Compared preschool and kindergarten teachers' expectations for children's verbal interaction. Found that preschool teachers encouraged more talking than did kindergarten teachers. Teachers who reported they encouraged children's verbal participation during teacher-directed activities were also more tolerant of verbal infractions than those who did…

Examined the relationship between variation in 840 children's cognitive activities and child-care quality, interaction with teachers, and children's play activities and attachment security with their child-care teachers. In 7 of the 8 subsamples, 15 to 30% of the variability in cognitive activities could be predicted from positive social…

Explored premature, low-birth-weight infants' experience with early intervention at home and at day-care centers, and intervention effects on child and parental outcomes in the Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP). Number of contacts, number of activities per visit, and parental interest in activities influenced scores for IQ and Home…

Two studies examined the effect of school entrance age on the social acceptance and self-perceptions of kindergarten and first-grade children. Teachers' ratings and peer nominations described initial social problems in youngest children, which were overcome by first grade. Found no differences in self-reported school adjustment, loneliness,…

Examined 14 low-income mothers' socialization goals for their preschool children and the role of child-care providers in achieving those goals. Subjects' views of preschool learning were not entirely congruent with a constructivist approach to learning, and were linked to other cultural models of childrearing, including respecting authority,…

Examined effect of bilingual preschool education on the Spanish and English language development of Spanish-speaking children. Found that, compared to children who remained at home, children enrolled in preschool gained proficiency in English at a faster rate while maintaining a comparable level of Spanish proficiency. (HTH)

Examined development of young children's psychomotor behaviors on outdoor swings, devising a Guttman hierarchical scale. Found that children consolidate basic movements into proficient swinging skills, and then experiment with the physical properties of the swing and with the social context. Modeling, informal instruction, and practice contribute…

Investigated effects of day-care quality--in interaction with child and family characteristics--on socioemotional development at 29 months and again at 4 years. Results showed a main effect of day-care quality on expressions of positive emotions. Interactive effects were demonstrated for several of the other indicators of socioemotional…

Examined effects of preschool attendance on school achievement scores and out-of-school activities for second- and third-grade children, of whom 125 had attended preschool, and 71 had not. Findings indicated that for males, preschool attendance had a significant effect on later school achievement scores, especially in language-related areas.…

Results of a study on the relationship between children's sociomoral development and the sociomoral atmospheres of three types of kindergarten classrooms suggest the possibility that heavily academic, teacher-centered programs hinder children's development of interpersonal understanding and their broader social-cognitive and moral development. (LB)

Recent emphases on school readiness and standardized testing have resulted in educational practices with negative consequences for children. These practices include a higher school entry age, grade retention, transition programs, and the practice of enrolling children in kindergarten when they are six, rather than five, years old. (BC)

Examined the effect of several variables on children's academic readiness at the end of kindergarten. Results indicated that age of entry into school and number of years in preschool predicted academic readiness. Children who entered preschool by age four scored higher on readiness measures than those who entered at age five. (BC)

Investigated the effects of kindergarten schedules and preschool experience on elementary school students' success. Results indicated that children who attended preschool experienced greater success in elementary school than those who did not. Childrens' participation in full-day kindergarten was positively related to their school performance…