Recently, policy makers have begun to insist on evidence showing whether public investment in programs for children has achieved its desired results. No longer will it be sufficient to show that programs are meeting established standards for practice or that families are satisfied with services. Data are needed to show that services are effective.…

This guide was developed for North Carolina teachers in early childhood education and focuses on how play-based center activities in kindergarten teach literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and the arts. Development of the guide was based on educators' experiences and their understanding of how children learn. The guide's introduction…

This handbook provides an introduction to school-age child care for North Carolina public schools, an annotated bibliography on school-age child care, and information on before- and after-school child care programs in public schools. The introductory Section I focuses on the need for school-age child care and the public school's role in providing…

School reform efforts in North Carolina strive to reflect the understanding that changes in the ways young children and their families are served must be systemic and sustained. Intended to help schools evaluate their current programs and set goals for continued improvement, this guide presents program standards and quality indicators based upon…

Prevention of family violence must begin in the community, with people who care enough about others to turn their concern into action. This family violence prevention handbook provides useful information which will help individuals become more sensitive to the early warning signs of violence and more knowledgeable about legal responsibility. The…

This basic survey course for directors of day care centers in North Carolina consists of eight units based on the center director's areas of responsibility. These areas include operational planning; physical facilities; financial management; legal issues; curriculum planning; staff, parent, and community relations; and enrollment. Each unit…

A guide to identifying, placing, and instructing children with severe disabilities, including deaf-blindness, is presented. Identification and placement information focuses on locating and referring children in need of special education services, the role of committees and staff members, the individualized education program, entrance and placement…

The purpose of this "Written Language Developmental Continuum" brochure for preschool-second grade is to provide helpful information for parents, teachers, and other adults as they work with young children to advance and refine written language (writing) competence. The brochure is intended to be a useful tool for assessing children's…