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This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a federally funded program designed to improve the quality of personnel preparation in the State of Florida and in the nation. The project supported students of Haitian background to participate in a master's degree program aimed at preparing highly skilled teachers of young children with disabilities, many of whom may come from homes where English is not the only language. While a portion of the coursework focused on infants and toddlers ages birth through 2, the major focus was to prepare personnel to work with children with disabilities ages 3 through 5. This interdisciplinary program consisted of specialized courses in early childhood special education (ECSE), specialized courses in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), and supervised practicums in schools and centers serving young children with disabilities (birth to five) and their families. Evaluation results describing the strengths and weaknesses of the program and recommendations for improvement are included. (SG)

This final report describes the objectives, activities and outcomes of a federally funded project that was designed to provide a high quality, interdisciplinary graduate degree program in Early Childhood Special Education with an emphasis on Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ECSE/TESOL) at the University of Miami, Florida. A portion of the coursework focused on infants and toddlers with disabilities, birth through two. However, the major focus was to prepare personnel to work with children with disabilities, aged three to five, including those who may come from homes where English is not the primary language. The report describes: (1) recruitment strategies used by the program; (2) advising, financial and administrative support given to the students during their course of study; (3) coursework, field and practicum/internship experiences offered by the program; (4) program evaluation methods and results; and (5) suggestions for improvement. Advisory board evaluation feedback identified the following as strengths of the program: (1) key personnel in the program; (2) the practicum/internship experience; and (3) student support in the form of tuition assistance. Suggestions for improvement included: (1) longer practicum experiences; (2) hands-on workshops on feeding, positioning, and handling medically fragile children; (3) administering assessment instruments; (4) constructing classroom materials; and (5) a practicum/internship orientation meeting with the University of Miami supervisors to review guidelines and requirements. (SG)

A total of 103 children 2 through 6 years of age were interviewed and 73 of their parents and 60 preschool teachers completed a questionnaire about their perceptions of play. Most parents defined play as something for fun or amusement, while teachers saw it both as fun and as an opportunity for cognitive and social development. Both parents and teachers said they promoted play by providing a variety of materials and parents also said they played with their children. The majority of teachers did not view play as an integral part of the curriculum, but instead described a learn/play dichotomy. Parents did not support the idea of a large amount of time in preschool being spent in play. Children's favorite play activities according to children and their parents and teachers were outdoor play, dramatic play, blocks, and art activities. (Author/RH)

A total of 203 teachers of 5-year-olds in public school kindergartens representing 35 states responded to a questionnaire about traditional circle games. The teachers were asked to identify three of the favorite traditional circle games used in their classrooms and to indicate how often and how long the games were played. In addition, teachers were provided with a list of major purposes for including games in the curriculum, and asked to rank the purposes for the games they had identified. The most common pairing of estimates of frequency and duration was that of three times per week at 30 minutes per game. The three major purposes for which traditional circle games were played were those of providing fun, and fostering social and physical motor development. Music-movement and racing games were the major game categories mentioned. Specifically, "Duck, Duck, Goose,""Farmer in the Dell," and "Hokey Pokey" were the three most frequently identified traditional circle games named by respondents. Six data tables are included. (Author/RH)