Two aspects of a 9-year research study initiated in July 1983 by the Singapore Institute of Education are described. The first part describes the initial 3-year phase of a longitudinal study aimed at investigating some important cognitive and social developmental processes of preschool children at different ages and relating them to certain…

Several factors are eroding children's right to play. The first is continuing poverty throughout the world. This factor is evident in underdeveloped countries and the inner cities of industrialized countries. Changing cultural values are a second factor in developed societies where indifference toward the importance of play is prevalent. The many…

Practical tips for improving the quality of child care are offered in this guide. It presents early childhood research findings in everyday language and suggests ways to apply these findings with active learning experiences for children. Developmentally appropriate, holistic activities are presented for key areas. The first five parts of the book…

This report describes the progress of the "Way to Grow School Readiness Program," a program implemented in several cities in Minnesota to promote intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development and school readiness of children to age 5. The program coordinates and improves access to community-based and neighborhood-based…

This practicum addressed the problem of families having insufficient skills and resources necessary for locating information about the physical, socioemotional, and academic development of their young children in an early intervention program. The practicum's goal was to help parents acquire these necessary skills and resources. A family resource…

The relationship of time spent in either Montessori or traditional preschool programs to the preschooler's development in five parameters was studied. The five parameters were: (1) personal skills; (2) relationship with teachers; (3) peer relations; (4) behavioral control; and (5) cognitive skills. A review of the literature on Montessori and…

This report describes a 2-year study of the effects of various lighting systems on elementary school students' dental health, attendance, growth and development, vision, and academic achievement. The four light types used were: (1) full spectrum fluorescent; (2) full spectrum fluorescent with ultraviolet light supplements; (3) cool white…

Schools and business must unite to make all the changes needed to ensure the success of all children. Social change, particularly the increase in single-parent families, has resulted in more children being born at risk of school failure. Most early childhood education reform initiatives have been piecemeal and have lacked a true understanding of…

A challenge for the 1990s is the implementation of prevention strategies that strengthen protective factors in families, schools, and communities. Protective factors refer to positive action strategies that build resiliency in youth. After a brief overview of protection factor research, the major protective factors that contribute to the…

This manual describes the results of a 3-year research project at George Washington University (District of Columbia) called the Assessment as Intervention Project, which explored approaches to parent-sensitive developmental follow-up for prematurely born infants who received neonatal intensive care and their families (N=25). After an…

This research compared how elementary school teachers and professors of developmental psychology organize knowledge about child development. It compared them in the light of two hypotheses: (1) compared to professors, teachers are "novices" about developmental psychology; and (2) compared to professors, teachers have…

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize and summarize the basic conclusions of literature concerning the effects of day care on infants and young children. The first section of the document briefly indicates limitations of day care research. The second section offers research-based generalizations concerning the effects of day care on…

The curriculum was developed by the First Years Together program, a demonstration service and training model providing coordinated medical, educational, mental health, and public health services to maximize the social-emotional, physical, and cognitive development of high risk infants. The first chapter provides instructions for use of the…

This paper presents Rudolf Steiner's maturational readiness theory of human physiopsychology and comments on education in the Waldorf Schools. Discussion asserts that Steiner's concept of human development is complex and that intensive study is required for even a superficial understanding of "the four members of man": the physical,…

To ensure a positive prognosis, the recovering female alcoholic requires family therapy as an adjunct to her regular treatment program. Research indicates that the characteristics affecting a person's ability to secure and use treatment include (1) predisposing factors; (2) attitudes toward alcohol and health care; (3) personal enabling factors;…