Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments


This book has been made possible with help from the
following people who reviewed early drafts or provided
information and guidance: Teresa Grish, a Vienna, Virginia,
homemaker; Sharon Lynn Kagan, Yale University's Bush Center in
Child Development and Social Policy; Evelyn Moore, National
Black Child Development Institute, Inc.; Cynthia Newson,
Women's Educational Equity Act Publishing Center; Douglas
Powell, Purdue University; Heather Weiss, Harvard Family
Research Project; Barbara Wilier, National Association for the
Education of Young Children; E. Dollie Wolverton, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services; Lisa Hoffman and Johna
Pierce, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Carolyn Pinney, a
Minneapolis, Minnesota, preschool teacher; Marilynn Taylor, a
St. Paul, Minnesota, freelance writer and editor; and many
individuals within the U.S. Department of Education.

Special thanks to Leo and Diane Dillon for their advice on
how to work with illustrators.



Nancy Paulu has been a writer and editor for the U.S.
Department of Education since 1986 and is the author of several
books on education reform for the Department. Previously, she
was an assistant editor of the Harvard Education Letter and a
newspaper reporter in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Quincy,
Massachusetts. She has also been a commentator and interviewer
on public television. She received her bachelor's degree from
Lawrence University and a master's degree in education from
Harvard as a Bush Leadership Fellow. She lives with her husband
and young daughter in Washington, DC.

Annie Lunsford has been a freelance illustrator since
1975. Her works include a Children's Hospital calendar, a book
for Ronald McDonald House, slide shows for the National
Institutes of Health, and a Christmas card for Ringling
Brothers. Her work has been recognized by The Advertising Club
of New York, the Society of Illustrators, and The Printing
Industry of America. Lunsford lives and works in Arlington,
Virginia.


Learning Begins Early


The road to success in school begins early. Good health,
loving relationships, and opportunities to learn all help
preschool children do well later in life. But many parents
wonder, "How can I give these things to my child?"

This book is for all of you who have asked this question.
It's for parents, grandparents, and others who want to know
what to do to help young children get ready for school.
Throughout the preschool years, you can do many simple things
to help your child grow, develop, and have fun learning. This
book:

* Describes the qualities and skills that youngsters need to
get a good start in kindergarten;

* Tells what to expect from preschoolers each year from
birth to age 5;

* Suggests easy activities that help children grow and
develop; and

* Explains how to encourage enthusiasm toward school and
teachers and make it easier for children to adjust to
kindergarten.

Special sections in the back of the book tell how to
monitor television viewing and find good programs; and explain
how to find suitable child care.

Parents and caregivers are busy people. Most of us have
many responsibilities: jobs outside the home, laundry to wash,
and groceries to buy. When we are tired and under stress, it's
often hard to feel we are being the best parents.



But however busy we may be, there are lots of things we
can do to help our children get ready for school--little things
that make a big difference. Many of them cost little or nothing
and can be done as you go about your daily routines.

Mothers and fathers aren't the only people who help
children get ready for school. Entire communities share this
job. Businesses, schools, government agencies, and religious
and civic organizations help out. So do day care providers,
doctors and other health professionals, elected officials,
relatives, and neighbors. But no one is more important than
parents, because life's most basic lessons are learned early
and at home. The first 5 years are when the groundwork for
future development is laid.