Head Start hiring practices and facilities must also be in compliance with the guidelines included in the Americans with Disabilities Act that took effect in 1992 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

During the screening and interviewing process it is important to remember that people with professional training in health, education, and social services may be needed for some staff positions. However, highly motivated parents and others from the local community without such training but with related life experiences can be effective home visitors. The program may want to enroll staff in the CDA Home Visitor training as soon as possible. A home visitor's individual career development plan can incorporate improvement of reading and writing skills. Be cautious in hiring home visitors with

limited literacy skills who may need special help with planning their visits, finding and using resources, and record keeping.

Applicants should be aware that home visitors travel constantly and work with a variety of adults and children. Many families face serious challenges, so the work can be physically and emotionally demanding.

Serving Families in the Home-Based Program Option

New agencies, as well as those converting all or part of their center-based programs, must determine how many families can be served in the home-based option. Full-time home visitors can prepare for, visit, and follow-up on between 10 to a maximum of 12 families per 40 hour work week.

In setting up individual case loads, consider:

· Transportation;
· Likelihood of family turnover;
· Location of community resources including facilities for group socialization;
· Local and individual situations; and
· Distance home visitor must travel.

All Head Start staff, in addition to the home visitors, will need training in the Home-Based Program Option. Component coordinators, home-based supervisory staff, and Policy Council should be included. All will need to know the philosophy of the home-based option and understand the differences and similarities in center-based and home-based options. For specifics regarding training of all groups, see Chapter Four of the Head Start Home-Based Supervisor's Guide.

Recruitment. The Social Services component staff is responsible for recruitment of Head Start families. However, home visitors assist in the recruitment process by:

· Helping to develop the agency recruitment plan;
· Providing names of potentially eligible families; and
· Identifying siblings, relatives, or neighbors of current enrollees.

An effective promotional campaign emphasizes that both home- and center-based programs have different but equally valuable ways to deliver Head Start services. This campaign reaches the community in general, and target families in particular. The program's purpose, goals, and objectives- what can be expected of home-based Head Start-are of interest.

Parents who participated in home-based services in another grantee's program may be the most successful sales representatives for a new option. They could sit on a panel with other parents or child development specialists. They could conduct practical question-and-answer sessions with small groups of interested parents. Slide-tape or video presentations often generate enthusiasm. Head Start at Home and Partnership With Parents are videos to orient parents, staff, and the community.

Designing a Staff Development Program

Training has always been emphasized in the Head Start program. Training should include:

Training plans should be in writing and funds allocated to assure the proper implementation of the program option.

Staff development. The importance of training for the home-based option cannot be minimized. One of the keys to the success of the program is how well staff are trained for what they are to accomplish. Training is necessary for the self-image, confidence, and competency of the staff. Parents respond better to home visitors who are confident and competent. Viewing the video, Partnership With Parents, available from the Head Start Bureau, may enhance pre- or in-service training efforts. For the staff, nothing promotes success quite as much as feelings of competence.

Pre-service and in-service training are critical to staff development. Initial staff screening interviews identify strengths and weaknesses to address in training. After hiring new staff, orientation meetings familiarize them with Head Start's goals, objectives, and specific home-based strategies. Staff should attend workshops before the beginning of each service year to further their professional development. During the year, staff should attend local, state, and national professional conferences. They take part in other training opportunities at local agencies and colleges.

Staff professional development is encouraged both as individuals and as a group. Individual career development plans are outlined and maintained by the home-based supervisor. Technical assistance is available both to individuals and groups. Subscriptions to high quality professional publications and a library of books, videos, and brochures are maintained.

Staff training is competency based and incorporates concepts and skills from all Head Start component areas. Agencies conduct this training during pre- and in-service sessions as part of a career development program for home-based staff. Often, training encompasses the Child Development Associate (CDA) functional areas. Home-based supervisors and other resource persons support home visitors through observations, conferences, accompanying home visitors as often as needed, and through other forms of technical assistance. Head Start agencies also support home visitors by providing time and space for them to meet with each other, share concerns, problem-solve, and conduct other activities. Home visitors also visit other types of home visit programs, such as visiting nurses' programs and home visit programs for teen mothers (see the Head Start Home Visitor Handbook and Home-Based Supervisor's Guide). Each home visitor should have his/her own copy of the Head Start Home Visitor Handbook.

