| Historical changes in the economy of the United States, as well as changes in women's concepts of their role in society and in the family, have led to substantive changes in the rearing practices of infants and young children (Scarr, 1998). According to Bachu (2002), early childcare has become a normative experience for American children. By the time children are in kindergarten, a vast majority have had childcare experience prior to school entry (West, Denton, Germino-Hausken, 2002).;Few research studies have examined the effects of cognitive, language, and motor skills programs on the cognitive, language and motor skills of toddlers in a childcare setting. Those studies that have examined the effects of these programs on children's development, report mixed or inconclusive results (Fox and Fein, 1990). Although childcare centers exist throughout the United States, only informal evaluations of their quality and effectiveness have been made. However, as parents in ever increasing numbers place their children in daycare, there arises a need to conduct experimental studies.;Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the effect of a specially developed cognitive, language, motor skills stimulation program on the cognitive, language and motor skills of students between the ages of three years to three years, seven months in a center based child care setting.;A pretest-posttest control group design with stratified random assignment was used to compare the cognitive, language, and motor skills achievement levels of students who underwent the cognitive, language, and motor skills stimulation program with the similar achievement level of an equivalent group of students who did not participate in the cognitive, language, and motor skills program. Analysis of covariance procedures were used to test for statistical significance with The First Step Screening Test for Evaluating Preschoolers scores utilized as pretest and posttest measures of cognitive achievement, language achievement, and motor skills achievement.;Results indicate a statistically significant positive difference in the cognitive, language, and motor skills achievement of children between the ages of three years and three years, seven months in a child care setting who participated in the cognitive, language, motor skills program. This study provides knowledge of effective cognitive, language, and motor skills program and how this program could help accelerate early childhood cognitive and language skills therefore preparing these children for kindergarten. The children's school readiness would be increased therefore closing the gap for children who are at risk for cognitive, language, and motor skill delays. |
