Early reading exposure is important in setting a foundation for students to acquire the basic literacy skills that set them up for school and life success. More importantly, parent involvement at an early age is a critical component of reading skills development. This report presents an overview of the Reading Together Program that introduced…

By utilizing all of the voices of homeless children and families we can gain a better understanding of their needs and thus be more effective in designing programs that can support them in becoming more independent. This article reviews the importance of the voices of homeless preschool children and their parents as well that of the professionals…

This article describes kindergarten from the perspective of the whole child. Specifically, it reviews current research on best practices to improve children's math and language arts competencies, memory skills, and the role of kindergarten in beginning science. It also describes the social experiences children have in kindergarten with respect to…

Engaging young children in literacy activities at home is one way for families to augment and enrich the home literacy setting and to participate in their child's education at an early age (St. Pierre et al. in "Dev Psychol" 41(6): 953-970, 2005). Burgess et al. ("Read Res Quart" 4(4): 408-426, 2002) suggested that the resources families have at…

The purpose of this article is to help teachers become more responsive to the changing needs and contexts of families in their efforts to establish relationships and encourage family participation. Through this article, the authors describe the changing landscape of parenting and the stressors experienced by contemporary families. The authors then…

The notion that parent involvement impacts student learning outcomes for children who are at risk for failing academically has been supported by prominent early childhood education experts. Recent attention has been given to specific ways parents can help increase student learning through their interactions with children as they complete home…

Parents of children with special needs face many challenges. One of the challenges is the placement of their children in inclusive early childhood education settings. This article explores these challenges and offers practical suggestions regarding the involvement and support of parents of children with special needs in the placement of their…