This study presents an empirically-based statewide system that links information about pre-kindergarten programs with children’s school readiness scores to certify pre-kindergarten classrooms as promoting school readiness. Over 8,000 children from 1,255 pre-kindergarten classrooms were followed longitudinally for one year. Pre-kindergarten quality indicators of intentional instruction, an early...

Children's kindergarten experiences are increasingly taking place in full- versus part-day programs, yet important questions remain about whether there are significant and meaningful benefits to full-day kindergarten. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study's Kindergarten Cohort (N= 13,776), this study takes a developmental approach to examining associations between kindergarten program ty...

Concern about kindergarten retention is on the rise within the current climate of high-stakes testing and escalating kindergarten expectations. Kindergarten retention has been linked in previous research to various risk factors such as poverty, low maternal education, single parent status, minority status, English language learner (ELL) status, and male gender. However, these factors are also a...

Kindergarten ―redshirting‖—the decision to delay a child‘s kindergarten entry—may have consequences both for the redshirted child and for other children whose grade cohort will be affected. We use longitudinal data from a nationally-representative sample of children born in 2001 to estimate the prevalence of redshirting, its relationship to family and child characteristics, and its impact on th...

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of social preference and perceived acceptance as moderators of the relation between child temperament and externalizing behavior. Participants included 399 children evaluated at pre-kindergarten and kindergarten assessments. Pre-kindergarten children characterized by high temperamental Surgency/Extraversion were more likely to exhibit hyperactiv...

Title of Document: THE IMPACT OF PARENTING PRACTICES AND EARLY CHILDHOOD CURRICULA ON CHILDREN’S ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SOCIAL COMPETENCE Anne Townsend Kessenich, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 Directed By: Professor Sandra L. Hofferth Department of Family Studies Current research highlights the importance of early social competence for later academic success. Nevertheless, despite that documente...

Little is known about kindergarten students' active school transportation (AST) and stroller/wagon use as sedentary travel devices. The primary objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence of kindergarten children arriving to school by active and sedentary modes, including strollers, in Toronto elementary schools and compare to students in kindergarten to grade 6 (K-6...

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to investigate obesity status and associated health risk behaviors in a sample of German kindergarten teachers. At present, such data are not available, despite the fact that kindergarten teachers educate children at a formative time in their lives. METHODS Kindergarten teachers aged 18-62 years (n = 313) were invited to participate in the Kindergarten Teac...

Obesity is the most common chronic pediatric disease in westernized, especially low socioeconomic societies. We previously demonstrated the beneficial effects of a kindergarten dietary-physical activity intervention applied by the kindergarten teachers, on nutrition and physical activity knowledge and preferences, fitness, and BMI (Body Mass Index) percentile, even one year after the end of int...

Nearly all school-age children in the United States attend kindergarten, and approximately three-quarters of kindergarten students are in full-day classrooms. While there have been dramatic increases in provision of and participation in full-day kindergarten, there is little evidence on the impact and cost-effectiveness of such programs and policies, particularly as compared to other types of i...