As stated in the Head Start Staffing Requirements and Program Options 45 CFR (1306.23), "all Head Start grantees must provide pre-service training and in-service training opportunities to program staff and volunteers to help them gain or increase the knowledge and skills they need to fulfill their job responsibilities. This training improves the ability of staff and volunteers to deliver services required by Head Start regulations and policies."

"Head Start grantees must provide staff with information and training about the underlying philosophy and goals of Head Start and the program options being implemented."

Parent education. Opportunities for parent training/education are on-going in the home-based program option through parent participation during home visits, group socializations, parent meet ings, field trips, and grantee program activities. Specific parent education sessions are provided in all the Head Start component areas: child development/parenting, medical health, dental health, nutrition, mental health, social services, and parent involvement.

Parents are constantly learning as part of their participation in the program. Managers must anticipate parent needs and interests, and find ways to help families pursue their goals as parents and adults.

Head Start programs provide parent-information brochures, videos, and magazines. Current contact lists-for adult education programs, community workshops and services, cultural opportunities, and calendars of local events-are some of the items included in Head Start's resource bank for families. Through parent involvement and educational activities, parents develop leadership, social, and other skills.

It is important that the supervisor meet with the home visitor on a regular basis to ensure that the home visitor is working with each family on the broad issues of self-sufficiency.

The administrative staff, with input from home visitors and parents, design the agency training plan for staff, parents, and volunteers to meet the broad programmatic goals and the more specific individual objectives.

The work environment for the home-based staff is unique. The discussion that follows should help administrators in their planning.

Arranging the Work Environment

Office space is required for all Head Start staff, and this includes home visitors whose needs are unique and whose schedules are tight. Home visitors cannot be expected to equip their cars or homes to conduct business and make telephone calls. Therefore, the following needs should be considered when providing for home visitor office space. Home visitors need access to:

Each agency devises its own system for maintaining records and limiting access to assure that
confidentiality is maintained for staff and the families they serve. The section titled
"Documenting the Head Start Home-Based Program Option" offers some suggestions.

Preparing a Budget

Budgets respond to local needs. Among the items included in budgets are:

Each section is described in detail.

Salaries and benefits. Salary and benefit packages for home visitors should be in line with comparable local positions and at least equal to center-based teacher salaries with similar education and training. Starting pay schedules may vary according to experience, background, education, and other factors, but there must be sound reasons for salary decisions and differences, including recognition that home visitors' salaries may be even higher than those of teachers with similar credentials because home visitors must be responsible for all components.

Individual career development plans make it possible for employees to improve their capabilities, upgrade their responsibilities, and increase their salaries. Like most employees. Head Start staff usually view pay raises as signifying they are doing their jobs well. Appropriate raises and expected increases in benefit costs are included in each year's budget.

Training for staff, parents, and volunteers. Funds for orientation, pre-service and in-service training must be included in the budget. Expenses will need to be set aside for consultants, registration fees, training facilities if needed, copying materials, travel per diem and miscellaneous expenses. Remember to budget funds for parents, staff, and volunteers to attend local, regional, and national training conferences.

Insurance. Insurance is essential. The home-based program option staff are included in the typical agency health insurance, retirement, and unemployment package. However, providing adequate coverage becomes far more complicated for home visitors, especially when staff use their personal cars to transport families. Ask home visitors to check with their insurance company about securing additional vehicle insurance to use their car for transporting families.

Liability insurance for the Head Start staff who visit homes can protect the program against potential law suits that might arise from any staff member's actions or activities. Liability insurance also may be required to qualify the program to use or rent space for group socializations.

Worker's Compensation Insurance is important to protect employees who may be injured in the line of duty, and to limit the program's liabilities in such cases.

Home visitors may face peril in nearly any neighborhood, from inner cities to rural areas. Insurance coverage for home visitors, program materials, and vehicles is essential. All Head Start agencies should develop and follow program policies to assure home visitor safety.

Head Start grantees should work with insurance companies to determine whether group or joint policies might be helpful, to specify which types of insurance are needed, and to get the best coverage for the expense.

Transportation costs. Travel is a major expenditure in home-based programs. Grantees should keep the following expenses in mind:

· Transportation for weekly home visit and group socialization activities;
· Reimbursement for consultants' travel expenses; and
· Transportation to attend local, regional, and national training meetings.

