This study examined the impact on parents of the Parents as Teachers early intervention program. Participating were three groups of parents, matched on demographic variables. One group of 21 parents received in-home support and training from parent educators (PAT) during the first 36 months of their child's life. The purpose of the training was to…

McCosh Even Start is a federally funded project at McCosh School in an inner-city Chicago neighborhood and is administered as a partnership between Northeastern Illinois University and the Chicago Public Schools. The program's goals are to help parents: (1) become involved with the school by becoming comfortable at the school, making friends, and…

Noting that reading aloud to preschool children significantly influences their reading development, this master's thesis examines the many benefits from reading aloud to preschoolers. The thesis reviews research indicating that when parents read aloud, they help their children learn vocabulary, complex sentence structure, and story structure.…

Based on developmentally appropriate practices, research, NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) standards, and Head Start guidelines, the Teaching Your Young Child Series is a videotape and print parent curriculum that gives parents the skills to help their children be more successful in school. The curriculum, intended…

All parents want the best school experience for their children. This booklet, presented in both English and Spanish, offers parents specific strategies to provide their children a good foundation for beginning reading. The guide first answers the question, "How Can I Help My Child Be Ready To Read and Ready To Learn?" with emergent literacy…

This bilingual multimedia program was developed to provide preschool educators with the tools needed to help preschoolers develop literacy skills and to involve parents in the process. Contained in this English- and Spanish-language program are the following: (1) a bilingual videocassette for use with adults in parent workshops to help them…

Mother-infant interaction creates a context for socioemotional, behavioral, and cognitive development. This study used the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS) and the Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale (NCATS) to examine mother-infant interaction in Japanese dyads. Subjects were residing in Hikkaido, Japan, and assessments were…

This book discusses parent-school cooperation, suggesting that parent stories are an effective tool for accessing knowledge to benefit parent-teacher relationships. The book defines stories as narratives gained from open-ended conversations and/or interviews, where parents answer questions that illuminate traditional and nontraditional early…

The state of Maine has made a commitment to expand current programs for families with young children to ensure that the state is doing all that it can to help children reach their highest potential. This document is comprised of the June 1998 report of a Maine task force to study strategies to support parents as children's first teachers and the…

Noting the important role that parents can play in preparing their child to learn to read, the Read, Educate and Develop Youth (READY) Reading Plan for Michigan provides kits to parents of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The kits contain suggestions for age-appropriate activities parents can do with their children to help them learn. In…

Describes a program for parents and preschool teachers that has produced positive results in emergent reading behaviors in young children with developmental disabilities. Essential program elements include parents as literacy role models, frequent and regular exploration of print, interactions with adults in reading situations, and family…

Examines the legal context of home schooling. Briefly explains why parents educate their children at home, reviews the history of the phenomenon; considers compulsory attendance laws, and analyzes the legal status of home schooling in the United States. (10 references) (LMI)

Compared to conventionally schooled children, home-schooled children do as well or better academically; they are well adjusted socially, find employment, and go on to further education. Communication technologies allow children to learn academic foundations at home. Discusses parents' reasons for choosing home schooling, legal status in various…

Examined the relationship between high risk mothers' teaching interactions with their 20- and 36-month-olds, and their children's behavior in first grade. Found that maternal teaching scores were correlated with children's social behaviors as assessed by their teacher, and with children's cognitive ability as measured on a standardized…

In this commentary on a previous article that revealed modest and inconsistent results of the Parents as Teachers program, program evaluation work is urged to move beyond simply measuring intervention outcomes to examining the complex interactions between family and child characteristics, intervention goals addressed, processes employed by…