A series of eight videoconferences was designed to help educational professionals improve schools by applying knowledge gained from research. During the videoconference programs, which are transmitted by satellite to facilities with receiving capacity, viewers can interact by telephone with the program presenters. Each program covers a specific topic and each has a "content partner" (a learning center, institute, teachers' association or other group) that supplies expertise in the program area. The format of the program involves the presentation of two stories depicting classrooms or communities that have successfully integrated research with practice, and a question-and-answer session with the studio audience and remote viewers. In this document, a review of research on early childhood education is followed by an overview of the fifth program in the series, which covers the topic of meeting children's needs in early childhood education. In this program, the first story illustrates a teacher's translation of research-based concepts of children's growth and development into practice in a first grade class. The second story illustrates the ways in which staff, parents, and community members support developmentally appropriate practices in a primary education center in California. A series of follow-up activities relevant to the topic of children's needs is described. Additional materials include biographical information on videoconference participants, a list of resources on early childhood, a glossary of terms, a reference list of 25 items, and a form for evaluating the videoconference series. (BC)