One significant result of so much daily travel that may be overlooked is the wear and tear on home visitors' cars. Grantees might consider the purchase of four-wheel drive vehicles to reach families whose homes are in difficult to reach areas.

Safety assurances. Safety is another issue that could have cost ramifications. Therefore, grantees should consider the following:

Home visitors who live in the neighborhood may have practical ideas about their daily travel. Some home visitors have regular personal contact with law enforcement officers to build security. Police can help identify areas that are potentially dangerous. A few grantees provide cellular phones or beepers so home visitors can stay in touch with program headquarters in case of an emergency. The home-based supervisor must have a schedule of every home visitor's whereabouts (see the Head Start Home Visitor Handbook).

Each agency needs to develop a plan for assuring staff safety. Mandatory training on personal safety should be a part of that plan. Resolving issues around liability is another critical aspect. Developing safety policies in the planning period insures a proactive stance before a crisis arises.

Equipment and materials. Operating a home-based program may require the purchase of expensive items like cameras, tape recorders, and videotape players. These will be used frequently so usage will dictate how many of each item is needed. The grantee should ensure that enough equipment and materials are available for each home visitor to efficiently carry out the objectives of the program.

Some standard consumables such as paper and art materials will be required. You can keep down costs for some popular items like puzzles by encouraging home visitors and their supervisor to scout thrift shops, and/or to ask for specific donations from businesses and service groups. Incorporating homemade teaching materials can provide parents with important information about using resources in the home as well as reduce costs.

Food items are needed for snacks and meals when appropriate. Most recipes used for nutrition education should focus on food and ingredients that the family has in the home. Programs should supplement as necessary.

Office expenses. Each visitor will need office work space, with a desk and access to a telephone, copier, and computer. Though home visitors spend much of their time on the road, each needs a spot to call his/her own. Housing home visitors together will foster peer exchange and a feeling of ownership for the program.

Group socialization expenses. Occasionally there are expenses associated with conducting the group socializations. Typically, these expenses are for space to house the group, snacks and meals provided during the group socialization, and additional transportation costs.

Developing the Grant Package

Careful planning of each category in the budget insures that the home-based program begins with a firm foundation. Plans made in developing the grant package to meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards and the Home-Based Program Option requirements will ease the change from program planning to program implementation. Putting a lot of time and effort into effectively planning the details of the Head Start Home-Based Program Option will increase the chance of its success.

Developing the grant package to submit to the Regional Office for Head Start funding provides an opportunity to reach consensus on how to deliver services in an interdisciplinary way. One of the first steps is to contact the Head Start Regional Office to get copies of Regulations and all Information Memos related to the home-based program option. The Program Specialist may suggest a nearby agency that can serve as a mentor to an agency beginning the home-based program option. Getting to know the neighbors can be a big help.

Regardless of your experience level with the Home-Based Program Option, keep it simple when developing your grant package. Write component plans and objectives that define the delivery system you have chosen-the home-based program option. If this is the first time you are submitting a home- based program optiongrant package, a detailed description of the plan's goals and objectives is needed. If this is a refunding/update year, the grant package can be less detailed. Referring to "Suggestions for Strengthening the Home-Based Program Option" can help you at any stage in developing a simple grant package.

CHAPTER 2
Program Implementation 

Every day, staff strive to help families reach the goals they set for themselves and their children.

When all the administrative pieces of the plan are in place, and staff have completed their pre-service training, the program is ready to get underway. In this chapter, we consider the basic components of the program from an administrator's point of view.

THE HOME VISIT PROCESS

Home visits allow parents and staff the opportunity to form a partnership. The major purpose of home visits is to help parents improve their parenting skills and assist them in the use of the home as the child's primary learning environment. As parents learn to understand their children better, they begin to understand themselves better. This reciprocal learning sets the stage for family change.

Home visits must be well-planned with a definite purpose for each family. Advance planning is done by the parents and home visitor based on the Family Needs Assessment (FNA) and Family Action Plan (FAP) and other documentation as well as weekly discussions. Helping families select clear goals and plan activities is one of the first things home visitors learn to do, and needs to be a training priority.

Supervisors work closely with each home visitor to help him/her focus on reasonable, achievable goals that include the objectives of:

· The Family Needs Assessment;
· Family interests; and
· Program objectives.

