This report examines the expansion of Head Start programs to include children from birth to age 3. The report notes that high-quality, comprehensive programs for families and young children have demonstrated their effectiveness in helping families raise healthy, confident, curious children and, by providing support to parents, increasing parents'…

Guidelines for conducting home visits with parents of Title I students are presented. The guidelines include the following: (1) a list of purposes for home visits; (2) suggestions for what to do and what not to do when visiting; (3) types of information that parents can provide; and (4) ways to deal with difficult situations. Additional materials…

The first of a series of hearings on child health issues was held in an effort to obtain a better understanding of the causes of the United States' low rank among industrial nations on indices of child health and prosperity and of models other nations use to improve children's health care, access to delivery systems, and cost containment. Contents…

Preliminary results of a study of the extent to which training health visitors in behavior modification techniques improves the effectiveness of their work with families of young children are presented. A total of 14 health visitors were recruited and assigned to training and delay-of-training groups. Selected from case loads, participating…

The family is the basic physical and emotional support system in American society. Dysfunction of a family member may reflect family dysfunction and certainly affects the well-being of other family members. Disturbances in the mother can have profound effects on family functioning and child development, as mothers bear most of the responsibility…

This paper discusses two early childhood education courses offered in the Department of Educational Curriculum and Instruction at Bowling Green State University. Early Childhood Competency I (ECC I) is a course offering sophomores and juniors the opportunity to work on a one-to-one basis with a youngster under the age of three years in the child's…

This study was designed to assess the needs of parents in preparing home learning environments for their young children. Subjects included 30 families (10 Anglo, 10 black, and 10 Chicano) with children from birth to 3 years of age. Data on approximately half of the families has been analyzed and is discussed. Half of the subject population had…

A breakthrough program to reach rurally isolated children to prepare them for first grade, the Appalachia Preschool Education Program was begun in September, 1968. Four-hundred fifty 3- to 5-year-olds are participating in three treatment groups: (1) children who, in or near their own homes, are shown a daily educational television program, have a…

This study investigated the decline in rate of development often observed in disadvantaged children, and compared the effectiveness of different types of intervention designed to prevent this decline. Approximately 125 infants from both middle and lower class backgrounds were recruited as subjects. Each infant was assigned to one of four…

With Project Aurora, the Elyria, Ohio, Public Library tested an alternative form of library extension, as possibly more effective and economical than a branch or bookmobile. Between July 1970 and June 1972, four nonprofessional library representatives made monthly visits to homes, to provide books, to stimulate interest in the library, and to…

Services discussed are directed toward providing relief to parents charged with full-time care of a retarded child. The manner in which this respite care can be provided are explored in areas in or out of the home, on a regular or intermittent basis, and involving additional services. Homemaker, nursing, and babysitter services, as well as foster,…

The theory underlying the measurement of intellectual growth by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and its congruence with the objectives of the Appalachia Educational Laboratory (AEL) Early Childhood Education Program is explored. The PPVT was administered to a sample of 160 3- and 4-year-old children in three treatment groups: (1)…

This report describes a technique which can be used to provide both formative and summative evaluation of television programs designed to promote educational development in 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children. The daily half-hour program evaluated is part of an Appalachia Educational Laboratory project, now in its second year. (Other project…

Findings from a study of home care services in one New York district document the value and relatively modest costs of home health care for the chronically ill and dependent elderly. Professional nurses coordinated the care, but most of the direct services were provided by home health aides and housekeepers. (MF)