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This single-volume resource provides detailed information on current large-scale and longitudinal research studies focusing on early childhood development--the situations and experiences of young American children. Twenty-eight studies are profiled, addressing such issues as early childhood interventions for children in poverty, neighborhood characteristics and residence patterns of children and their families, the role of fathers in families, school readiness and the transition to school, and maternal employment issues, including child care and welfare reform. Features: A logical, consistent organization for easy access to information, such as the ages of children studied, the main research questions being addressed, and major findings to date. An informative introductory chapter that captures the history of thinking about early childhood intervention and the consistent findings that have come out of several decades of work. Chapters that place the work within the current policy and research context, focusing on the importance of early development and the contexts in which development occurs. A format accessible to policy analysts and researchers, helping both to understand how these studies fit into current policy debates and how these studies might be used to further the research on early childhood, especially with respect to disadvantaged children.