The goals/objectives determined by the parents and home visitors become the curriculum. The first home visit is usually informal, but it sets the stage for all future visits. The objectives of the first visit are to:

Screening and Assessment

An essential aspect of the home-based option is the screening and assessment process. The Family Needs Assessment enables Head Start agencies to determine the needs of the families and children served. A Family Action Plan, developed jointly by the home visitor and parents, serves as the dynamic "master plan" from which each home visit is planned. The Head Start Home Visitor Handbook describes these processes in detail. In combination, these plans establish the background for the program's meeting the needs of the community and the families served. Appendix B: Sample Forms includes sample Family Needs Assessments and Family Action Plans. The Model Family Needs Assessment is available from the Head Start Bureau.

Although many elements of home visits are the same, such as the focus on parents and integration of the four Head Start components, each is also different. The differences depends upon family needs and interests. Flexibility is essential in planning and carrying out the plans. To know how to tailor the Family Action Plan and specific activities, home visitors constantly learn more about the families they serve. Information collected about adults and children during the first few visits will be supplemented with that gathered through shared experiences.

With every contact, home visitors become better acquainted with the learning environment in each home and with community resources. In time, other insights develop. They witness how families cope with daily problems, and how, with the right kind of support, they can reach the goals and objectives they have established.

Screening and assessment of children's health and development are essential to provide individualized information. This information is used for determining whether referrals for further evaluation are recommended, and for planning purposes. The home visitor and the parents help the children prepare for, and take part in, the screening and assessment process.

Health screenings must be completed within 45 days after a child's entry into Head Start. Home visitors work with the health coordinator and parents to arrange and schedule screenings. Some require the expertise of specialists, such as dental and physical exams. Others, such as vision and hearing screenings, are conducted by professionals or by trained home visitors and parents.

Developmental screening. Developmental screening provides an overview of children's skills. Such evaluations, short and limited in scope, show whether further assessment is advised.

Any instrument selected by a program should be reliable, valid, and suitable for the children (see Meisels, 1985).

Developmental assessment involves regular systematic observation and documentation of what a child does and says. The assessment should be complete-addressing all areas of child growth and development, as well as including children's daily activities. The areas of child development normally addressed in the assessment process are:

· Fine and gross motor development
· Creativity
· Self-help skills
· Self-discipline
· Language development
· Self-concept
· Coguitive development
· Social development

Unlike screening instruments, assessment instruments are usually criterion-referenced (see National Head Start Bulletin, Number 43, January, February, 1993). Rather than being compared to a hypothetical "norm," the child is compared only to himself or herself as he or she is assessed on mastery of each skill. The sequence of skills used in developmental assessment procedures generally is based on a normal progression of skills learned by children.

Home visitors use a variety of methods to conduct developmental assessments. As with other elements of the Home-Based Program Option, this process involves parents. Home visitors work with parents to get information from them about their children's developmental status and to include them in observation and documentation procedures. (See Chapter Two of the Head Start Home Visitor Handbook for further information.)

Family Action Plan. After the Family Needs Assessment and child health and developmental
screenings are complete, home visitors work in partnership with the family to outline a Family Action Plan. Parents and home visitors are jointly responsible for the design, implementation, and evaluation of the plan. Head Start coordinators each contribute in their areas of expertise.

These are some of the elements typically included in Family Action Plans:

Weekly plans are designed to address specific goals identifiedby the family and home visitor. Each visit is scheduled and planned by the parents and home visitor. Activities are selected, materials are collected (from within the home whenever possible), and arrangements are made to get together at a convenient, regular time each week. Information is recorded on the appropriate planning form for parents and for the visitor.
 
FIGURE 2-1: RECOMMENDATIONS TO KEEP HOME VISITS PARENT-FOCUSED

These recommendations, derived by J. Ronald Lally from home visitors' experiences, are helpful in guiding supervisors who evaluate and direct the day-to-day operations.

Head Start Components

The success of the Head Start program is due, in part, to its provision of comprehensive services. These are provided through the four Head Start components: education, social services, health, and parent involvement. The integration of these components is a coordinated effort with other Head Start staff.

An occasional brief review of the Head Start Home Visitor Handbook (1993), and the Head Start Program Performance Standards, either individually or as part of in-service training, is a valuable way to keep daily program plans on target. In addition, supervisors and component coordinators should review home visit plans to assure that all four Head Start components are covered during a month. This helps to assure program quality as well as meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards.

