Summarizes the dialogue and issues of a joint conference on foster children attended by foster children 5-20 years old. The group explored the children's thoughts and feelings about foster care. A subsequent meeting attended by foster parents and caseworkers is also discussed. (RWB)

Summarizes findings derived from three interlocking structural equation models. The models define a set of relationships between stress and family management skills, and between parental discipline and antisocial child behavior. (PS)

A set of developmental norm data for reflexive and voluntary visual-motor development was compiled, revised after extensive clinical use, and found to have highly significant interrater agreement. Use of the resultant Erhardt Developmental Visual Assessment is illustrated with a multiply handicapped three-year-old. (Author/JDD)

Research on the cognitive development of play skills in young handicapped children is reviewed, focusing on two Piagetian styles of play--sensorimotor (exploratory) and symbolic (pretend and dramatic). The review emphasizes developmental patterns, areas of deficit, and implications for intervention in various handicapped groups. (Author/JDD)

Research studies concerning how nutrition affects educational performance are examined. From a developmental perspective it seems likely that the earlier the onset and the longer the duration of the nutritional deficiency the higher the probabilities of a cognitive deficit and poor school achievement in childhood and adolescence. (RM)

This study investigated whether Mississippi's Parents as Teachers (PAT) program was advancing parent involvement in children's learning at home and when children entered formal schooling. It focused on whether there were differences in frequency of school participation and in levels of engagement in home learning activities between parents who had…

This culturally appropriate booklet, written in English and Hmong, Laotian, Vietnamese, Nuer, Arabic, Somali, Bosnian, Russian, and Spanish, describes what to expect from birth to 5 years of age. The booklet explains that different cultures have different child rearing practices that influence the course of the child's development, and there are…

The Strong Beginnings program, initiated by the Save the Children Fund in 1991, supports community-based activities in 20 countries aimed at reconstructing educational systems in developing countries. This report presents the vision of the Strong Beginnings program, describes its components, and describes the continuing challenge to improve access…

Based on experiences gained at the Palo Alto Infant-Toddler Center and the view that quality child care for infants and toddlers depends upon nurturing, long-term connections with their caregivers, other children, and their families, this book presents strategies for interacting with young children that support the developing child as well as the…

This paper discusses preliminary results of a project investigating the phenomenon of mastery motivation with three significant groups: provider, family, and extremely premature infant. Three focus groups to determine the state of early intervention's knowledge and utilization of mastery motivation were conducted in three states. A repeated…

Intended for use with the Creative Curriculum for Early Childhood, this integrated ongoing student assessment toolkit is designed for preschool teachers to help them focus on all aspects of a child's development, thereby giving them a way to ensure that all children in their classes are making progress. The assessment kit uses a strength-based…

This fact sheet offers information on North Dakota's Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which are federally-funded comprehensive child development programs for income-eligible children and their families. The primary target population for these programs is children between the ages of 0 and 5; 5,176 such children and their families received…

Policies and proposals to promote marriage have been in the public eye for several years, driven by concern over the large percentages of U.S. children growing up with only one parent. This brief reviews the research evidence on the effects of family structure on children, as well as key trends in family structure over the last few decades. The…

New research suggests that exceptionally stressful experiences early in life may have long-term consequences for a child's learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health. Some types of "positive stress" in a child's life--overcoming the challenges and frustrations of learning a new, difficult task, for instance--can be beneficial. Severe,…

Recent advances in developmental science can teach us a great deal about the value of specific kinds of human interactions in the earliest years of life for the developing brain architecture. Animal experiments indicate that enriched environments with opportunity for frequent interaction and new experiences can help the animals' brains develop…