To Evaluate Children's Intellectual Growth and Development in the Southeast Kansas Demonstration Child Development Center. Final Report.

The Southeast Kansas Demonstration Child Development Center was opened March 27, 1972 to provide day care services for working mothers. A research project in this Child Development Center was carried out to evaluate the children's intellectual growth and development in a planned educational pre-school curriculum. Ten children from the Child Development Center were used as the experimental group. The researcher decided that the experimental group of children had to be enrolled in the Center for at least ten months before the child could be included as part of the sample. Ten preschool children not attending this Child Development Center or any type of child care centers were selected for the control group. Both groups were tested by using the Denver Developmental Screening Test and the Walker Readiness Test, Forms A and B. The children in the experimental group showed a higher, but not significant, average in their reading readiness scores and showed a greater, but not significant, increase in their overall growth and development. The conclusions made from this study is that although there were no significant differences on the tests used, on the basis of other information such as anecdotal reports and observations, it seems as though a curriculum oriented Child Development Center which encourages growth and development helps a child to grow and develop in reading readiness skills, physical coordination, and socialization skills with other children his age. (Author)