Selected Full-Text Documents

Colorado Children's Campaign

• KidsCount in Colorado! 2005 State Snapshot
  http://www.coloradokids.org/includes/downloads/colorado2005.pdf
• KidsCount in Colorado!  2006 Report
  http://www.coloradokids.org/includes/downloads/1_kidscount2006.pdf
• KidsCount in Colorado! 2002 County Report Cards
  http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeadult/download/pdf/KidsCountCountyRptCards02.pdf
• KidsCount in Colorado! 2001
  http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/26/08/f2.pdf

ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation
Seven Myths about Literacy in the United States. ERIC/AE Digest
http://ericae.net/scripts/seget2.asp?db=ericft&want=http://ericae.net/ericdc/ED423313.htm
The purpose of this digest is to investigate myths about literacy achievement in the United States.

ERIC Digests

• Hispanic Parent Involvement in Home Literacy (Nov 2000)
  http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/2a/31/83.pdf
  There are many factors that involve a child's academic development.  This article provides some help hints as well as resources for parents and teachers.
• Empowering Parents as Reading Tutors: An Example of a Family  School Partnership for Children's Literacy Development (2003)
  http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/22/51/a3.pdf
  It is important that parents are involved in their child's education.  Home literacy is important because research suggests that this will improve a children's reading ability.  This article highlights why parents can be effective reading tutors.
• Open the Preschool Door, Close the Preparation Gap (Sept 2004)
  http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/32/2e/da.pdf
  From the Progressive Policy Institute, this document emphasizes the importance of preschool, why preschools work, and offers suggestions for creating a child friendly environment.
• Ambientes de lenguaje y alfabetizacion en programas preescolares (Language and Literacy Environments in Preschools) (Nov 2002)
  http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/2a/38/48.pdf
  The research on preschool literacy environments is discussed  and their contributions to reading skills development. This document is in Spanish.
• The Long Term Effects and Cost-Effectiveness of Success For All (Oct 2001)
  http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/0d/a8/a8.pdf
  Results of Success For All (SFA), a school reform program that promotes early literacy for at-risk students.  This report looks at the benefits and costs of programs like this.

National Academy Press

• Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children (1998)
  http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/reading/#sum
  A landmark study on conditions under which reading is most likely to develop easily, including stimulating preschool environments,  excellent reading instruction, and the absence of risk factors.
• Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Children's Reading Success (1999)
  http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/sor/index.html
  This document focuses on children from birth through the first years of school and describes key aspects of  language and literacy for children and activities that help develop literacy.

National Center for Education Statistics

• Characteristics of Children Attending Early Childhood Programs
  http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=78
  Percentage of three year olds enrolled in center-based programs by race and income.
• Child Care and Early Education Program Participation of Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
  http://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/web/95824.asp
  Brief statistics of the percentage of children under six years of age participating in child care and early education  programs.
• Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-8 Countries
  http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007006
  This report describes how the education system in the United States compares with education systems in the other G-8 countries.
• Condition of Education 2003
  http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2003067
  This report summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The indicators presented in the report represent a consensus of professional judgment on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education for which accurate data are available.
• Demographic Changes and Literacy Development in a Decade (March 2000)
  http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/200009.pdf
  A look at three interrelated topics about literacy, this paper tries to project future changes in demographic information in literacy.
• Early Literacy Experiences in the Home
  http://nces.ed.gov/pubs99/1999003.pdf
  Percentage of children ages 3-5 who participated in literacy activities with family members: 1991, 1995, and 1996.
• Preprimary Education Enrollment
  http://nces.ed.gov/pubs99/1999004.pdf
  Data from Children's programs such as Head Start, nursery school, and pre-kindergarten.

The National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
Study of Early Child Care (SECC) and Youth Development
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/od/secc/index.htm
The most comprehensive child care study conducted to determine how variations in child care are related to children's development. Children in 10 child care study sites in the U. S.  were followed for the first seven years of their lives. This report presents findings on the relationship between child care and children's development through the age of three.

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory
Critical Issue: Addressing the Literacy Needs of Emergent and Early Readers
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/reading/li100.htm
The theoretical and research-based  knowledge of child development in general and of literacy development in particular are addressed in this document. This provides an understanding of literacy acquisition by young children and the report suggests strategies that  can help children become successful readers and writers.