Although home visitors are not expected to be experts, they are informed sufficiently to identify problems, or potential problems, facing families and what steps to take to help families solve problems. For example, they should know when to involve component coordinators for assistance and when to make referrals.

Education services. The principal purpose of home visits is to build parental skills in fostering their children's development. The education component includes learning activities that involve both adults and children.

Family literacy plays a dominant role in planning and carrying out the home-based program. Literacy issues affect Head Start families. For example, one issue pertains to English speakers who have limited skills in reading and writing. These families willundoubtedly require advocacy efforts from their home visitors in filling out forms and seeking information.

Another issue involves families who speak languages other than English. These families are best served by a home visitor who speaks the language preferred by the family. "Introducing English too early may be done at the expense of children's language development, cognitive development, and even their relationships with their families" (Everyone Counts, 1993). Whenever possible, children's home lan guages should be strengthened so children understand ideas first in the language most familiar to them. When families understand the importance for giving children a good foundation in their first language, they support this approach.

Health services. Head Start broadly considers children's medical/dental/nutrition and mental health in this component. Many home visitors serve families who are dealing with multiple sources of stress that overlay Head Start's health and social services areas. Domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, alcoholism, AIDS and other chronic illnesses are among these many sources of stress.

Mental health. Parenting is in many ways a primary mental health effort. Therefore, when home visitors model sound parenting techniques and work with families to carry out a positive discipline approach, they are providing mental health services. Mental Health in Head Start: A Weilness Approach (Hansen, 1990), provides home visitors with guidelines in this area.

Activities listed below can be involved in promoting good mental health:

Social services. Social services are all the services and facilities that a community provides for its citizens-recreation, libraries, counseling, housing, legal aid, education, as well as public assistance. Head Start provides services for low-income families within specific income guidelines, so many will already be receiving some form of financial assistance. Nearly all families, however, are dealing with the multiple stresses that affect contemporary families, especially those living in or near poverty. During the first few weeks, home visitors and families will identify specific needs to include in the Family Action Plan. These needs and subsequent plans become the individualized "social service" aspect for each family.

Parent involvement. Some parents are highiy involved with their children's development and with their communities, but they may still urgently need the many resources home visitors can help them access. Each family's needs are different, are identified during the first few weeks of the program, and are addressed on an on-going basis throughout the year.

Parent involvement is expected of families participating in the home-based program option. At a minimum, parents are expected to:

Planning Home Visit Activities Together

Planning forms should include an evaluation section to insure that the home visitor and the family review their accomplishments at the end of each home visit. Parents talk about the day's successes and difficulties. Parents discuss and/or write about how the activities went, what they and their child learned, what they liked about the visit and what they would change. The home visit form should be prepared in duplicate. The document can be simultaneously used by:

The videotape Partnership With Parents shows various strategies and techniques to use with parents to plan, conduct and evaluate individualized home visits. In addition, the Head Start Home Visitor Handbook discusses in further detail specific elements of home visits.

Regardless of the home visitors' levels of skill and training, their performance depends in large part on the support they receive from administrators, especially their immediate supervisor. The home-based supervisor and the component coordinators help visitors include all four Head Start components in each month's activities. They observe home visits, foster coordination with community agencies, and resolve any difficulties that might arise.

Building Rapport With Families

Building and maintaining rapport with families is one of the most important-and sometimes most difficult-tasks that a home visitor does. Rapport often develops slowly! The parents and home visitor work as a team-planning, conducting, and evaluating each home visit together. Home visitors who are partners with parents have good rapport with families. This partnership will evolve throughout the year. Home visitor training must address building rapport and working with adults.

Supervising the Home Visitor

Supervision is continuous throughout the year and incorporates constructive feedback and support. To meet the Head Start Program Performance Standards, a supervisor should make a minimum of three home visit observations per home visitor during the course of the year. The supervisor also reviews written plans and home contact records on a regular basis. Some agencies now use videotapes both to record observations and as a training tool. Photographs also can help document activities and may capture expressions that reveal how well the visits are progressing.

The home visit is a focal point in implementing the home-based program option. It is central because of:

· The planning that has occurred before the visit;
· The intense interaction that occurs during the visit;
· The joint evaluation of the visit by both parent and home visitor; and
· The joint planning of follow-through activities for both families and agency staff.

