a range of scientific disciplines, including neuroscience, developmental psychology, and psychiatry, to explore the idea that the mind emerges at the interface of interpersonal experience and the structure and function of the brain. Each chapter explores a major domain of human experience. Following an…

The Child Development and Behavior Branch (CDBB), within the Center for Research for Mothers and Children, has grown in the past four years from supporting five programs to supporting seven, with a concomitant increase in the number of grants of more than 50 percent, and a corresponding increase of more than 87 percent in overall funding. During…

Article discusses the benefits of providing children with an educational environment that allows students to develop from their own motivation rather than at the direction of the teacher. (RK)

Discusses social development stages of middle childhood and peer-group relations, noting demands of group conformity. Presents aspects of cognitive and physical development as well as implications for providing effective guidance and counseling services. (RC)

Studied a rare condition, elective mutism in children. Results indicated (1) immature development, especially in speech; (2) high rates of behavior problems; (3) excessive shyness; (4) significantly greater incidence of lower range performance IQ; (5) family psychiatric problems; and (6) intractibility. (Author/DB)

Offers selected ERIC references on the application of Piagetian theory and the use of Piagetian tasks in beginning reading/language arts instruction. (RL)