Pediatrics Electronic Journal

• Child Centered Literacy Orientation: A Form of Social Capital?
  http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/abstract/103/4/e55
  The results of this study confirm that interventions which provide children's books and  information about reading with children to impoverished families may facilitate more parent-child book sharing. Pediatricians and others serving low-income families have a unique opportunity to encourage activities focusing  on young children and promoting literacy.
• Literacy Promotion for Hispanic Families in a Primary Care Setting: A Randomized, Controlled Trial
  http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/abstract/103/5/993
  In this random trial, Hispanic parents who were  given age-appropriate bilingual children's books, handouts on the benefits of reading to children, and literacy guidance were more likely to read books with their child at least 3 days a week.

RAND Institute
Researchers evaluated nine programs that promoted healthy early child development and  education, primarily of disadvantaged children, to determine if these programs benefited the children and if the programs might result in government savings in the long run.

• RAND Research Brief--Early Childhood Interventions: Benefits, Costs, and Savings
  http://www.rand.org/publications/RB/RB5014
• RAND Full Report--Investing in Our Children: What We Know and Don't Know About the Costs and Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions
  http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR898

The Talking Page Literacy Organization
Early Childhood Development from Two to Six Years of Age
http://www.talkingpage.org/artic012.html
Physical, motor, and perceptual development of children two to six years of age is discussed, along with language acquisition and social and emotional development. A section  on cognitive development or "paradoxes of the preschool mind" reports on imitation, memory, play, and complex thinking.

United Kingdom, Department for Education and Employment
Language Needs or Special Needs? The Assessment of Learning Difficulties in Literacy Among Children Learning English as an Additional Language: A Literature Review
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR184.doc
By Tatheer Shamsi and Tony Cline, Copyright 2000. It is important to identify special educational needs (SEN) in literacy in order to provide appropriate help at an early stage and avoid problems later on in a child’s education. But there are obstacles to achieving effective identification in the case of children learning English as an additional language (EAL). The main aim of the review is to identify and appraise key findings on successful approaches to identification and assessment.

U.S. Census Bureau

• Primary Child Care Arrangements for Preschoolers
  http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/childcare.html
  Various reports with information on child care costs and arrangements from 1977 to present.
• Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Winter 2002
  http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/p70-101.pdf
  The child care data presented in these detailed tables come from the 2002 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Panel.
• State Estimates of Child Care Establishments: 1977 - 1997
  http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0055.html
  Although not an official Census Bureau publication, this paper does report the results of research and analysis undertaken by Census Bureau Staff and covers information on the availability of child care centers and providers.
• Weekly Child Care Costs
  http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/child/cctab2.txt
  Weekly child care costs paid by families with employed mothers, 1985 to 1993.

U. S. Department of Education

• America Reads Challenge (July 1999)
  Start Early, Finish Strong: How to Help Every Child Become a Reader
  http://www.ed.gov/pubs/startearly/ch_2.html
  The majority of the report identifies how schools and communities can help children learn to read. A significant  portion is devoted to building skills through early care and education. Successful early programs are highlighted.
• Early Childhood Update
  Language and Literacy Development  (1997) [OERI Archives]
  http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/research.html
  A summary of testimony to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce describes how children learn to read and why many have difficulty. The report concludes that success in  learning to read is based in large part on developing language and literacy-related skills very early in life.
• Building Knowledge for a Nation of  Learners: A Framework for Education Research  Chapter 2  Early Childhood Learning [OERI Archives]
  http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/research.html
  Chapter 2 discusses research priorities in early childhood education and asks questions relevant to improving the quality of early care and education.
• How Are the Children? Report on Early Childhood Development and Learning  (Sept 1999)
  http://www.ed.gov/pubs/How_Children/index.html
  This publication focuses on public and governmental  attention on the importance of the early years in child development and learning, emphasizing 10 key lessons. New brain research is discussed as it relates to development and the need for high quality child care is emphasized.

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
Head Start - Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES)
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/budget/AdvCmteSep05/faces.htm
FACES is a national longitudinal study of the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of Head Start children; the characteristics, well-being, and accomplishments of families; the observed quality of Head Start classrooms; and the characteristics, needs, and opinions of Head Start teachers and other program staff.

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