The home visit is key to planning the other modes of service delivery: group socializations, community outreach, and parent education. The next section discusses group socializations in more detail.

GROUP SOCIALIZATION

Getting together with other Head Start home-based families meets a basic human need to socialize. Parents learn from talking together, through seeing their own and other children interact, and by sharing information. Children learn from each other, a variety of adults, and from activities in which they take part. Most of all, these events should be fun for everyone, and be a time to relax. Group socialization should provide opportunities for parents to:

Group socialization activities should be planned to: The director must assure that the home-based option plan includes group socializations twice a month. The length of time for each group socialization session is flexible, depending upon the type of experience planned. A field trip to a horse farm might well take longer than a video presentation to parents on well-baby care. However, allow ample time to assure that children have time to play productively, especially in small groups.

Programs choose dates far in advance to provide Head Start activity calendars to families. Home visitors remind families on the home visit day about the socialization session so participation is as high as possible. Plans for the specific group socialization experience include a schedule of activities. Parents and children know what to expect during each gathering.

Planning is essential in managing the logistics of regular socialization for children and families together. The Head Start agency is responsible for finding suitable facilities and community experiences. The agency's policies about transportation arrangements and the provision of snacks and/or meals should be followed (45 CFR 1304.3-10(6)(1). Planning the group socialization activities requires input from the parents. To achieve maximum interaction between adults and children, plans focus on small group activities.

Facilities and Transportation

The facilities used by Head Start grantees for home-based group socialization activities must comply with state and local requirements concerning licensing. In cases where licensing standards are less comprehensive or less stringent than Head Start regulations, or where no state or local licensing standards apply, grantees are required to assure that their facilities are in compliance with Head Start Program Performance Standards related to health and safety found in 45 CFR 1304.2-3 (Subpart C-Head Start Program Options). Supervision of children and the safety of all participants in group socialization experiences are of utmost importance.

Small groups may meet in families' homes for activities such as story telling, gardening, or playing games on a nearby playground. Arrangements to meet in homes occur only when the parents volunteer and are involved in all planning for the group socialization activity.

Field trips are another way of meeting the group socialization requirement. They usually require additional attention, such as providing maps if parents are driving. Program policies should address all phases of field trip planning to assure that home visitors can make the most of these excellent learning opportunities for children and families. Program policies for field trips should cover:

Transportation arrangements might include use of Head Start vans or buses, contracts with local public transportation, or parent car pools. The Head Start agency is responsible for assuring that all vehicles, drivers, and passengers are adequately insured.

Occasionally, two home visitors and their families might plan a special group socialization together. One home visitor works with some of the parents while the other home visitor helps the rest of the parents and the children carry out the planned activities. Later the groups of parents switch responsibilities so both groups achieve the goals of the joint group socialization.

The needs, strengths, and interests of the families and their children should guide the types of playful experiences that take place during group socialization. The focus is on fostering children's develop ment through group interactions and activities that promote cooperation between and among parents and children. Therefore, children engage in a wide variety of self-directed play as well as some structured learning experiences.

Well-trained supervisors and home visitors keep abreast of the latest professional developments in early childhood education. Basic principles for program planning enable administrators to offer guidance to supervisors and home visitors. The Head Start Program Performance Standards that address adults and children in group settings, including education, nutrition, and safety, are excellent references in planning these activities.

Environment

Much care is taken in Head Start to ensure that the environment is safe and inviting for the abilities or disabilities, ages, and interests of the children. Group socialization experiences may include infants, toddlers, and other siblings as well as the enrolled children. The environment must be tailored to meet a wide range of developmental needs.

Knowledgeable adults select equipment and materials and arrange them in ways that promote children's self-sufficiency and inquiry. These are a few basic considerations for children in group socializations:

Appropriate Practice

Appropriate activities are those which best match young children's development and abilities (physical, social, emotional, and cognitive), culture, individual learning styles, and interests. "Mindful curriculum enables children to make sense of what they are learning and to connect their experiences in ways that lead to rich conceptual development... [it] engages children in the challenge of learning" (Bredekamp and Rosegrant, 1992, p. 29).

Characteristics of developmentally appropriate experiences for children used in implementing group socialization activities are: